Domestic Troubles

Cat by J. R. R. Tolkien

The fat cat on the mat

may seem to dream

of nice mice that suffice

for him, or cream;

but he free, maybe,

walks in thought

unbowed, proud, where loud

roared and fought

his kin, lean and slim,

or deep in den

in the East feasted on beasts

and tender men.

The giant lion with iron

claw in paw,

and huge ruthless tooth

in gory jaw;

the pard dark-starred,

fleet upon feet,

that oft soft from aloft

leaps upon his meat

where woods loom in gloom --

far now they be,

fierce and free,

and tamed is he;

but fat cat on the mat

kept as a pet

he does not forget.

Leave it to Tolkien to explore the inner workings of the classic domestic cat, to take a deeper look at something as seemingly trivial as the calm life of a house cat. A first reading of this poem may sound light hearted and generally silly, due mostly to it’s twisting rhyme scheme, but look again and you will see that the poem isn’t merely a cute homage to the lazy cat sitting on the porch. Instead Tolkien explores the tamed nature that domestic life has forced onto the cat, ruminating on the contrasting shared history of all cats to live a life of cunning and exhilaration in the wild. It might seem amusing that Tolkien glorifies the spirit of felines in this way, but the longing of a docile creature to experience adventure is something that is shared with everyone. 

Tolkien opens up the poem by describing the “fat cat on the mat” who lies around each day in a seemingly happy dream state. It’s important to note that the cat “may seem see to dream” and is not in fact necessarily dreaming. Instead the perception of the cat is that he wastes his days away in joyful imaginings of tasty treats and comfort. But Tolkien breaks this perception in the fourth line when he introduces the concept of freedom. He goes on to describes the free roaming cats as “unbowed” and “proud” which are both in direct contrast to the previously mentioned cat whose head lies on the floor and his body remains immobile. These wild felines are “lean and slim” they don’t spend lazy afternoons napping on the couch, they move about the world without restraint or regret. What Tolkien is getting at here is that it’s only natural to enjoy the freedom of the wild over the comforts of domestic living. This isn’t a trait that is reserved solely for house cats though, it’s seen throughout life and literature. When Chris McCandless chose to find himself, like so many other transcendentalists, within the trials of nature he gave up the easy way of life he enjoyed at home. Like those before him, he would rather risk the perils and uncertainties of nature than to enter the stagnant life of the suburbanite. Likewise, the cat has the same feeling inside as the young adventurous McCandless. Both belong to a caged society, while in their hearts they yearn for something with more substance. 

The final lines of the poem wrap it all together by returning to the “fat cat on the mat”. Tolkien writes that although the cat remains inside the home as a pet, he has not lost his inherent lust for adventure and primal instinct to roam freely upon the earth. The cat “does not forget” that it’s ancestors lived a more rewarding life, it recognizes the sacrifice that it has made by living domestically. It is not uncommon to feel this way at one point in life, few have acted on the feeling but regardless many have felt discontented about their lazy lives as the cat in this poems feels and reminisces on. It remains the choice of the docile dreamer to get up and find the adventure that they wish to experience, to free themselves of urban comforts and try their hand at a more fulfilling but trying existence in nature.