Jon Arbuckle becomes concerned about Garfield and his behavior after he and Odie mess up his house during the special's opening credits. While Jon drives him to the veterinarian, Garfield accidentally falls out from Jon's car and later becomes lost in downtown. Garfield soon runs into a large gang of unfriendly alley cats known as the Claws. After Garfield antagonized the gang's leader, he flees into an abandoned Italian restaurant, where he is reunited with his estranged mother, Sonja. The building was actually Garfield's birthplace and where he became famous for his love for lasagna. Meanwhile, Jon calls Garfield's vet, Dr. Liz Wilson, to tell her about Garfield's disappearance, at which point, Liz suggests that Jon would want a tow truck. Jon later calls a local newspaper to run a Lost and Found ad to find Garfield, though he decides to cut his ad short as it would cost him too much money.