The Cat Came Back

[@JillofTrades]

I remember when Cartoon Network has this segment called "O Canada" and it played a variety of Canadian Cartoons. This was one of them

[@danielleducourneau8807]

I've been trying to remember what it was called! I thought it was just a fever dream 😂

[@ruhetraum]

THAT'S where I saw this initially! I remembered it was on some random cartoon show! Thank you#

[@matthewweatherford6566]

I remember it airing on PBS during a Sesame Street pledge drive. According to Wikipedia, it also played in theaters with Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

[@ariaxelos8332]

Zone: I can draw that fucking!

[@KlaxontheImpailr]

Anyone remember that one cartoon with the guy who kept getting hit in the head with apples?

[@angelicabutterfly1794]

This was my grandma's favourite cartoon. She passed away a few days ago and I'm watching it to remember her.

[@MajinBuuButtercup]

Oh, wow. Sorry to hear about your grandma. It's good to try and remember happy times you shared.

[@Dingomush]

I am sorry for your loss. This is the first time I have seen this animation, I can see the appeal.

[@rexgomez2281]

Angelica Butterfly I am sorry to hear about your grandma

[@chetlovesamerica6783]

Your grandma will always be with you..♡,,Memories are a gift from God !,,,2me .♡

[@eileenlester3313]

So very sorry for your loss. 💜

[@MrPaddy2010]

This just popped in my head after 30+ years for no reason, I’m so glad to find this!!! And I’m impressed at the quality of the video! Thanks for sharing this! 🥰

[@elizabethyoung1792]

Synchronicity must exist, because the exact same thing happened to me, which is why I just watched this vid. ☺️

[@cartonpoliticomx]

me too. I saw it in Mexico, when i was boy, and i was looking for it for a long time. Today i found it. I'm so glad.

[@ajmakin931]

Yep, saw this as a kid and remembered it ever since... Rediscovered after 25+ years

[@8-bitkyanii]

I remember my babysitter had shown this to me and, like the rest of you, this just popped into my head for no reason. I'm glad I could find it.

[@smokeyrob757]

SAME!!! I just had to look the video up.

[@pryncessyanni]

I have the most joyfully buoyant memories of laughing until our bellies hurt after watching this with my mama in the early 90s. Good times!

[@karencolizzinoonan3234]

I'd watch this with my daughter and she would laugh and laugh. Just showed it to my granddaughter and she made me replay it over and over until I said enough!! Great, timeless masterpiece.

[@rorod9766]

I cried for hours when I saw this for the first time as a kid. Your children and grandchildren are just soulless monsters who do not care for this broken man who wants this cat out of his life, even by taking his own. I REPEAT, I CRIED FOR HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@LocalH3ro]

@@rorod9766 There, there, its only a cartoon bud

[@rorod9766]

@@LocalH3ro which should be rated R, "Bud".

[@jream4968]

@@rorod9766 not that deep

[@exidy-yt]

@@rorod9766 what a sissy mary.

[@Tashax405]

I get the song stuck in my head randomly from time to time

[@LionHonour]

Same bro

[@scottodrowsky9835]

Me too! Keeps me entertained at work.

[@dikbozo]

Yup. 'The cat came back the very next day. Thought he was a goner just wouldn't stay away'. always brings a smile to my day. just s few hours ago the news had a story about a cat returning home which is why I am here in my happy place. will be back soon.

[@masonarsenault3872]

Nothing short of an animated masterpiece...I've seen it 1000 times and it only gets better every time I see it

[@riverxx8]

I'm here for the nostalgia. I remember when my teachers used to put this on in class all the time. It used to be one of my favorite things.

[@caveman3021]

This used to be on to fill space when there was a hockey game on TV in Canada. This, Blackfly. The Big Snit, and the Log Drivers Waltz were routine for many years. Thanks for the memories! : )

[@sherryab3964]

I totally remember that! This is a classic and now that I live in Europe, this makes me so proud to be Canadian 🇨🇦 and just reminds me of home.

[@Fallocaust]

Blackfly and the Log Driver's Waltz still slaps after all these years too.

[@matthewallen6376]

Had this song playing in my head decades after seeing it. That's an impressive ear worm, and still holds up

[@kristiaspight332]

I woke up humming this song for like 10 minutes and then I started singing the lyrics....I'm amazed by how my brain remembers so much from my childhood. Thank you KZbin for helping me😍

[@kate_cooper]

I love the cat’s casual attitude about destroying Mr Johnson’s house.

[@hughmungus1767]

It sounds like you've never had a cat, otherwise you'd know that is fairly standard among cats :-) We had a neighbour once who was a retired upholsterer. He once said "Cats are the upholsterer's best friend" because they were responsible for so much of his business.

