Hair of the Cat

Plot

Ren and Stimpy watch television, but Ren sneezes constantly due to Stimpy's fur. Stimpy brings Ren tissues, but his fur-covered hands worsen Ren's condition. Ren discovers hives on his chest and showers, but uses Stimpy's fur-laden towel, causing hives to spread. Ren consults a book about his illness while his sinuses torture him; he refuses food from Stimpy and eats shredded cardboard, while Stimpy eats fatty foods.

Ren's tongue swells after drinking water containing Stimpy's fur. He goes outside in a wheelchair and gas mask, waiting as Stimpy frolics; removing the mask, a mosquito sting causes his body to swell again. Ren sterilizes everything, flattening Stimpy with thrown objects. Making the bed releases more fur.

The next morning, Ren has excessive rheum and thinks he is blind; Stimpy chisels it off, causing pain. After drinking hot water and still feeling unwell, Ren realizes his allergy to Stimpy's fur is the cause. He chases Stimpy angrily, but his sneeze destroys the house. Ren stuffs Stimpy into a pickle jar, using Stimpy's hand to grab items for a sandwich.

Ren negligently uses a pickled cucumber from the jar, and presumably suffers an allergic reaction offscreen, ending the episode.

Production

Mark Marren produced the storyboards; due to frequent revisions by senior crew members like Bob Camp, he used the pseudonym Kirk Field. Director Ken Bruce directed the episode after it was animated at Toon-Us-In, contributing to its low quality, a common criticism of Games-era episodes. The episode was initially produced for the fourth season but aired as part of a Nickelodeon-commissioned fifth season.