Created in 2017, CAT DAD is the story of Cat Dad, a round, stubby calico cat who is just like your average dad in every way, except for the fact that he is .. well, a cat. He is the father of Claire, his teenage human daughter. Intended to be an episodic series, CAT DAD explores the craziness that comes with having a cat father in a human world.

In 2020, a pilot episode of CAT DAD was created as Madeleine’s thesis film at the Laguna College of Art + Design. She wrote, animated, and built the set for the film. CAT DAD was rendered, animated, and edited from start to finish in three months. In the film, it is “Parents’ Day” at Claire’s (voiced by Ann Hurd) high school, and she asks Cat Dad (voiced by Caleb Cleveland) to join her and the other parents at the celebration. Feeling insecure about the idea of being the only cat among human parents, he awkwardly declines. However, he soon realizes that Claire’s happiness is the most important thing, and does whatever he can to be there for her.