Lost and Found (1979)

Directed by: Melvin Frank

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: American college professor Adam (George Segal) has a series of comic mishaps with a British woman named Tricia (Glenda Jackson) leading to a tumultuous marriage.

Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): Adam owns a ginger tabby cat who is never mentioned by name. The cat is brought up when Adam’s friend Lenny (John Cunningham) meets the couple at the airport and complains about all the work he has done in Adam’s absence, including “putting that comedy cat back in the house after feeding it.” As Adam shows Tricia his home, the cat is eating on top of the refrigerator. “This is the cat,” Adam says before moving on. Tricia doesn’t even give the cat a second look.

Lost and Found - Adam George Segal walking past ginger tabby cat on refrigerator

Lost and Found - Tricia Glenda Jackson walking past ginger tabby cat on refrigerator

In a later scene, the couple are in bed discussing how Adam can’t let go of the memory of his first wife Susan. At the end Tricia mumbles, “But that mangy cat is still Susan’s so would you get her fat ass off my legs?” Adam makes a noise and shooes the cat away but they don’t even bother showing the cat, the editor just added a meowing sound.

As if it’s not bad enough that the cat character is being ignored and passed over, Adam has a German Shepherd dog that suddenly shows up. The reason for both the dog and the cat being in the movie is made clear in a scene near the end when Adam and Tricia have had a horrible fight and Tricia decides to leave him. Adam goes out to the garage and turns on the car, pretending to attempt suicide. But he leaves two windows propped open. However the dog starts chasing the cat, who jumps into the garage through one window, knocking the stick loose so the window shuts behind it.

Lost and Found - ginger tabby cat on grass

Lost and Found - ginger tabby cat running across grass

Lost and Found - ginger tabby cat being chased by German Shepherd across grass animated gif

Lost and Found - ginger tabby cat jumping into window

Then the cat jumps back out the other window, knocking that shut as well (the sticks are actually pulled away using a string). After that the cat is not seen again.