Here Kitty
Encyclopedia
"Here Kitty" is the eighteenth episode of the fifth season of House
. It aired on March 16th, 2009.
's attention after the home's pet cat, Debbie, sleeps next to her. It seems that the cat only visits people if they are about to die and does so with alarming accuracy. While House dismisses Morgan as faking, he is intrigued by her theory on the kiss-of-death cat, and sets out to disprove it (by making a trial for the cat with 3 coma patients, one of them a firefighter that, later in the episode, dies). When Morgan falls seriously ill (and therefore, doesn't suffer from Münchausen syndrome
), he and the team are forced to get to the bottom of both mysteries. Ruling out multiple illnesses, House observes Debbie sitting on his warm computer and determines the cat is attracted to warmth. This explains the "death visits", because of the heat coming from the warming blankets on the patients.
House diagnoses Morgan with a carcinoid tumor of the appendix, interrupting the brain surgery she was about to undergo at the time. After a brief discussion on her willingness to sacrifice all on a crazy suspicion, she remarks that William Miller
, the preacher that House had compared her with previously, had many followers, but even after being proven wrong about the second coming again and again, he went on to found the Seventh-day Adventist Church
. House states that this was just because his followers were as deluded as the preacher. Morgan simply says, "Maybe he just gave them something to live for." House ponders her statement for an instant, says "Feel better," and leaves.
Meanwhile, Taub
struggles with his finances and reconnects with an old high school friend at the clinic whose business successes present Taub with an entrepreneurial opportunity he had not previously considered. Taub decides to pursue this opportunity and tells House of his resignation. At first House refuses it, prompting Taub to ask why. House merely replies, "It avoids the whole thing where you panic, run back and grovel, and then I punish you and take you back." Taub leaves, and House calls after him to bring donuts when he comes back the next day. Preparing to invest all his money remaining after a previous financial crisis, Taub arrives for a meeting with his friend, only to be confronted by a sympathetic secretary 15 minutes later to say that the friend was arrested and was actually a con artist who only worked as a temp at the company. Shocked, he takes his money and leaves. Taub returns to the hospital with the box of doughnuts he was told to bring back when he returns as per House's prediction and sits resignedly at the table. Debbie the cat then appears on his table.
During the diagnoses of Morgan, House ridicules Kutner
about his superstitious nature, and tests him with classics such as the umbrella indoors and walking under a ladder. House goes as far as to fake an illness. Towards the end of the episode, House sits down at his desk to build a toy car track similar to the one he was working on in the opening sequence, only to spring up upon realizing his chair is soaked with urine. House orders Kutner to pay for the dry cleaning and storms out, leading Thirteen
to question why Kutner is still alive after a prank like that, and to marvel at the fact that he got the cat to urinate on the chair. As he walks out, Kutner replies, "Yeah. A cat." His ironic tone prompts Thirteen to realize that it was Kutner's own urine on House's chair.
from Rhode Island
that was featured in numerous media outlets, including the New England Journal of Medicine
, for having the same ability. The episode name may also be a reference to Kitty Sanchez, the character Judy Greer
(the guest star) is famous for portraying on Arrested Development.
wrote that "there was much to enjoy" and that the episode was generally humorous and light-hearted, especially House childishly teasing Kutner, but the "goading" of Taub was cruel and unnecessary. James Chamberlin of IGN
gave the episode an overall "decent" rating of 7.3, but butchered it by describing it as "another poor House vs. God
episode". Among other things, he stated the disappointment in House's rationalization of the cat's behavior, but praised the House-Kutner pranks, as well as Taub's scam story.
House (TV series)
House is an American television medical drama that debuted on the Fox network on November 16, 2004. The show's central character is Dr. Gregory House , an unconventional and misanthropic medical genius who heads a team of diagnosticians at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in...
. It aired on March 16th, 2009.
Plot
Nursing-home worker Morgan fakes an illness to get HouseGregory House
Gregory House, M.D., or simply referred to as House, is a fictional antihero and title character of the American television series House, played by Hugh Laurie. He is the Chief of Diagnostic Medicine at the fictional Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, where he leads a team of diagnosticians...
's attention after the home's pet cat, Debbie, sleeps next to her. It seems that the cat only visits people if they are about to die and does so with alarming accuracy. While House dismisses Morgan as faking, he is intrigued by her theory on the kiss-of-death cat, and sets out to disprove it (by making a trial for the cat with 3 coma patients, one of them a firefighter that, later in the episode, dies). When Morgan falls seriously ill (and therefore, doesn't suffer from Münchausen syndrome
Munchausen syndrome
Münchausen syndrome is a psychiatric factitious disorder wherein those affected feign disease, illness, or psychological trauma to draw attention or sympathy to themselves. It is also sometimes known as hospital addiction syndrome or hospital hopper syndrome...
), he and the team are forced to get to the bottom of both mysteries. Ruling out multiple illnesses, House observes Debbie sitting on his warm computer and determines the cat is attracted to warmth. This explains the "death visits", because of the heat coming from the warming blankets on the patients.