[@kate_cooper]

@@hughmungus1767 Oh no, I have two. I know how destructive they can be. A four piece suite got absolutely shredded, lucky it was an old second-hand one when we got it.

[@agentburningbutters3655]

Thats what you did when you were little, think about it for a bit

[@GenMinion]

This song/video has been haunting my mind since the late 90s when it was aired on Cartoon Network on O Canada.

[@jbluewind4727]

GenMinion You too?! It got stuck in my head again recently when the hover text on the comic Dumbing of Age mentioned it.

[@suicune2001]

One of my co-workers mentioned yesterday about a guy who took a cat 2,000 miles and it somehow found its way home 8 months later. I've had this song stuck in my head since then. lol.

[@PhilMachi]

@Dan Hunt You probably saw it around the time I did (also in Ohio!) on Nickelodeon

[@PhilMachi]

@@suicune2001 The newest cat in my home is one that appeared on my doorstep in January from over 1000 miles away. The original owners have no idea how he got here and now he is mine! True story.

[@matthewweatherford6566]

I think it aired on PBS or HBO. We had an old tape with this cartoon and some Sesame Street stuff. It played right before Sesame Street Visits the Firehouse. The tape is probably still lying around somewhere in our garage. I read that this cartoon played in theaters with Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

[@mandyfinlayson5282]

CBC in the late 80s and the early 90s ... this alone with "little black fly" was my childhood. Lol

[@matthewweatherford6566]

In the United States, it played on PBS at the beginning of a Sesame Street pledge drive. I read other people's comments saying it also aired on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. According to Wikipedia, it played in theaters at the beginning of Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

[@sojc8760]

Same

[@valeriemoen4441]

I love this tune. 40+ years later I still love singing it. And it came from Canada! The NFB was stationed here in Winnipeg, where I’m from. Boy, we need to create tunes again that people love to sing for no reason but fun! ❤❤🎉

[@beckyc.4945]

My teacher would always play this on his guitar. It drove the class nuts, but I always loved it. Reminds me of him.

[@brawn7828]

First saw this video in my elementary school music class younger than 10, amazing nostalgia after over even 15 years

[@kingrudiger]

I seem to recall this played several Christmases when I was small, and it has become something of an alternative classic.

[@davidcperry]

When I was an Ontario College of Art student in the 70's, we would borrow 16 mm films (and a projector) from the Toronto Library and hold NFB movie parties at the house I shared with three other guys. This film has always been one of my absolute favorites!!

[@jett8193]

As someone with numerous cat family members over the years, I can easily suggest; all Old Mr. Johnson had to do was try to call the cat to him & get its attention, it woulda turned its back to him & walked right out. Of course, once it was on the other side of the door, it'd want right back in... ; ) This was a fun video, I've never seen it or heard the song before!

[@CrStrifey]

The 'what the ffff' part while he's flying down the tracks always made my dad laugh.

[@lovelylj2857]

It Sounds Like He Is Actually Saying "WHAT THE FUCK".

[@agentburningbutters3655]

thats my favourite part xD

[@procrastigamr]

I was looking for another film board short, and came across this. It actually brought back memories.

[@RandomAcount604]

I remember watching this as a kid, it brings back so many good memories

[@JuicyPlayer]

I never realized how like 80% of Nickelodeon’s content came from Canada back in its early days.

[@blvp2145]

The Canadian TV shows that were on nickelodeon were some of the best very creative

[@MajinBuuButtercup]

Anyone remember "You Can't Do That on Television"? Young Alanis Morrisette? Slime?

[@DoctorPhileasFragg]

Bananaman

[@tristachilcote7400]

An old friend once sent me this video as a birthday gift, probably 15 years ago, and even to this day I still remember the entirety of the song, and video! I'll never get enough of it!

[@marilynroberts9490]

LOVE IT LOVE IT! The music is a ear worm! Stuck in my head for days!

[@bucephalus1635]

Just one of the best cartoons ever made. So many wonderful little touches like: • What’s left of the carpet coming up with his chin as he gets up • The camera’s ??? ’expression’ when the truck disappears out of shot • The timing of the final chord and the balloon disappearing behind the hill Fantastic.

[@WolfArtizan]

When I was a kid my mother showed me this animation. It is now a classic in my family!

[@KittyBionic]

I remember Nickelodeon would air this cartoon from time to time, and I was always delighted to watch it. Pretty sure this is what spawned my love for cats 😹

[@KevinG3699]

I didn't know it was ever on Nickelodeon.

