is a 2D animated short film created by a group of 3rd year students in Sheridan College, GTA, Ontario, Canada, Killedthecat Productions. Its internet premiere was December 1st, 2021.After a break-in leaves her widowed, Cathy, a scarred cat woman, tries to track down the culprit herself. However, before she can reach her destination, her car runs out of gas. Without money to pay for more, she resorts to stealing some from a gas station, only for disaster to occur once more.
Tropes:
- Became Their Own Antithesis: Once an innocent young wife, Cathy set out to avenge her husband, but nearly ends up as horrible as the murderer.
- Bookends: The short film begins with Cathy wounded and kneeling in front of her house, a blanket draped over her by the police. It ends with her wounded and kneeling in front of the burning gas station as she calls 911.
- Cast Full of Writers: Many of the background characters (Almost all) are the animators'/writers' In-Universe characters, sharing their same name. Though they aren't main characters and are only shown as Creator Cameos.
- Cathartic Crying: After spending an unknown amount of time trying to catch her husband's killer to contain her grief, Cathy finally has a starts to realise what she has become, remembers her husband up to his final moments, and breaks down into tears.
- Childhood Friend Romance: The first flashback shows Cathy getting off a school bus when she was little. Her future husband caught her by the hand when she slipped on one of the steps, kicking off their fateful relationship.
- Cigar-Fuse Lighting: When Cathy tries to steal a canister of gas to fuel her car, she and the gas station attendant get into a scuffle, spilling some gas in the process. When she attempts one last attack to retrieve the canister, the attendant's cigar drops out of their mouth and onto the gasoline, causing a major explosion.
- Crusading Widow: After her husband is killed, Cathy tracks down and tries to kill the man responsible.
- Death by Origin Story: Cathy's husband is dead by the start of the film since The Call Knows Where You Live, and True Love Is Boring anyways.
- Double-Meaning Title: Cathy needs her car fuelled, and is willing to fight for it because she's fuelled by vengeance, leading to a fire that's fuelled by spilt gas.
- Downer Ending: In the end, Cathy realizes what she's done, chooses not to follow through with her revenge and instead waits at the now burning gas station, calls 911, and (presumedly) turn herself in. The ending is also a bit of a purposeful Cruel Twist Ending.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: There's a "no smoking" sign in the background seconds before the cigarette the attendant is smoking drops and lights up the whole place.
- Furries Are Easier to Draw: The characters are all Funny Animals who don't talk. (aside from the 911 operator, who has the only lines. And you can't see if she's a Funny Animal.). The creators stated that they liked the idea of a more Animal Crossing style, adding that it was easier to animate too.
- Gas Station of Doom: Most of the short takes place at one, though the only real danger is caused by the broke and desperate widow herself.
- Grievous Bottley Harm: Cathy smashes a glass bottle to attack the gas station attendant. It's unclear whether or not it connects before the whole station goes up in flames.
- Happily Married: Cathy is happily married, even Too Happy to Live together. Their Childhood Friend Romance is Too Good for This Sinful Earth, and she doesn't have a single negative memory of that time.
- Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: Most characters don't wear bottoms save for a few background characters
- Heel Realization: After the gas station explosion caused by Cathy's Self-Destructive Charge, her first instinct upon regaining consciousness is to return to her car, refill the tank, and complete her goal... but when the "Wanted!" Poster comes loose and she sees her own eyes in the rear-view mirror where the robber's are supposed to be, she realizes what she's done and sheds Tears of Remorse, likely thinking My God, What Have I Done?, What Have I Become?, and/or If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him! before limping back to the burning gas station while calling for help in a small Redemption Quest because she Must Make Amends.
- He Who Fights Monsters: Cathy herself becomes a murderer in the process of hunting down her late husband's murderer.
- If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!: Cathy ends up realizing this after seeing her own reflection of her eyes after killing the gas station attendant and destroying the gas station.
- Karma Houdini: The robber ends up getting away with killing the husband, as Cathy ultimately chooses not to follow through with her revenge.
- Kick the Dog: The murderer (who is ironically a doberman pinscher) kills Cathy's husband during a robbery for no apparent reason. Though there may have been a reason, it wasn't given one.
- Love Hurts: Cathy's husband she's known since school is murdered soon after they're married.
- Match Cut: The transition from the final flashback to the present show's Cathy's bloodied face in stunned shock.
- Mature Animal Story: In spite of the film's cute animation and lack of dialogue, it does feature blood and deals with a serious issue about murder and revenge.
- Obstructive Vigilantism: Cathy is handed the "Wanted!" Poster and she begins her search to get Revenge, to search for the murderer who killed her husband. But in her Big Bad Slippage she makes a Tragic Mistake, Kicks the Morality Pet and kills someone herself.
- Playboy Parody: The station attendant, who's a pig, is reading Playboar magazine.
- Plot-Driven Breakdown: If Cathy's car had enough gas to reach its destination (or if she at least had enough money to pay for a refill after being robbed), most of the film's events would never had occurred.
- Posthumous Character: At the start Cathy's Lost Lenore is already murdered and you're taken to see the aftermath.
- Revenge: Cathy's sole motive is hunting down her husband's killer, having tracked him down to his street address as seen by a map in her car.
- Scars Are Forever: There's a notable cut in Cathys's ear after she's rescued by the police, as well as her whiskers being bent after she's rescued.
- Silence Is Golden: There is only a single voiced line, at the very end of the short: "911, what's your emergency? ...Hello?"
- Single Tear: Cathy's husband sheds one as he lay dying on the floor of the final flashback.
- Starts with Their Funeral: The film begins with Cathy sitting in front of her taped off house after her husband was murdered. Though it's not immediately known that he's died, it still starts with the same idea.
- Stuff Blowing Up: The small patch of gasoline that the cigarette lands in immediately leads to a HUGE explosion that sets the entire building on fire and knocks the widow hard and far enough to cause a head wound.
- The Lost Lenore: The murder of Cathy's husband causes the short film's main plot to occur.
- Troubled Backstory Flashback: The present-day events are intercut with scenes of the widow and her husband meeting, falling in love, and then finally lying down bloodied after the robber loots their house. These are used to show that Cathy Used to Be a Sweet Kid, and her late husband was her Prince Charming. They make use of Flashback Effects, mostly color aesthetics blur and bloom; and often they're intercut seamlessly, even during the Tear-Apart Tug-of-War which results in the spilled gasoline.
- "Wanted!" Poster: The widow keeps the police sketch of the criminal taped to her rear-view mirror. It tears apart right above the eyes during the climax, leading to the Heel Realization moment.
- Wham Shot: Cathy keeps the police sketch of her husband's killer taped to the rear-view mirror to keep her motivated. The story begins with her looking into the sketch's crazed, malicious eyes in order to fuel her motive to keep going. And the climax Book Ends when she steps into the car after fueling it up, the motion causing the sketch to tear from age. All the while, she eagerly looks at how close she is to her destination and looks into the sketch's eyes one last time for good measure. ...only to see her own crazed, malicious eyes staring right back at her. This is the pivotal moment where she realizes she can't go through with her revenge, not if it means becoming like the very monster that took her husband.
- World of Funny Animals: The setting has only anthropomorphic animals, with the key characters being cats (the widow, the husband), a dog (the robber), and a pig (the attendant).
