The Tale of Teddy

Simon's Cat meets a stray named Teddy who has been homeless for some time, but not long enough to be feral. The cat feels sorry for him and tries to find him a new home. But Teddy wants to live somewhere where he will fit in on his own terms. This three-minute cartoon is actually an edit of an earlier, much longer story that explains the backstory of the cat Teddy. The reason the cartoon was edited for re-release is that the real Teddy, who lived with Simon's Cat creator Simon Tofield, recently passed away. This is a tribute to him.

See, Tofield has always drawn inspiration from his own cats, past and present. Teddy was a black cat who was the original inspiration for "the kitten," Tofield's second animated cat character after Simon's Cat. But then the real life Teddy grew up, while the animated kitten did not, and Teddy deserved his own character. The cat may be gone, but the character will remain.