This episode features Thomas Blake as the leader of a cat-worshiping cult. In the comics, Thomas Blake was the villain known as Catman, an eccentric trapper of jungle cats who turned to crime after squandering his millions. In a post-crisis story from "The Legends of the Dark Knight" called "Heat", where Catman was re-imagined as a serial killer in a black cat costume with claw blades on his wrists where Batman and Catwoman form an uneasy alliance to take him down. While Thomas Blake is never called Catman in this episode, his animated depiction of Thomas Blake is a mashup of the two comic versions.
This is one of the few episodes of the series just to feature Batman on solo adventure without any of his sidekicks.
Thomas Blake and his followers wear black suits with "Cat Claws" that pop from their wrists. This is similar to what a post-crisis depiction of Catman wore in a story from "The Legends of the Dark Knight" called "Heat" where Catman was re-imagined as a serial killer in a black cat costume with claw blades on his wrists. The comic version of Catman wore a mask and got his hands dirty while this animated Thomas Blake doesn't wear a mask and has his followers do his dirty work.