Film Theory: Puss in Boots Should be DEAD! (Shrek)

It worked? Hello Internet. Welcome to Film Theory, the show *who is your favorite intrepid theorist?* Have you seen Puss in Boots: The Last Wish? Review in a word. Wow! We've come a long way since the original Puss in Boots. Needless to say, I didn't expect this new movie to be this good. But DreamWorks basically kicked down the door and said. The story is healthy. The characters are immediately iconic. And the animation; man! Between this movie, Into the Spider-Verse and Mitchells versus the Machine. Mickey and the gang started to shake. Mouse with

boots

. In case you haven't seen it yet, Last Wish follows our cat hero as he realizes that he is on the last of his nine lives.

And so he embarks on an adventure to find a fallen star that will help him wish back those lives. But the Cat is not the only one who wants that wish. His former partner Kitty Softpaws, Goldilocks and his Three Bears crime family, and the evil pie baron Big Jack Horner are also behind it. I love this guy. He is one of my favorite villains of all time. And if that weren't bad enough, a mysterious hooded wolf wants to claim the Puss' last life. Because? Well, because he is Death. Yes. The physical manifestation of death itself is after Puss in Boots because he does not feel that Puss has respected the lives he has been given.

That being said, this whole thing about wishing for more lives and for Death to come after you is a moot point. The cat

should

be

dead

by now. His ninth life has already passed. Forget the sexy werewolf on Tumblr or the pastel boy there. The biggest threat is the Cat himself. Based on everything we see of him in this movie, he would be

dead

several times over. By my count, we're talking about at least seven. And I'm not talking about things like setting off exploding fireworks or getting thrown into signs that broke windows or something. No, you see, loyal theorists, almost every choice the Cat makes puts his life in danger.

Death is absolutely right about the Cat playing fast and loose with these lives. But we're not talking about the big picture of adventures. I'm talking about all the mundane, everyday things that are slowly killing this cat. Puss in Boots is wasting his last life. And I'm about to prove it to you. Grab your star charts and your therapy dogs, loyal theorists. It's time to dive in. First, let's start with what we see Puss in Boots eat throughout the movie. You see, the Cat eats and drinks many things that would be very unhealthy for a cat. And before you jump into the comments section telling me this is just a cartoon of the magical cat MatPat, you need to stop taking all of this stuff too seriously.

First of all, do you know what channel you are on? Secondly, however, we

should

take a look at what the Cat eats and drinks because we already know that it was the cause of one of his deaths. During that opening montage. The cat eats... eats shellfish. During this opening montage, the Cat eats shells... Wow. I mean...that might be one of the hardest tongue twisters in a long time. During that opening montage, the Cat eats shellfish and, as a result, he dies. WOO did it! Now used as a joke in the

film

. But shellfish allergies are definitely something that can happen to a cat.

In fact, many of the symptoms are similar to what we see the Cat face in the movie Hives, as well as swelling of the face and limbs. It is true that death is a somewhat extreme reaction to having this allergy. Typically, symptoms in cats are milder and include hair loss, rashes, blisters, and scratching. Although some cats experience breathing problems as a result of the swelling, which can lead to their death. Why do I mention all that? Well, because it shows us that Puss in Boots is sensitive to this kind of thing. And throughout the movie, we see him consuming many things.

That would be impossible for a cat. First of all, we are talking about the Cat's favorite drink, cream. Or milk, I guess. We see him drink a lot throughout the

film

. It almost seems to have this alcoholic property for the Cat, but that's not how real cats react to drinking milk. According to the Popular Dispensary for Sick Animals, milk can be bad news for our feline friends. Look, adult cats are lactose intolerant. Their intestines do not have the enzyme lactase, which would help them break down milk sugars. And even if they could physically drink it, you probably shouldn't give milk to your cat anyway.

