Petal My Beloved!

A shrine by Mario Dreemurr

About Petal

I know what you're thinking: "So...who exactly is Petal?"

Petal is one of the 16 (!) main characters of Kitty Is Not a Cat, an obscure Australian children's cartoon that aired from 2018 to 2020.

There are 3 seasons of the show, one for each year it ran, and there are 130 10-minute episodes total. Seasons 1 and 2 have 52 episodes, and Season 3 has 26 episodes. One person uploaded the full first 2 seasons to YouTube, and another uploaded the full 3rd season. (The full 3rd season in English was considered lost media from 2021 to 2024, and it was finally recovered recently!)

The show centers around the adventures and experiences of a human orphan girl named Kitty, who really wants to be a cat. One day, she encounters a mansion where 15 talking cats live. Initially reluctant, the cats eventually agree to take care of her and accept her as their own. It is a very wholesome and underrated show, and I highly recommend that you check it out!

In fact, here are the links to the playlists for each season on YouTube! You can thank me later. ;)

What's Petal Like?

Petal is a Russian Blue cat with purplish gray fur, including dark "chest fur". She also wears a black collar.

Petal is considered the "mother" of the group of cats; she is protective of them and loves looking after everyone, especially Kitty. Petal is also very kind, caring, and enthusiastic to a fault...so much so that the other cats have gotten annoyed at her sometimes. Despite her kind and gentle nature, she knows when enough is enough, and is willing to put her foot down if it means justice.

Petal's motherly nature makes her quite intelligent for a cat. But at the end of the day, she is still a cat. She doesn't fully grasp human culture and behavior, and because of her cat instincts, she has done some pretty derpy things at times. For example, there was one episode in which she confused a play Kitty put on as fact instead of fiction, and she joined the other cats in searching for buried treasure outside the mansion. In another episode (and one of my personal favorite ones), Kitty built a big plastic playhouse outside the mansion, and Petal and the other cats got the idea that she was moving out. This made her and the other cats very sad, and they in turn "visited" her in an absolutely hilarious sequence of events.

And yet, despite not fully understanding things sometimes, she does her absolute best to be as kind and respectful about them as possible. This kind of support is exactly what I need in life.

Fun Facts / Headcanons (latter marked in underline)

Favorite Moments / Episodes

Now that you are acquainted with Petal, I would like to share with you some of my personal favorite moments and episodes in which she is prominently featured. I will attach the YouTube videos of some of these episodes so that you can watch them yourself! (Assuming it's not blocked where you live.)

S1E43 - "Petal Pushers"

This episode starts off with Petal's neverending support and enthusiasm for the others in action. Remember how I said that she was enthusiastic to a fault? Well, even mundane things as being able to touch your nose with your tongue, eating a sandwich, and relaxing were subject to Petal's encouragement! Eventually, this got out of hand. She overheard the cats saying how Petal was way too nice and encouraging, and that she was getting on their nerves. It was then that Petal broke down due to the criticism, and thought: if the others didn't want her to be nice, she wouldn't be nice. Soon enough, she sports a new look:

...I am obsessed.

It is then that Petal has a shift in attitude. She throws food around, and she eats unhealthy. She insists that she loves hardcore TV shows, instead of the "boring" ones about watering cans. She disrespects the others and insults them and their actions.

It is then the cats realized that they had been taking Petal's previous kindness for granted. Even Petal admits to Kitty in one scene that it is very hard to be mean. So, the cats decide to throw her a surprise and apologize for their former attitude towards Petal. She accepts the apology, returning to her kind ways.

I love this particular episode because it shows Petal's tendency to be kind and supportive, no matter what everyone else around her is doing. It might be overbearing sometimes, but who wouldn't want this kind of support? Her kindness comes from genuine feelings of love and support for her family, and this episode makes sure of that fact. I also appreciate that this episode shows that Petal isn't perfect. In particular, she is sensitive to criticism. So despite being a cat, she does have a very "human" side to her.

S2E6 - "Junior Rangers"

This episode starts with a knock at the door from a Junior Ranger, who demonstrates that being one entails that a human will be the best they can be. Seeing as how the cats are teaching Kitty to behave like a human, Petal sees this as a golden opportunity to reach that goal by being her own troop leader. Actually, she is more interested in the badges than teaching Kitty...

In fact, Petal gets so into the Junior Ranger thing that she hands out badges for doing the most mundane things. She practically gives them away! From tripping on a rock to messing up building your tent, she has a badge for every occasion. The other cats take notice of this and become...quite concerned.

Eventually, it is time for Kitty to take part in the Junior Ranger Jamboree. But when they get there, they realize that not only are her badges not in regulation, cats can't be Junior Rangers! It is then that Petal realizes that she got extremely carried away. She becomes sad, burning the badges she sewed into the fireplace. But then, Kitty and the other cats surprise her and tell her that even though she got carried away, she had the absolute best intentions for Kitty. Petal is finally relieved and joyful that Kitty considered her an amazing troop leader.

