This 2nd episode of the Deitch era of Tom and Jerry is infinitely better than its pilot predecessor Switchin' Kitten.
There are many reasons for this. Firstly, D & O uses a tried and true story formula. This ensures all is well in the narrative department. Second, Tom reacts to almost all of the violence vocally, be it a scream or whatever. This adds a level of depth to the short. In a lot of Deitch episodes when Tom gets hurt , he doesn't make a sound. This distances us from the characters and removes their instilled humanity.
Third, this episode is Stepan Konicek's music debut in Tom and Jerry and he arguably tries his hardest here to prove himself. He succeeds with a well fitting musical score. Fourth, the backgrounds are very stylized and interesting. A pattern of rectangles on the house wall says it all. Fifth, this episode is filled with good gags in the squash and stretch format.
The character designs vary. Jerry and the Clint Clobber wannabe are very poorly designed while Tom is all over the place. Sometimes, his design is horrid. At other times, he looks like his Hanna Barbera counterpart.
In short, this episode is great. It only has minimal flaws that barely affect its quality I give it a 10/10, albeit a low one, because scoring it a 9/10 would be an injustice worse than anything Tom's owner could throw at him.