Instead of being productive, however, the things play a variety of sports using Mr. Having made a miraculous recovery from his bout of depression, the Cat brings out Thing One and Thing Two to aid in the search for the gredunza, singing to the kids that they can find "anything under the sun". Ostensibly to gain sympathy, the Cat sings a pessimistic song to convey his low self-esteem, then puts Carlos to sleep by singing a lullaby. This makes a mess of everything and Carlos once again demands that the Cat leave. The Cat then leads the kids on a search for the missing gredunza using his method of " Calculatus Eliminatus ", in which random numbers and letters are drawn anywhere the gredunza should be to mark that they have already checked there. The Cat accuses Carlos of being the thief, and sings a ballad about the loss of his treasured keepsake. Immediately after leaving, however, the Cat bursts back in claiming that his "moss-covered three-handled family gredunza" has been stolen. Noting their objections, the Cat bows to the voice of the majority and dejectedly states he's going to Siberia. The girl notices that the Cat is making the house a little dirty, and the boy recalls their mother's return at 3:30. Krinklebine", demands that he must leave, but instead the Cat plays a game which he calls "Up, Up, Up, With a Fish", placing the fishbowl on top of a stack of bubbles. The mysterious, Cat in the Hat suddenly enters with a bump and fools around a bit.
While their mother is out at a job interview, they have no other choice but to wish they had something to do. Their mother announces her departure, tells them to have fun, and says she'll return at 3:30 sharp. When the story opens, it is too rainy and cold to play outside, so Conrad and his sister Sally sit bored and look out the window.