Introduction of the Poem:
An early poem, My Cat appeared in Ezekiel's first anthology, Sixty Poems (1953). Here the poet describes an unusual cat he had as a pet when, during his student days in England (1948-52), he lived in a basement room in London.
Critical Summary:
Lines 1-4:
Ezekiel's pet cat in his basement room in London is not an ordinary, typical cat. It is neither devilish nor inscrutable like the cats of Verlaine or Baudelaire. Though she is equally comfortable sitting on a chair or in someone's lap, it does not like to be petted or caressed, nor does it flirt with its owner.
Lines 5-8:
Its one mood is that of extreme boredom as it always keeps yawning and sleeping. Its sense of smell is impaired as it doesn't sniff at the fish stored in the pantry. It also does not enjoy lapping up milk as other cats do. In this respect, it behaves more like a sheep than a cat.
Lines 9-14:
This cat considers it below its dignity to chase a rat, or play with balls of wool or bare its claws to visitors as the other cats do. It is immune to hatred as well as love, the two emotions dominant in human beings as it likes to remain neutral and passive to the goings on around. The poet is so sick of this pet that he plans to drown it in a river one day.
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