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A Mouse in the House is a 1947 cartoon directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera and produced by Fred Quimby. It was animated by Kenneth Muse, Ed Barge, Richard Bickenbach and Don Patterson, and was released to theatres on August 30, 1947.

Plot

Mammy Two Shoes stumbles upon the kitchen which has been ransacked by a mouse. She ventures into the living room, where she finds Tom and Butch lazing around. Sarcastically pleased that the cats are satisfied, she yells "because I ain't! There's a mouse in the house, and there's two cats. But there'll be one cat -- and that's the cat that catches the mouse."

The two cats frantically begin their search for the mouse, and are unsuspectingly aided by Jerry, before realising the mouse was under their noses the whole time. They scramble to catch Jerry, but instead become entangled. They run towards Jerry, until the mouse motions at them to stop, at which point, he hits one of the cats in the foot. Butch screams, jumping up and down, clutching not his foot, but Tom's, eventually noticing he's got the wrong foot. He slams it on the floor and grabs the right foot, screaming. The chase continues as Tom and Butch both grab Jerry together, and decide to have a duel, using a pair of guns they find lying around. Tom tries to shoot Butch but instead he finds out it's a novelty gun. Butch, assuming he has a real gun, chases after Tom, until it is revealed that he also has a novelty gun. Tom threatens Butch to shoot him. The gun goes off, and Tom finds himself with a bullet in his head.

The chase continues into the kitchen, where Jerry jumps into a gas oven. Tom and Butch slam the door and turn on the gas. Jerry sneaks out, lights a match and drops it in the oven. Tom and Butch open the oven door and the oven explodes on them. Jerry slowly sneaks into the dining room when all is presumably quiet, but is caught by both cats. Jerry coaches both cats to hit each other in a strangely choreographed fight, and after continuing to play the two cats against each other, Tom runs into the kitchen, dressing himself in Mammy's clothing in order to trick Butch. Butch enters the kitchen, with Jerry clenched in his fist, and offers her to Tom, thinking that he is Mammy. Tom wallops Butch over the head with a frying pan, dashes out of his disguise and runs off with Jerry. Butch regains consciousness and runs into the living room, wearing Mammy's clothing, while pretending to arrange the bookshelves. Tom walks into the living room, with Jerry in his fist, and offers her to Butch, thinking that he is Mammy. Butch wallops Tom over the head with a spade, dashes out of his disguise and runs off with Jerry, until he runs straight into an ironing board and knocks himself out. Jerry escapes from Butch's clutches and runs off.

Both Tom and Butch regain consciousness and look for their adversary. Just then, we see Mammy walking down the stairs. Tom approaches from one room, sees Mammy, and thinking that he's seen Butch in disguise, hides in the room he came in from. Then Butch approaches from another room, also sees Mammy, and again thinking that he's seen Tom in disguise, goes into hiding. Just as Mammy's back is turned, the two cats begin attacking her, both thinking that Mammy is the other cat. Just then, they realise their mistake, but it's too late, Mammy hurls both cats out of the house. Jerry, believing that he has won the battle, is also ordered out of the house.

Notes

After Jerry drops the match in the oven, both Tom and Butch are shown in blackface from the resulting explosion. This scene has been cut in some versions of the cartoon.

• 1947 films
• Tom and Jerry cartoons