[@GoldenChocobo]

Yep, same. Watched this several times on Nickelodeon, along with some animal shorts. One I remember was a hockey game featuring two cat teams and one dog referee. Wish I could remember what those cat & dog shorts were.

[@DrHomura]

@@GoldenChocobo Sports Cartoon, I think it was? Had a hippo too if we're thinking of the same thing.

[@Littleone124]

​@@DrHomurahippopotamus with spaghetti on its back?

[@pruephillip1338]

The artistry and quality of this cartoon is 100%. Quite incredible. Has to be perhaps the best cartoon I have ever watched, and I worked as a cartoonist myself once.

[@leilaward8723]

Will always adore you Richard Condie ! " I certainly do!" you always said. Wonderful memory lane experience. I am now almost 73 and you are probably still creating, I am loving paintng and writing as retired teacher. Always treasured a sense of humour, yours, mine everybody's ! Laugh 'till we croak, eh? My latest painting is on plywood with a real sign in the middle that says HURRICANES PARKING ONLY ( from Costa Rica, cool place) Another painting is a wooden door with grafitti on it " NO ESTACIONAR SALE CARRO which apparently means " Don't even imagine parking your horse-drawn cart in front of my gate!" God bless the quirky !!

[@caliklepto1316]

This is one of the funniest animations I’ve ever seen

[@likeaprotutorials5150]

Here’s a story for everyone, so sit tight. When I was 6 years old, I had many breathing problems. Therefore eventually my family came to the conclusion that I needed my tonsils removed. I went to the doctor, got them removed, and went home with no complications. The doctors said I would be able to eat like normal after two weeks. Fast forward a month, I ate no more than 5 lays potato chips. Throughout the night, I was bleeding in my throat as the stitches weren’t put in correctly and hadn’t finished healing. That night I woke up and passed out next to my mother. I went brain dead for approx 8 minutes before the ambulance got to our house and resuscitated me. I arrived at the hospital in critical condition and got 4 bags worth of blood transfusion. In my hospital room, there was a TV. When I finally was conscious again and woke up, my parents got a series of DVD’s to put on the TV. This video was on one of them, and it’s my most prominent memory from then. Thanks for reading :)

[@iamalyna5295]

𝚠𝚘𝚠

[@diamondore8677]

Wow that is crazy, also this song brings back memories of my childhood, when I was a very skinny, short 4th grader, my teacher made my class listen to it and I loved watching it

[@BananaCologne]

The sequel we never knew we needed but are grateful for: “THE CHAP CAME BACK.” 🙂

[@likeaprotutorials5150]

@@BananaCologne Aye bro, you have no idea how much that made my smile. Thanks :)

[@BananaCologne]

@@likeaprotutorials5150 I’m just glad you’re hear to react to it. 🫂 #PayItForward

[@TheBloodyloon]

Right in the childhood.

[@cheeseandonions9558]

I love the drawing style... something a 10 year old could draw, but the animating it takes a genius.

[@keithhartley4451]

I enjoy that NFB put these in the high res they deserve! Kudos to classics!

[@moonharp]

My mom was a folksinger. I was raised on this song. As a kid, I always wished old Mr Johnson would just die instead, so the cat could go live with someone nice.

[@galeforce3192]

He got his karmic justice. In trying to get rid the cat in progressively cruel ways, he now has to deal with nine of those cats instead of just one.

[@moonharp]

@@galeforce3192 Doesn't help the cat much.

[@Puppy6667]

He was nice tho. The cat destroyed his home. And his sanity. Poor Mr. Johnson

[@rhunter42dragon]

@@galeforce3192 Seriously? He tried to get rid of it gently, but it kept coming back and destroying his home.

[@NeonN3mesis]

This is brilliant. I hope to find more of these gems.

[@Pixygon]

Oath Accountability Project Try The Big Snit.

[@frenfer]

I taught art for 43 years - this is one I showed when it became available during my animation unit!

[@MegaMaxiepad]

I have watched this cartoon time and again since the 90s. It is so incredibly funny. And gotta love that hand-drawn animation.

[@forafewnicholsmore]

This is even funnier to me now as a grown-ass man than it was when I watched it as a kid.

[@KevinG3699]

My mom freaking loved it when it first aired in the US, and she still cracks up when I show it to her here. I love this.

[@citizenofcorona8783]

They used to play this on Nickelodeon back in the late 80s in between shows

[@jamaliam6]

That’s where I remember it from :)

[@vulnikkura1735]

This was my absolute favourite thing when I was a kid. It's still as amazing as I remember it, even more so now that I'm old enough to understand the dark humour.

[@Noah-cv1rx]

Scarrr tbh it scared me as a kid

[@Mike25z]

The bug on the track gets me every time !!!