Milk is full of fat. Basically, a saucer of milk would be the equivalent of a human being eating an entire 12-inch pizza in one day. And look how much we see Puss in Boots drinking alone in this movie. See all those empty glasses on the bar? In this wide aerial shot I count at least eight empty glasses, plus the one he is preparing. And the Cat isn't even done. That's the equivalent of the Cat eating nine greasy pizzas in one sitting. And this comes a day after he had another milk binge. So despite what all the old cartoons said about giving your cats milk as a treat, don't do it.

It is very unhealthy and can cause cats to become overweight and/or die prematurely. So score one more kill for the Cat. He met the creator of him through milk. But maybe even worse than milk. Coffee. In the opening fight against the Del Mar giant we see the Cat do this. Caffeine is actually unhealthy for cats to the point that it can be very dangerous to consume considering their smaller bodies. If you want to know more about how dangerous caffeine in higher doses can be to humans, we just made a video about that on Food Theory.

But for a cat? Side effects of a cat's consumption of caffeine include increased heart rate, abnormal heart rhythms, vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, and seizures. According to Pet Poison Helpline, a moderate amount of coffee can easily cause death in small dogs or cats. Now, before you start freaking out and hiding all your coffee in a locked box away from your animals, a small sip of coffee probably wouldn't affect a young, healthy animal too much. But the Cat is not so young anymore, so drinking a whole cup of coffee as we see? That will be bad news for this animal, and it literally could have been the end of him if the bell didn't crush him to death minutes later.

Caffeine overdose, death number two. But it's likely that Puts would have died long before this film. In fact, he would have died during the promotional tour for this film. Are you kidding me? A fictional cat made it to Hot Ones before me. To hell with that noise. No, but he's killing me. Cat, he's killing me. But yeah, it's probably killing you too. You see, the capsaicin in hot sauce is, as you can imagine, dangerous for cats. With studies showing that it can restrict breathing, cause severe irritation to the throat and digestive system, and, in high enough doses, cause death.

And when you're talking about a 2 million Scoville hot sauce, yeah, I'd say that's a pretty high dose for a feline. And then, of course, you have the literal jug of milk. Hot Ones: Taking the Cat's life before he knew he needed a last wish. Capsaicin calamity: death number three. Seriously, Sean, when you finally hire me, I promise I won't ruin your studio. Then it's okay. Clearly, the Cat has some dietary issues, but there are other decisions he makes that probably would have gotten him killed much sooner. Specifically the whole "In Boots" thing. Sure. Your drip may be fine there, cat, but you shouldn't be wearing all these clothes in your particular line of work.

I don't know if you've ever tried dressing up your cat, but he doesn't enjoy it. In fact, many experts recommend against dressing up your cat, mainly because it causes them a lot of stress with no real benefit other than a few fake internet spots for you. But even if the Cat is the exception here and enjoys his clothes, his attire will have deadly consequences. Let's start from the top, shall we? First of all, the hat. This item of clothing would probably get the Cat killed for two different reasons. First, by wearing a wide-brimmed hat like the Cat in the series, he wouldn't be able to take full advantage of his whiskers.

You see, cats don't see the world the same way we do. They have a whole set of skills that help them sense their surroundings, and their whiskers are a crucial part of that system. The whiskers act as a kind of radar capable of detecting changes in air currents, vibrations in the air. They also serve as a first level of alert if something gets too close to your face. Additionally, while a cat's long-distance vision is good at very close distances, they have a hard time seeing anything less than a foot in front of them. As a result, their whiskers help them navigate this very close world.

By touching objects with their whiskers, they can tell where things are, how big they are, and even feel their texture. But the hat will prevent all that from happening. It will change the air flow. It's going to change the vibrations. It will prevent the Cat from putting its face close to objects so that its whiskers can touch them. Basically, the hat will dull one of his most important senses, or I guess I should say two of his most important senses. Notice what else that covers? his ears. That would be a problem regardless of whether we are talking about a human or an animal.

