Ep 21. Detective Pilou

44 Cats follows a group of cats who make up a band known as the Buffycats. In season 1 episode 21, titled "Detective Pilou," the cats find themselves on a mission to solve a mystery when their friend Pilou's special catnip mouse goes missing.

Pilou, the gray and white cat, is known for his love of detective work and often spends his free time solving cases. When he discovers that his prized catnip mouse has gone missing, he immediately suspects foul play. Pilou enlists the help of his friends from the band—the leader Lampo, the sweet and kind-hearted Milady, and the tough and street-smart Meatball— to help him investigate the disappearance.

The first place Detective Pilou and the team go to investigate is the park where Pilou had last seen his mouse. With Milady's sharp sense of smell and Meatball's street smarts, they search the entire park for any clues. After a thorough investigation, they come up empty-handed and decide to widen their search area.

Their next stop is at Granny Pina's house, a kind old lady who often gives the cats treats and toys to play with. Pilou believes that perhaps someone had taken his mouse to the old lady's house and so they ask her if she has seen it. Granny Pina tells them that while she hasn't seen the mouse, she did see a strange cat prowling around her garden the night before.

This information gets the team excited as they now have a lead to follow. They set off to the garden and start looking for clues. They soon discover a set of footprints in the dirt that do not belong to any of the local cats. This leads them to believe that the thief may not be from their neighborhood.

Not wanting to give up on their investigation, the cats decide to take a break and come up with a new strategy. While brainstorming, Lampo suggests they use a set of walkie-talkies he had come across earlier to communicate. This way, they can cover more ground and keep in touch with each other in case they find anything.

Just as they begin to use the walkie-talkies, Meatball catches a whiff of something familiar. His nose leads him to the alley where he discovers a pile of catnip toys, including Pilou's mouse! The cats are ecstatic and relieved to have found their friend's prized possession.

As it turns out, the toys had accidentally fallen off a truck, and a group of stray cats had discovered them. The strays, unaware that the toys belonged to someone, had taken them and brought them back to their alley to share with their friends. With the help of the walkie-talkies, the Buffycats were able to quickly reunite Pilou with his beloved mouse.

The episode ends with the cats celebrating their success and Pilou declaring that the case was officially closed. The Buffycats once again prove that they are a great team that can come together and solve any problem.