House diagnoses Morgan with a carcinoid tumor of the appendix, interrupting the brain surgery she was about to undergo at the time. After a brief discussion on her willingness to sacrifice all on a crazy suspicion, she remarks that William Miller
William Miller (preacher)
William Miller was an American Baptist preacher who is credited with beginning the mid-nineteenth century North American religious movement now known as Adventism. Among his direct spiritual heirs are several major religious denominations, including Seventh-day Adventists and Advent Christians...
, the preacher that House had compared her with previously, had many followers, but even after being proven wrong about the second coming again and again, he went on to found the Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
. House states that this was just because his followers were as deluded as the preacher. Morgan simply says, "Maybe he just gave them something to live for." House ponders her statement for an instant, says "Feel better," and leaves.
Meanwhile, Taub
Chris Taub
Christopher Michael "Chris" Taub, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. He is portrayed by Peter Jacobson. He becomes a member of House's new diagnostic team in the Season 4 episode titled "Games".-Professional life:...
struggles with his finances and reconnects with an old high school friend at the clinic whose business successes present Taub with an entrepreneurial opportunity he had not previously considered. Taub decides to pursue this opportunity and tells House of his resignation. At first House refuses it, prompting Taub to ask why. House merely replies, "It avoids the whole thing where you panic, run back and grovel, and then I punish you and take you back." Taub leaves, and House calls after him to bring donuts when he comes back the next day. Preparing to invest all his money remaining after a previous financial crisis, Taub arrives for a meeting with his friend, only to be confronted by a sympathetic secretary 15 minutes later to say that the friend was arrested and was actually a con artist who only worked as a temp at the company. Shocked, he takes his money and leaves. Taub returns to the hospital with the box of doughnuts he was told to bring back when he returns as per House's prediction and sits resignedly at the table. Debbie the cat then appears on his table.
During the diagnoses of Morgan, House ridicules Kutner
Lawrence Kutner (House)
Lawrence Kutner M.D. is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House. He is played by Kal Penn. He becomes a member of House's new diagnostic team in "Games", the ninth episode of the fourth season...
about his superstitious nature, and tests him with classics such as the umbrella indoors and walking under a ladder. House goes as far as to fake an illness. Towards the end of the episode, House sits down at his desk to build a toy car track similar to the one he was working on in the opening sequence, only to spring up upon realizing his chair is soaked with urine. House orders Kutner to pay for the dry cleaning and storms out, leading Thirteen
Thirteen (House)
Remy "Thirteen" Hadley, M.D., is a fictional character on the Fox medical drama House, portrayed by Olivia Wilde. She is part of the new diagnostic team assembled by Dr. Gregory House after the disbanding of his previous team in the third season finale...
to question why Kutner is still alive after a prank like that, and to marvel at the fact that he got the cat to urinate on the chair. As he walks out, Kutner replies, "Yeah. A cat." His ironic tone prompts Thirteen to realize that it was Kutner's own urine on House's chair.
Background
The episode centers around Debbie, a nursing home resident cat that has the alleged ability to predict the pending deaths of patients. Debbie is based on Oscar, a therapy catTherapy cat
Some nursing homes have therapy cats that are used to be companions to their elderly residents. Therapy cats are also sometimes used in hospitals to relax children who are staying there....
from Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
that was featured in numerous media outlets, including the New England Journal of Medicine
New England Journal of Medicine
The New England Journal of Medicine is an English-language peer-reviewed medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. It describes itself as the oldest continuously published medical journal in the world.-History:...
, for having the same ability. The episode name may also be a reference to Kitty Sanchez, the character Judy Greer
Judy Greer
Judy Greer is an American actress, known for portraying a string of supporting female characters, including Kitty Sanchez on the Fox series Arrested Development and Cheryl on the animated comedy series Archer...
(the guest star) is famous for portraying on Arrested Development.
Music
- The song that plays at the beginning of the episode is "Stranglehold" by Ted NugentTed NugentTheodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
. - The song that plays at the end of the episode is "I'm Not Drowning" by Steve WinwoodSteve WinwoodStephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
, from the album Nine LivesNine Lives (Steve Winwood album)Nine Lives is Steve Winwood's first full-length studio album since 2003. It was released on April 29, 2008.The album's first single, "Dirty City" featuring guitarist Eric Clapton, held the number-one added single spot for three weeks in a row and peaked at the overall number-two spot on AAA...
.
Reviews
The reviews for Here Kitty were generally mixed. Barbara Barnett of BlogcriticsBlogcritics
Blogcritics is a blog network and online magazine of news and opinion. The site—a self-proclaimed "sinister cabal of superior writers"—was founded in 2002 by Eric Olsen and Phillip Winn...
wrote that "there was much to enjoy" and that the episode was generally humorous and light-hearted, especially House childishly teasing Kutner, but the "goading" of Taub was cruel and unnecessary. James Chamberlin of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave the episode an overall "decent" rating of 7.3, but butchered it by describing it as "another poor House vs. God
House vs. God
"House vs. God" is the nineteenth episode of the second season of House, which premiered on the Fox network on April 25, 2006.-Plot:Boyd, a young faith healer, is giving a service in a church and "heals" a woman, allowing her to walk...
episode". Among other things, he stated the disappointment in House's rationalization of the cat's behavior, but praised the House-Kutner pranks, as well as Taub's scam story.