[@mattgunnell9416]

Haven't seen this in years! My family and I loved this in the 80's (thanks, Nickelodeon!) and we joked about for ages. Thank you for putting this online.

[@aaronclark6145]

Watched this as a kid and just shared it with my 3 and 7 year olds. Thank you for posting it!

[@MissAshley42]

I don't know why my 4th grade teacher showed me this (circa 1990), but I'm glad she did. This film has endeared me to Canadian animation ever since. Thank you for this HD upload, NFB, and thank you for continuing to support wonderful artists and their works.

[@Orangeforever66778]

you always were obsessed with all thing Canadian . I don't like you . you hurt people ,your petty and destructive . I wash my hands of you Mick tch!

[@Orangeforever66778]

AwAh I don't support your work Mitch ! I think you're evil ! Not gonna reply youtube any more but if you continue to use awah I will report you about everything I can!

[@TheCelestine]

This was my favourite thing to watch on repeat as a kid, just remembered the name and I’m happy it’s here on yt for me to re-experience

[@timsplosion]

I never remembered where this came from, but the distinctive music has managed to stick in my head for decades. I don't think I was even 10 the first time I saw it.

[@ZONEsama]

Yellow cats, bro.

[@insertcreativenamehere5473]

Hello there.

[@coffeeboy06]

True

[@haywarddaryl]

Growing up in Canada I loved this song and adored Fred Penner. Years later at an open mic, Fred Penner told me he liked my song. That's all I've ever needed in life. Hang in there buds!

[@vtgreenmt]

So, I have been singing this song (with not so correct words) since around 1991 or 92. I was at the University of Vermont and I volunteered at a film festival. I saw this film. Some crazy song! “If I was God” by Cordell Barker (this film’s creator) popped up right now on my KZbin front page. So I started watching, got curious and Googled Barker. OH MY GOD!! I was blown away when I saw his list of other films! I thought this film/song was gone for good. I should have known: with the internet, nothing is truly gone forever. I am soooo happy... but sadly reflective as I always am of my college days. Thank you Film Board of Canada. You made this American’s day/life feel complete. Honestly. I have honestly felt a hole. Amazing.

[@ianclark3725]

I had this song on an album of children's songs by Rolf Harris back in the early 70s.

[@jackiegutmann]

One of my favorite NFB films of all time. This is very old but very good.

[@barryroberts6771]

Still cracks me up after all these years

[@MisterTalkingMachine]

Look at the shitload of similar bags at the bottom of the ocean at 3:09

[@Kanooodledoodle]

MisterTalkingMachine Yea :(

[@nikolaevkatesla3823]

They are cats that he killed because in the end there are 9 cats

[@hahajohncena9286]

NICOLAS TALLEDO no, there are more than 8 or 9

[@dead-endjobproductions5259]

@@nikolaevkatesla3823 9 lives of a cat.

[@nathanenglander6496]

Yes they are all cats :p time were not as sensitive back then

[@spunbearing]

This is when the NFB really shined. Such good stuff. I love the Big Snit too, so awesome.

[@rosyrascalz]

i remember in like first grade they showed us this video and when i found it again i cried!! it was my favorite thing and this video led me to “the big snit” which also made me cry. i love these animations and thank you for the nostalgia.

[@FillyK80]

I watched this as a kid in the early 90s, thought I'd look it up some 30 years later, and it's just as funny as I remember - a classic!! They don't make 'em like this anymore

[@ameliawarfield5637]

I watched the first time when I was a kid. I watched it for fun and it's still funny after all these years!!🐈😺🌈🦄⭐👑🦊⚡

[@hellsingmongrel]

I grew up watching this cartoon REPEATEDLY as a kid, all the way down south in Texas. 😁 Still a favorite of mine, and the song is still stuck in my head almost 30 years later!

[@Jjjijjiujjiihhj]

I have watched almost every video of this channel a long time ago but now I started to watch them again. Really very good with some meaning ful lesson

[@glennroberts461]

I haven't heard that song in 35 years.

[@StandWatie1862]

Its 31 years old

[@annikboyer3395]

Some clichés at their best! Still laught at the railway joke with the girls, the cow and the bug!

[@JW-og9ym]

Love it. Please share for all Canadians to see

[@simonwoods7112]

4:53 WHAT THE F--? This is still a brilliant little animation. Surprisingly dark and nihilistic, to a nearly over the top extent. For me, this is second only to 'The Big Snit' as the NFB's masterpiece.

[@battlefieldninja]

Well both this animated short an The Big Snit are directed by the same person.