To me, this episode is about accepting your flaws. Petal's kindness, once again, may be overbearing, but she has the absolute best intentions for the people she genuinely cares about. She may not be perfect, but who is? All that matters is that she is there to love and support you every step of the way.

S2E26 - "The Catley Awards"

This episode is sort-of a compilation of various clips from previous episodes, so it isn't entirely focused on Petal. But there is a musical number featuring her that I am especially enamored by: "Pardon My French". For context, there is a bit of a running gag in Season 2 where Petal would say a euphemism for a swear (such as "flippity flapjacks"), and would apologize to a French cat named Pierre, saying, "Pardon my French, Pierre!" Pierre would then respond by saying, "That is not French." They made a song about it, and I will let it speak (or sing?) for itself:

...I have no words to say here. My heart is melting. As you couldn't tell already, I love my cat wife so, so much.

S2E40 - "You Can't Handle The Juice!"

This episode begins when the neighbor next door offers to sell a box of orange juice. Thinking that the box needs a home (cats love boxes, after all), she signs a contract and sees herself with a ton of OJ. The neighbor then explains that Petal's goal should be to sell all of the juice to help other people with their problems. She is told to never take no for an answer. (This could only go so well...)

Petal then harasses everyone with her kindness in order to sell the juice. She recommends it as an alternative to milk in cereal. She advertises it as good for one's fur. She pours two entire bottles into a car engine in hopes that it would start. Needless to say, the other cats are pissed.

The problem is that the other cats can't say no to her because she is TOO nice. They eventually do confront her about it all, and she realizes that she's been hurting people instead of helping them! Luckily, she sells all of the OJ back to the neighbors, and all is well again.

This episode goes to show that Petal's kindness could be considered a character flaw. It demonstrates that despite being a cat, she has the human quality of making mistakes. And what is there to learn if you don't make mistakes every now and then? Petal demonstrates some great character growth here by being willing to accept mistakes and move on. It shows that despite her already-kind nature, she is willing to learn and grow as a cat.

Speculation Station

WARNING: The following section is ENTIRELY theories/speculation, and has not been (and likely never will be) confirmed or deconfirmed. TAKE EVERYTHING IN THIS SECTION WITH A GRAIN OF SALT!!

First Theorydump / Rambling

Perhaps my biggest gripe with Kitty Is Not a Cat is that it never really goes into the backstories or lores of any of the characters. Hell, Kitty just shows up to the mansion one day with zero explanation as to how she got there. There's a couple of backstories lightly touched upon for two of the cats, and one full backstory shown for another, but nothing for Petal.

But there's actually an interesting character that is only mentioned twice in the entire show: "The Baroness." It's implied that she was the owner of the mansion before she died. And it seems the cats were all strays prior to living at the house. As for how they got there, it varies. The self-appointed "king" of the cats has a mom that visits. One of the cats has a sister who visited once. Another has a cousin that also once visited. But there is nothing about the other cats' families, including Petal.

This raises a TON of questions. How did Petal arrive at the house? Was she born a stray, or did she just need a place to stay? Does she have a sad backstory? Is the reason why she's so motherly, kind and protective is that she never had any parent like that growing up? (OK, those last two might be a stretch, but it's still something to think about.)

I imagine that Petal got her name due to her love for gardening. Did she have this name before or after she arrived at the mansion? If after, does that make the aforementioned "stretches" more likely? I may not have gotten any lore about Petal, but with the right facts, I can perhaps make my own.

Another thing. It is shown in the show that some animals can talk and stand and walk like humans, while others cannot. Some animals shown to be able to do this include cats (of course), dogs, rodents, a possum, a fox, and even a frog. But not every cat or dog or other animal I mentioned has these abilities. It is also shown that humans don't really care if they can talk and do all that, as if they're used to it.

This creates a sort-of conundrum I can't wrap my head around. Do animals in this universe have the ability to just do that? They have to be taught all that, I presume. With the cats in the mansion being strays, how did they learn to do so? And why don't humans care that some animals can talk? Is it common knowledge that some of them can? Or am I just overthinking all of this since KINaC is a cartoon, and cartoons don't have to make sense?

It's all so confusing, and I unfortunately have to figure all this out by myself. However, with enough perseverance, this is something that I eventually will be able to achieve.

Petal Lore

Well, here it is. A somewhat rough look into Petal's lore and backstory. I constructed this story for about a week, and I'm ecstatic to share it. Again, this is entirely speculation. Don't treat this as actually canon!

Content warning for death and abuse.

Petal was born to a seemingly happy family, on the outside. She had a father, a mother, and a few siblings.

