The Unexpected Pest

The Unexpected Pest is a 1956 Merrie Melodies short directed by Robert McKimson.
== Plot ==
Sylvester's owner, John, is fed up with his laziness. John's wife, Marsha, says they only got the cat to keep away mice, and there hasn't been a mouse around in months. Sylvester desperately looks for a mouse to catch to prove his worth. When he has no luck finding a mouse in the house, he goes outside and finds a little mouse, who agrees to the same mouse that Sylvester will catch over and over again, only because he wants to be roughed up in front of his master.
It doesn't take the mouse long to realize that Sylvester really does need him alive, and he decides to stop being his fool. As a result, Sylvester pays the price for using the mouse for selfish reasons by constantly trying to prevent the mouse from causing trouble breaking the dishes, or trying to harm himself by jumping off the shelf, attempting to get himself eaten by Sylvester, grabbing cheese off a mousetrap, dropping a clothes iron on himself, sitting on a lit TNT stick. Sylvester saves the mouse from each situation, but when he throws the dynamite out the front door, he doesn't realize John is outside. John is shown injured and angry with Sylvester.
Sylvester is thrown out of the house and battered and beaten. The mouse fakes suicide by pretending to jump off the bridge of a river, and Sylvester, having become fed up with the pesky mouse, says "And good riddance too!" Once Sylvester leaves, the mouse climbs back on the bridge, and says "After all he's been through, I thought he deserved a happy ending."
== Availability ==
LTGC Vol.4.jpg|(2006) DVD Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4, Disc Four (restored)
LTSC4.jpg|(2006) DVD Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Volume 4 Disc 2
Lt cas5.jpg|(2007) DVD Looney Tunes Collection All Stars Volume 5
Lt spotlight df2.jpg|(2014) DVD Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection Volumes 4-5 Repack
=== Streaming ===
Lt boomerang.jpg|Boomerang App (2017 - ) (restored)
Lt hbo max.jpg|HBO Max (2020 - 2022) (restored)
Lt max.jpg|Max (2024 - ) (restored)
Lt itunes.jpg|iTunes ( - ) (restored)
== Censorship ==
On ABC's The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show, the scene of Sylvester trying to save the mouse from attempting suicide by having a clothes iron fall on his head, only for Sylvester to get hit instead was cut.The Censored Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Page: U-Z http://www.intanibase.com/gac/looneytunes/censored-u-z.aspx
== Notes ==
* From this to "Barbary-Coast Bunny", all the cartoons have the 1954-55 ending card. After, "Rocket-bye Baby", the red card would only appear on "Half-Fare Hare".
* The names Marsha and John are a reference to the 1951 Stan Freberg song "John and Marsha". "Wild Wife", "Punch Trunk", and "Unnatural History" also reference this record.
== Gallery ==
TheUnexpectedPestCredits1.png
TheUnexpectedPestCredits2.png
The Unexpected Pest - Sylvester and John.png
The Unexpected Pest - Cat, Mouse and Marsha.png
TheUnexpectedPestLobbyCard.jpg|Lobby card
TheUnexpectedPestLeadSheet1.jpg
TheUnexpectedPestLeadSheet2.jpg
TheUnexpectedPestLeadSheet3.jpg
TheUnexpectedPestLeadSheet4.jpg
TheUnexpectedPestLeadSheet5.jpg
TheUnexpectedPestLeadSheet6.jpg
TheUnexpectedPestScript1.jpg
TheUnexpectedPestScript2.jpg
TheUnexpectedPestScript3.jpg
TheUnexpectedPestScript4.jpg
TheUnexpectedPestScript5.jpg
TheUnexpectedPestScript6.jpg
TheUnexpectedPestScript7.jpg
TheUnexpectedPestScript8.jpg
=== TV Title Cards ===
lt tbbats the unexpected pest.jpg|The Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show
== References ==
 
Category:Cartoons directed by Robert McKimson
Category:Sylvester Cartoons
Category:1956
Category:Shorts
Category:Merrie Melodies Shorts
Category:Cartoons written by Warren Foster
Category:Cartoons animated by Keith Darling
Category:Cartoons animated by Ted Bonnicksen
Category:Cartoons animated by George Grandpré
Category:Cartoons with music by Carl W. Stalling
Category:Cartoons with layouts by Robert Gribbroek
Category:Cartoons with backgrounds by Richard H. Thomas
Category:Cartoons with film editing by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons with sound effects edited by Treg Brown
Category:Cartoons with orchestrations by Milt Franklyn
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by June Foray
Category:Cartoons with characters voiced by Mel Blanc
Category:Cartoons produced by Eddie Selzer
Category:Blue Ribbon reissues
Category:Re-released cartoons whose original titles are known to exist