[@juliancielen]

Little animation probably took this animator over a year to complete, maybe two or three. ART

[@dredaylarue]

I like how he was easily running all over the bodies on the train tracks but instantly flipped off when he hit a bug

[@agentburningbutters3655]

The way he said it tho xD

[@RichardRoy2]

Still funny after all these years.

[@skapunkno1]

This is by far the best version of this... sorry Muppets.

[@SpazZMattiC]

Still a classic. Damn! I'm getting old..

[@maniacaldude]

This is easily one of my favorite NFB cartoons. Brilliantly animated and loaded with comedic energy that makes it a blast to watch again and again.

[@NikkiDeJonge]

I remember this too. Such 🍁 Canadian nostalgia :) 😊 👍

[@realjettlag]

I've loved this cartoon for decades. I'm so glad I came across this 1988 classic; I remember learning the song as a small kid in the early '70s from my older siblings.

[@bartonyoung3631]

Excellent! So pleased to have found it again! Thank you xx

[@RaisingAtoZ]

I've been showing all these short animated films to my daughter and she LOVES them. I love them, too...they bring me back to my childhood. Thanks for posting them!

[@WriterFergus]

Absolutely brilliant!! Haven't seen this in years. Thanks for the upload of this classic.

[@welchdisney9453]

A classic among classics :)

[@samanthablight7615]

I remember watching this all the time at school when I was 7 or 8, we loved it 😭😭 never caught the "WHAT THE FF" bit until now

[@agentburningbutters3655]

that line was still my favourite thing, the way he said it tho xD

[@kreativeheart8598]

I think this was on my tablet years ago and I randomly remembered it. So glad to find it on KZbin its hilarious!

[@danielweston8214]

Huh why are there no comments on this masterpiece

[@SoeJul]

It used to be marked as a “kids” video, and comments aren’t allowed on those anymorw

[@suager4502]

@@SoeJul "WHAT THE FFF-"

[@sausagelynx]

@@suager4502 **boom**

[@levipeabody2344]

fun fact: this short film was released in theaters alongside Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

[@cliffmode2000]

That's where I've seen it! I remember it from being a kid but couldn't put my finger on it.

[@Office_De_Receiver_Complaints]

Now it's in your head...Foreverr!!

[@melm6797]

I remember watching this as a kid and for some reason getting totally freaked out by the bug on the railroad tracks that broke in half.

[@bowtoyoursensei554]

I love this old folk song...I had no idea it was made into a short animation film.

[@HiVizCamo]

Funny, I thought this was the original incarnation of the song, I had no idea how old it is, how many versions of it there are.

[@stephaniers415]

This used to play at the Canadian Museum of Nature along with other Canadian videos and cartoons about animals. It terrified me as a kid. The cat and Mr Johnson are diabolical- they deserve each other XD

[@Sigurther]

I saw this once on Nickelodeon as a kid and had been waiting for it to come on again for years so I could record it on the VCR. Nice to finally see it again, and in high def no less! Still just as dark, wacky and hilarious as I remember it.

[@tracar1]

I watched this everyday as a kid, and now, i havent thought about this for years and it just popped up on my for you page and i forgot about it, i watched it, and even now, this is good

[@bonkboi5820]

waaaaaaay back when I was in daycare, one of the adults working there would be begged to put this video on for me and the other kids, we used to effin’ love it.

[@joeadams7182]

i remember this from O Canada in CN!

[@ricd5553]

I remember seeing this on TV on night back in the late 90's. Never forgot it since then.

[@guardian08527]

I start humming this tune every time I open the door and one of the cats comes in.

[@StevenSeven]

I remember this from years ago. The "cat came back" 🎶🎵still pops in my head from time to time. Love it! Thanks for posting.

[@annec9376]

This just doesn't get old. :)

[@ZeldaTheSwordsman]

"Baby Bottle" from The Cuphead Show is in large part this as a full episode

[@annikboyer3395]

timeless and gritty! I love all the gags1

[@jaffarvali5914]

Highly appreciable.A master piece is a master piece.

[@DocTerror77]

Am I the only one who thinks the ending is a bit morbid. It creeped me out when I watched it back then. I love it anyway. Thank You

[@DocTerror77]

​@Valerie Mc Phail None of them died at the end.

[@jmg94j]

That's what made this animation so funny. The whole time he is trying to get rid of the annoying cat, they both die at the end, and now the cat will annoy him forever and ever, in the afterlife.

[@kieravermeal9127]

We had to watch this for a lecture in my film and animation history class lol

[@azaramoon4027]

This song will be on my mind all night now !

[@DwynTomlinson]

This is a national treasure ...

[@andrewschumm1848]

Thanks for uploading