Basically, you're just muffling the sound, allowing enemies to flank or sneak up on you more easily, almost exactly like we see Death do in the movie. If Death here didn't want to be so dramatic, he could have killed the Cat and gone about his business without the cat noticing. But the hearing loss is worse for the Cat because he is a cat. You see, cats have some of the best hearing of almost any animal you have in the house, with a wider hearing range than humans and dogs. But we're not just talking about better hearing ranges.

Cats have a lot of muscle control over their ears and can turn them toward any sound source. I don't know if you've ever noticed that in any cats you know, but if you make a sound in a quiet room, notice how their ears can rotate in your direction like a large antenna or radar dish. . This brilliant technique increases your hearing sensitivity by 15 to 20%. Wearing a hat will eliminate all of that, and that's without even mentioning all the other biological ramifications, wearing a hat basically weakens all of a cat's hearing benefits. And all of this without even mentioning the other biological ramifications, such as the fact that cats release much of their excess heat when stressed through their ears, meaning the Cat will feel suffocated in any battle they engage in. is found.

All in all, it may look fancy, but that's a Hat-astrophe waiting to happen. Death number four. Likewise, the Cat's coat will also cause you a big problem. For all intents and purposes, the cape will act like a collar, but much more dangerous than a normal collar. Look, though, putting a collar on your cat is usually fine and helps identify your feline friend to strangers. They can be dangerous in specific situations. If they get caught on some type of object, such as a branch or rock, the cat could choke or strangle. The cape will present exactly the same problems, but ten times worse because it's just a roll of cloth hanging from your neck.

The Cat's cape is just an open invitation to get caught and strangled, especially in a fight with an enemy who's smart enough to just grab him. And even if you don't know it, that's exactly what we see happening in this new movie. Honestly, Edna Mode from The Incredibles has been right about this for decades. No layers! It's death number five. There is no escape from this layer. But perhaps the worst thing about this whole outfit? The

boots

. Have you ever noticed how cats try to remove anything that is stuck in their paws? Puss himself literally does this in the movie when he is forced to wear those little kitty gloves.

Cat: Stupid Mittens Cats don't like having their paws covered for many reasons. Some of them are somewhat mundane, like the fact that they have scent glands on their paws that help them mark their territory. They also feel comforted by needing their little cat beans in their owners' stomachs. But other reasons are much more serious. The most obvious is that paw pads are a huge shock absorber. They help cats stay calm and stealthy. Cats literally evolved to walk on tiptoe so they could move more quietly. Changing that to a loud sound of heavy boots as the Cat moves is going to give up a huge natural advantage that cats have as fighters.

Another problem? In fact, cats sweat from their paws, especially when they are nervous. Have you ever taken your cat to the vet and noticed that there are little wet paw prints everywhere? So if Puss in Boots ever gets anxious or scared, he'll basically be standing in a puddle of his own boot sweat. Besides getting a case of sweaty palms anddrop his sword everywhere. Ha, I wonder if we've ever seen that in the movie. But not only is it a problem in battle, it is also detrimental to the Cat's health. Sweating helps regulate body temperature, cooling you as it evaporates from your skin.

This works the same way with sweat coming from the cat's paws, but it simply wouldn't be possible if two of the Cat's paws were in leather boots that don't breathe at all. They would be sticky and gross and wouldn't help you cool down. And if anyone needs to stay cool, it's the Cat. Without the ability to sweat unhindered, the Cat runs the risk of overheating, especially during those anxiety attacks after fighting Death. And on top of all that, just like the hat covering your ears and

puss

ies, your pores will also be a huge liability when it comes to your senses.

It's not widely known, but cats actually have small tactile hairs between their pop pads that act similar to whiskers. These hairs not only act as a protective cover against dirt, chemicals or exposure to the elements. But along with nerve receptors in the pads themselves, they allow the cat to know a lot about the ground it walks on. What type of material is it? What is the temperature? With boots, you're losing basically all of the feedback cats get from their paw pads and hairs touching the ground. In short, it's a recipe for death number six: Death in Boots.

