Macavity

Macavity is a fictional cat that appears both in Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, by T. S. Eliot, and the musical, Cats (composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber), which is based on T. S. Eliot's book.

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Macavity, also called the Mystery Cat, Hidden Paw, and Napoleon of Crime, is best known as a master criminal who is never there when a crime is discovered, and seems impossible to capture. In the musical, he is the villain of the play and kidnaps Old Deuteronomy, the Jellicle leader.

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It is clear that his character's creation is largely influenced by Professor Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes' arch-nemesis who was described as a mathmetician, philosopher, abstract thinker, and organizer of all that is evil and nearly all that is undetected. T. S. Eliot describes Macavity incredibly similarly, and also gave him similar traits . Moriarty, in turn, was based upon the real-life criminal mastermind, Adam Worth.

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Macavity is described as being a ginger cat that is very tall and thin with sunken eyes. "His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed; His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed. He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake..." In the musical, he is typically depicted as a cat with a chaotic array of orange, white, and sharp black stripes. He often has very long claws and rather messed up hair.

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He is referred to as a "fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity" and has been suspected of stifling Pekes, vandalism, larder-looting, cheating at cards, espionage, and in the musical, there are implications of him controlling an organized crime ring (with Mungojerrie and Griddlebone among the members).

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Within the musical, along with kidnapping Old Deuteronomy, he also attempts to kidnap Demeter, or in some productions, Victoria or Jemima. As seen in the video of CATS and most stage performances, he appears capable of performing some form of hypnosis. In all productions of the musical, he appears to be an excellent fighter, taking on Munkustrap and Alonzo (both strong toms), along with other Jellicles before making an escape.

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Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats: Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats is a set of whimsical poems by T. S. Eliot about feline psychology and sociology. It was first published in 1939 with cover illustrations by the author, and subsequently in 1940 illustrated in full by Nicolas Bentley. An edition was published in 1982 that feature...

T. S. Eliot: Thomas Stearns Eliot, OM (September 26, 1888 – January 4, 1965) was an Anglo-American poet, dramatist, and literary critic, whose works like The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, The Waste Land and Four Quartets, are considered major achievements of twentieth-century Modernism....

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