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 on 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!

He's outwardly respectable. (They say he cheats at cards.)
And his footprints are not found in any file of Scotland Yard's.
And when the larder's looted, or the jewel-case is rifled,
Or when the milk is missing, or another Peke's been stifled,
Or the greenhouse glass is broken, and the trellis past repair--
Ay, there's the wonder of the thing! Macavity's not there!

And when the Foreign Office finds a Treaty's gone astray,
Or the Admiralty lose some plans and drawings by the way,
There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stair--
But it's useless to investigate--Macavity's not there!

And when the loss has been disclosed, the Secret Service say:
"It must have been Macavity!"--but he's a mile away.
You'll be sure to find him resting, or a-licking of his thumbs,
Or engaged in doing complicated long division sums.

Macavity, Macavity, there's no one like Macavity,
There never was a Cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.
He always has an alibi, or one or two to spare:
And whatever time the deed took place--MACAVITY WASN'T THERE!
And they say that all the Cats whose wicked deeds are widely known
(I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone)
Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time
Just controls their operations: the Napoleon of Crime!

Never must T.S. Eliot have fathomed that even decades after he had written this epic poem for kids, it would remain a fascination for admirers like myself who have long since shunned their childhood. Macavity, Macavity, there sure's no one like Macavity, if u haven't met him, it's just so a pity. He makes you love him despite his conny flair, because when u seek him, Macavity's just not there. My first tryst with Macavity dates back some 15 years and it was fascination personified. I remember with what enthusiasm as kids we did a group recital of the poem, all decked up in black attire and shady eye masks. No prizes for guessing who won the competition, but the love for the poem has sustained ever since.

A recent read of Sir Doyle's Sherlock Holmes adventures brought back quaint memories of the mystery cat. One must be bound to pose the question as to how T.S. Eliot's Macavity relates to Sir Doyle's literature. Although a tad arbitrary, I found the description of Dr. Moriarty, whose claim to fame as being the nemesis of Sherlock Holmes is undisputed, a study in similarity with Eliot's rogue cat. I would not be able to comment on who came first or who plagiarised whom, but there is a mystical similarity, the way Sir Doyle describes Dr. Moriarty as the Napoleon of crime and the master criminal who could defy the law. Further, Dr. Moriarty's uncanny knack of not being found within the perimeter of shady episodes and the long list of alibis perfected over time. Not only this the physical description also matches, the deep brows, sunken eyes, domed head. Apart from this Sir Doyle's Valley of fear has a rogue by the name McGinty which bears a resemblance in nomenclature to Macavity, the mystery cat.

The oft repeated reference to cats in stories and movies worldwide, including the Harry Potter series, the Japanese Grudge series etc. display how a cat has become symbolic of shady deeds. I would like to believe it is Eliot's effort to exalt the feline dynasty into this strata. The tiger has been a source of terror for human beings since eons, but probably the cat signifies a smaller version and it is only too closer to be identifiable than the big striped cat.

Even the early 80's saw the German disco band Boney M. write out Ma Baker, (the meanest cat of old Chicago town, who taught her four sons to handle their guns), a character surreptitiously akin to Eliot's masked criminal. I firmly believe that the macabre presence of Macavity has never and shall never cease to be a part of my memory. The poem is a masterpiece and I'll make it a point to introduce my kids, whenever they happen to this feline crusader.