Sadly, Petal's father was as neglectful as could be. Every time the family needed help, he was only on the sidelines. He was always too busy going out, and never being there for Petal and her family. Not only that, but whenever he did say or do anything, it wasn't anything positive. He was rude and cussed often. And that behavior rubbed off on Petal in a certain way.

When her father failed to provide, her mother was her one and only savior. She was Petal's greatest influence, her mentor, her caregiver, and her lifegiver. She would always be there for her when her father wouldn't. She was responsible for all of Petal's major interests. In fact, when she was just a baby, her mother took her to a garden, and she became obsessed with all of the flowers there. Then, she picked out a petal from one of the flowers and lovingly gazed at it. It was then that her mother decided to name her Petal.

But despite all the support her mother gave her, it wouldn't last.

One day, Petal and her mother were walking downtown. Petal looked towards the opposite side of the road and found some beautiful flowers. She ran off into the road, where various cars were going by. Her mother screamed as she ran towards her while an SUV was rushing straight towards her. She came just in time to push her daughter out of the way, but not in time to avoid getting hit.

Petal looked back only to find her mother, barely clinging onto her life. She ran to her and cried and screamed. She begged her to stay alive. But all she could do was tell her, "You have been my greatest gift. Be a gift to others."

At once, Petal was left with only her siblings and her father. And with her gone, her father only grew angrier. He often blamed Petal for her death, and would cuss directly at her, push her around, and insult her. As a result, Petal blamed herself for what happened, and felt as if she needed to do everything for her father in order for him to accept her. But no matter what she did, he would always treat her as if she was below him. And with her mother gone, she was left alone to take care of her siblings.

One day, her father did something that pushed her over the edge. All the abuse caught up to Petal, and she decided that she had had enough. She was tired and frustrated. But after that, he lashed out at her.

And that was the final time that she would ever see him. She ran away from home, and took her siblings with her. Petal and the others then lived as strays, doing whatever they could to survive in the large, vast world. It was tough, but it was much better than living with a neglectful parent.

Sadly, Petal and her siblings encountered animal control workers, looking to catch the cats. It was then that she decided to sacrifice herself so that her siblings wouldn't be in their hands. She had lost people in her life again, and she once again blamed herself.

She was caught and taken overseas, where she would eventually go into an animal shelter. But when she landed, she successfully managed to escape. She continued living as a stray and doing whatever it took to survive.

Petal was all alone. She had no one left that she loved. All of this took a heavy toll on her. She blamed herself for her difficult life, and her trauma. She blamed herself for losing her mother and being separated from her siblings.

One day, she was walking alone when she found a man playing a saxophone. She heard the notes and the rhythm of the player, and started to get into it. She enjoyed its smooth sound and intricate way of playing. It took no time at all for her to decide to try it out for herself. When she finally obtained one, playing it was all she ever did.

Petal gained a love for music. Music was a way for her to forget about her troubles and trauma, and live in the present moment. It was her escape. An escape from all her worries. Whenever she played, she felt alive. It was a way to express herself however she wanted. It was her life.

But sadly, no one seemed to pay attention. She was still a stray, with no one to depend on and no one in her company. One night, she was out in the cold, dampening rain, playing a sad song on her sax. No one was there to help her.

But then, a savior came. A woman only known as the Baroness saw her. Being the Good Samaritan that she was, she offered a helping hand to the feline she saw. Protected with an umbrella, she dried her off with a towel and decided to take her in.

The Baroness lived in a mansion where many other cats such as Petal lived. They too, had similar stories, so there were many opportunities for Petal to finally have a home, a family.

And so it was. Petal made herself known to the house in no time at all. She was finally happy that she was finally in a place where she could be accepted for who she was, and that there were others to talk to, others to depend on, and others to love and care for.

Petal got along especially well with the Baroness; in fact, many of her current hobbies came from her. She gained a love of knitting and arts and crafts, for example.

But perhaps the greatest thing about her new home was that she was not the only one who had a love for music. In fact, all the other cats had instruments of their own that they played! And so, Petal joined in with her self-expression through music and created beautiful, intricate melodies with her newly found family. It was a perfect life. She finally had a home.

But then, disaster struck. The Baroness knew that she couldn't live forever, and unfortunately, the time had come for her. When she died, Petal was the most devastated out of all the cats. Once again, she lost someone she loved and cared about. Once again, she blamed herself for her death.

It took a long time for her to move on. But the trauma of losing so many loved ones in her life still lingers in Petal. Nowadays, she protects all whom she loves with her entire life. She wants nothing but the best for everyone, and will go out of her way to ensure that everyone is happy. She does it not to gain attention, but she believes that it is right.

The final words of Petal's mother are a guiding force for her. It's her life motto, and her motivation to help, aid, and assist others. Petal has been through a lot in her life, but despite all of her trauma, she manages to be the sweet, kind and caring cat that she is today.