Tom Cat #7

Tom Cat gets a shock when a contractor's repair estimate for his home comes in at $300—far steeper than the rough figure he was expecting. This half-page romp plays the gap between estimate and sticker price for all its comedic value.

Tom Cat enrolls at Feline University with one goal in mind: winning enough prize money to become as knowledgeable as a game-show champion—but the school has other plans, drafting him as their star football player to save the university from financial ruin. When game day arrives against their rivals at Canine Tech, Tom discovers that sabotage is afoot, and he'll need to use his wits as much as his athletic prowess to keep Feline U. in the running.

Tom Cat squares off against Jack Dejump in the finals of the pole vault competition, and our feline champion is so confident in his natural abilities that he decides to make things interesting by raising the bar impossibly high. When Tom Cat takes his turn, he demonstrates an athletic feat that leaves the crowd speechless—but there's a catch that the officials can't overlook.

Li'l Mouse is stuck with the chore of mowing the lawn and seeks advice from his hero, Atomic Mouse, who suggests they walk together while he thinks up some clever shortcuts. As they stroll, Atomic Mouse entertains various ideas for easier ways to cut grass, but keeps dismissing each one—until he realizes the simplest solution has been right in front of them all along.

Tom Cat's arrogance gets the better of him when he dismisses ping pong as a sissy game—until he learns his opponent is Polly Pamp, the world champion, and his refusal to play gets splashed across the papers as cowardice. Desperate to save face and reclaim his reputation, Tom challenges Polly to a match, but he'll need to pull off something clever to have any shot at beating the reigning champ.

When the grateful children of Mouseville learn that Atomic Mouse's birthday is coming up, they plan a surprise party with the biggest cake ever made—but two scheming villains, Count Gatto and Shadow, have their own surprise in mind, planning to hide inside the cake and ambush their unsuspecting hero. As the celebration unfolds and Atomic Mouse approaches the mysterious cake, the children and our hero are about to discover what kind of "surprise" really awaits.

Count Gatto wakes up in a foul mood after being bopped on the head—and blames his dreams of Atomic Mouse for the mishap. It's a quick slice of funny-animal mischief from 1957 that proves even a cat's subconscious can land him in trouble.

A persistent brush salesman tries his best to make a pitch to Tom Cat, offering samples and leaving his mark—but the cat proves far too stubborn to be swayed. This quick half-page gag from 1957 shows that some customers simply cannot be sold.

Tom Cat puts on an impressive fencing display, going the distance without taking a single hit—until a moment of overconfidence threatens to undo the whole thing. This quick-witted tale from 1957 proves that even the greatest athletes can stumble when they let their guard down.