The Petriot Act (King of the Hill)

The Petriot Act is the sixth episode of the ninth season of King of the Hill. It was written by Christy Stratton and directed by Robin Brigstocke. It first aired on February 13, 2005.

Plot
Hank signs up to foster an active-duty military soldier’s pet, assuming he is getting a dog but is given a cat instead, which he does not know how to care for.

Why It Acts Wrong

 * 1) Hank is completely misled by the military pet program.
 * 2) First they promise him that he will not get the foster pet until after his family’s planned vacation, but just days later call him to tell him that he needs to get the animal before it or he cannot participate.
 * 3) After that, they only tell him the pet’s name, Duke, and not whether he is a cat or dog.
 * 4) It seems very unrealistic that a pet fostering program would not tell a participant what type of animal he or she would have to take care of.
 * 5) Duke the cat goes out of his way to make Hank and the rest of the Hills’ lives miserable.
 * 6) Duke scratches and bites them repeatedly, throws up hairballs on their food while they are eating dinner, kicks dirty litter in Peggy’s face, poops in Hank’s work boots, and hurts Bobby for getting tired of petting him nonstop.
 * 7) Hank wanted to do a good deed, and this is how he gets repaid?
 * 8) Peggy and Bobby did not even want any part in this, to begin with, though they suffer the consequences of Hank’s generosity toward military pets too.
 * 9) Hank is told that he has to get special cat food and extensive medical testing for Duke or his life is in danger and ends up having to spend most of the family’s vacation fund to the point where they have to cancel their entire trip and just eat at a restaurant in town instead.
 * 10) Although Hank blackmails Duke’s veterinarian into signing a form stating he does not need to run any more expensive tests on him, the episode does not explain how Hank is absolved of his responsibility for Duke from the United States Armed Forces.
 * 11) It is yet another example of a torture episode aimed at a character who often deserves recourse for his actions, but not in this particular episode.

Redeeming Qualities

 * 1) It is nice to see Bill happy in his relationship with Buster, his foster dog through the program.
 * 2) There are a few funny lines.
 * 3) The scene where Hank finds out that Duke defecated in his shoes was a little funny.

Reception
"The Petriot Act" is Number 9 on the Mysterious Mr. Enter’s Top 10 Worst Episodes of King of the Hill, which he describes as "a weak premise" because "not everyone who could care for a cat could care for a dog, or vice-versa" and as close to "a 'torture porn'" as the show gets.