The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty!

(Filmation, 1975)

James Thurber's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" was a story about a passive man with an active imagination, who daydreamed about crushing his enemies, saving the girl, and being an all-around hero. "The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty" was a half-live-action, half-animated TV show about a passive cat with an active imagination, who daydreamed about crushing his enemies, saving the girl, and being an all-around hero.

No wonder Thurber sued.

After the lawsuit, the show changed its name to "The New Adventures of Waldo Kitty," but the premise stayed the same.

Each half-hour episode began with two real cats, Waldo and his girlfriend Felicia, usually being chased by the bulldog Tyrone. Since Waldo was powerless against the dominating dog, he would ruminate about all the things he wished he could do, at which point the shows format would switch over to animation.

Here, Waldo would act out his imagined adventures, assuming a variety of heroic aliases like Catzan, The Lone Kitty, Robin Cat, and Catman. Once the show returned to live-action, Waldo would take whatever he learned from his daydreams and use it to defeat Tyrone and free Felicia.

The show resurfaced in syndication as a segment on "Groovie Ghoulies and Friends."