Napoleon of Crime

“Napoleon of Crime” is the epithet that presents Macavity not merely as a criminal but as the concealed commander of other cats’ notorious deeds. Its force comes from a reversal: the song first stresses that Macavity is never at the scene, then imagines him exercising control from elsewhere.

Meaning and Attribution

The title culminates a claim that cats known for wicked deeds—including Mungojerrie—are agents acting for a single Cat who controls their operations. “Napoleon” gives that hidden authority the scale and strategic bearing of a commander; “of Crime” makes the domain of his command explicit. The expression therefore names a role in the song’s account of wrongdoing, rather than establishing a literal identity beyond Macavity’s.

Function in the Song

The epithet gathers apparently separate crimes into a picture of coordinated action. Macavity’s recurring absence supplies the paradox: he is said not to be present when a deed occurs, yet the song assigns him responsibility for directing those who carry it out. “Napoleon of Crime” turns that gap between physical absence and alleged command into the central image of his power.