You've read of several kinds of Cat,
And my opinion now is that
You should need no interpreter
To understand their character.
You now have learned enough to see
That Cats are much like you and me
And other people whom we find
Possessed of various types of mind.
For some are same and some are mad
And some are good and some are bad
And some are better, some are worse--
But all may be described in verse.
You've seen them both at work and games,
And learnt about their proper names,
Their habits and their habitat:
But
How would you ad-dress a Cat?

So first, your memory I'll jog,
And say: A CAT IS NOT A DOG.

And you might now and then supply
Some caviare, or Strassburg Pie,
Some potted grouse, or salmon paste--
He's sure to have his personal taste.
(I know a Cat, who makes a habit
Of eating nothing else but rabbit,
And when he's finished, licks his paws
So's not to waste the onion sauce.)
A Cat's entitled to expect
These evidences of respect.
And so in time you reach your aim,
And finally call him by his NAME.

So this is this, and that is that:
And there's how you AD-DRESS A CAT.

Added: on February 11th, 2005 at 2:36 PM | Viewed: 8216 times | Comments (4)

Poet: T.S. Eliot (T.S. Eliot Art)
Poem: The Ad-Dressing Of Cats
Volume: Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats
Poem of the Day: Aug 25 2004

Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, The Ad-Dressing Of Cats, has received 4 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by T.S. Eliot with others on the American Poems poetry forum!