So is that it? His vet/barber did it. Did he have the right idea in the movie when he said that the Cat should abandon his suit and retire? That he should live his life with that old lady, Mama Moon, lounging around the house like a normal house cat? Well not exactly. Resign yourself to a life of pickles. It may have been the most dangerous thing for him in the movie. Look, even though this is the simple and easy life for Puss in Boots, he shouldn't spend his last years with Mama Moon. And it all comes down to one super simple thing: poop.

You see, even though it's played as a joke in the movie, there's only one litter box in his entire house. Only one! A single box for how many cats do you have? At least dozens. If you pause the movie on this wide shot, you can count at least 45 cats in the house, including the Cat. Frankly, that's too many cats to share a single litter box. Unless Mama Moon is cleaning that box every time a cat goes to the bathroom, which she definitely doesn't realize how disgusting that thing looks and how comically long her tail is to use it.

Cats will actively step in each other's droppings. Not only is that disgusting, but this setup would create a hot spot for the spread of disease among cats. The most serious of these fecal-borne illnesses is the type of coronavirus infection that can mutate into feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP, a disease that is commonly fatal to cats. Again, the fact that the Cat had chosen this life would have likely led to his untimely death as well. Death number seven: a horrible way to die. Honestly, if the Cat really wanted to choose a life other than courting death, that wouldn't put him in constant danger for no reason.

He just needs to be a normal house cat. So, Cat, hang up your sweaty boots and sound-deadening hat and find yourself a nice old lady who doesn't have 44 other cats. In total, by my calculations, the Cat probably should have died a total of seven times more than we see counted in the movie. In total, we are talking about 15 deaths. Looking at it that way, a wolf with a sickle and a boing-crossed maniac with a unicorn horn were probably the least of the Cat's worries. Truly, when it comes to valuing your life, many times it is the little things, the small everyday decisions that ultimately add up to a life well lived.

Maybe that's why Wolfie was following him the whole time. It was not to punish the Cat for his reckless adventures, but to consult him on proper clothing and a heart-healthy diet to keep him alive longer. Seriously, even if he fulfilled his wish of having nine more lives, he would only have three left. Why not ask for, I don't know, a hundred extra lives, Gato? I guess counting really isn't your strong suit. But hey! Speaking of cats needing to eat better in order to live longer, healthier lives, let's talk about Meow Mix, the sponsor of today's episode.

In case you don't know, Steph and I have a cat named Skip who has been a part of our lives and these channels for a long time. A long, long time. Enough so that he no longer impresses her as much. He just looks at that face. Do you know that many things tend to get overwhelmed? Well, there's a completely overwhelmed cat right there. He's been a lot of places and has definitely seen some things. But one thing that still makes Skip tick is dinnertime with Meow Mix. Every day. Boom! The highlight of the day is that he's there, that bowl is enough for that, and I'm not making this up, when Meow Mix actually sent us a bunch of product just to film and literally tore up one of the bags that he gave us.

They sent just to get. in the food. He was very excited and we honestly couldn't be happier. Meow Mix is ​​the perfect food for Skip. Despite his impressive bite force, Skip is no longer a chick. He is now 12 years old and we want to make sure he can stay healthy and strong. Meow Mix Original Choice has 100% complete and balanced nutrition, providing him with all the essential vitamins and minerals he needs. But he's also packed with protein to help keep your muscles strong. On top of all that, Meow Mix comes in a ton of different flavors as well as wet and dry foods.

So if your cat is a picky eater or you just want to change it up and expand his palate. Here's something designed to satisfy even the most demanding kitties. So if you want to make sure you're giving your cat food they'll love, check out Meow Mix in all its varieties by clicking the link in the description. Thanks again to Meow Mix for sponsoring today's episode. We appreciate it and Skip really appreciates it. And as always, remember my friends, everything is just a

theory

. A FILM THEORY! aaaaaand cut.