FADE-IN:
INT. – CARTWRIGHT LIVING ROOM – DAY
A black cat sits on Ben Cartwright's desk, blinking its yellow eyes at Adam, Hoss and Little Joe as if the animal is mesmerizing the brothers. The cat leaps from the desk to a chair and back to the desk, knocking over a picture frame. Adam grabs the picture frame before it falls to the floor.
HOSS: Little Brother, I love animals. You know that. But whatever possessed you to take in that mangy ole cat? He's one ornery animal.
As if on cue, the cat leaps from Ben's desk to a bookcase. A silver bowl shakes precariously near the edge of the top of the bookcase. Hoss races to the bookcase to retrieve the bowl before it falls. The cat leaps to the floor and slips under a table.
HOSS: Dadburn you, Cat!
Hoss returns the bowl to its proper place.
LITTLE JOE: Hoss! Don't talk to Kashmir like that. He ain't accustomed to it.
HOSS: Excuse me all to pieces, Little Brother.
Adam looks up from the broken picture frame.
ADAM: Hoss, haven't you ever been sweet on a girl?
HOSS: Sure I have, Adam. What's that got to do with anything?
ADAM: Just that Younger Brother here is sweet on Suzie Partridge. He promised to take care of Kashmir while Suzie's away visiting her aunt back east.
Little Joe crawls under the table and retrieves Kashmir. He pets the cat and Kashmir purrs contentedly in his arms.
LITTLE JOE: That's right, Hoss. Kashmir ain't a mangy either. He's a Burmese. Suzie says Kashmir is even more expensive than some of her pa's best horses!
Hoss scratches his head.
HOSS: You're pullin' my leg, Little Brother! There ain't a cat worth more than a horse.
ADAM: You can take Joe's and my word for it, Hoss. Kashmir is worth a lot of money. He's a new kind of breed.
HOSS: I'll say – the most ornery kind.
ADAM: Hoss, I'll bet in the next ten days, you and Kashmir will be best friends.
Little Joe hands Kashmir to Hoss.
LITTLE JOE: You have a special way with animals, Hoss. There ain't many that don't like you.
Hoss accepts the cat and pets him. Kashmir purrs and Hoss grins.
HOSS: That's more like it, Cat.
Hoss glances at Adam.
HOSS: You gonna be able to fix that picture frame?
ADAM: Sure. It just needs a new glass front.
HOSS: You better get the best kind of glass. It's my Ma's picture Kashmir knocked over – and I'm quite sure he didn't mean it.
FADE OUT.