Do you have a pet cat? Have you ever noticed anything mysterious about it? It is not easy to say whether every cat is a mystery, but Macavity is one, for sure. What is it that makes him a perfect mystery cat? Read the poem and find out.
Macavity’s a Mystery Cat: he’s called the Hidden
Paw —
For he’s the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s
despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime — Macavity’s not there!
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like
Macavity,
He’s broken every human law, he breaks
the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir
stare,
And when you reach the scene of crime
— Macavity’s not there!
You may seek him in the basement, you
may look up in the air —
But I tell you once and once again,
Macavity’s not there!
Macavity’s a ginger cat, he’s very tall and
thin;
You would know him if you saw him, for
his eyes are sunken in.
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;
And when you think he’s half asleep, he’s always wide awake.
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
For he’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in
the square —
But when a crime’s discovered, then Macavity’s not there!
T.S. ELIOT