A nod to the MGM classic musical The Wizard of Oz (1939) at the end, as the characters set off together, presumably down that yellow brick road.
Little School Mouse (1954) would reverse the roles here, with Professor Jerry instructing his nephew on the ways of cats and mice.
Tom and company reside in a beautifully furnished traditional postwar home. And as is the hallmark of animation's golden age, all of the home and garden details are carefully and meticulously drawn, in some cases framing the action itself in a clever way.