Edgar the Butler: Crazy Cat Theif or Misunderstood Manservant?

The Aristocats is one of my favorite Disney movies. I think it mainly appeals to my not-so-secret inner cat lady. But now that I am older and so mature (ha), I am beginning to see some flaws in this classic.


In the beginning of the film, Edgar the Butler seems like a hard-working man with a small salary working for this outrageously rich and aristocratic single woman who likes to live large with her cats.

Edgar does everything; he is the driver, cook, butler, and caretaker of animals. He probably does not make a whole lot of money, so when he learns that his boss, who has no living family, is planning to leave the entirety of her estate to her pets, he gets a little upset. This guy does everything-- hell, he lives in her house in order to serve her to the best of his ability! What do the cats do besides paint on the piano (which Edgar undoubtedly cleans up after)?

 This man who has slaved away for years finally reaches his breaking point. So he drugs the cats, steals their basket in the middle of the night, and loses them when they fall out of the side car of his motorcycle. He has no intention of being cruel to them. He could have murdered them, held them for ransom, or tortured them, but he just decides to 'let them out,' putting it lightly. Then they get to have a fun adventure with the Alley Cats and Duchess found a father for her kittens along the way. In a way, he does them a favor.

Of course what Edgar does is wrong, and I want to make it clear that I do not condone the act of kidnapping in any way. Maybe Madame knows that Edgar is a greedy man with a habit of listening to her conversations with her lawyer through the pipes. Probably not though-- she seems a tad clueless.


I sincerely hope Edgar found a better life after he was shipped to Timbuktu. I like to think that maybe he found someone to serve that had a full staff and didn't make him do everything. Maybe he found a nice woman and lived happily ever after in a pet-free environment.

This post makes me sound like an extreme cat hater, but that could really not be farther from the truth. I only want people to consider the other side. Although I don't own a cat because I think I am too busy to take care of one, I have a habit of buying Meow Mix for the family of strays that frequently visit my house and I am in the process of trying (and failing gloriously) to tame them. Here's Mama kitty!