Sharik and the Cats

This emotional thread follows Sharik's instinctive hostility to cats, its transformation into Sharikov's cruelty, and the consequences of making that impulse an occupation.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Street Rivalry

Protecting the Sausage A Stray Cat Appears On the walk with Professor Preobrazhensky, Sharik sees a cat near the sausage. He bares his teeth rather than share food with another street animal. Scarcity's Lesson The response reflects survival in a world where food is limited. Sharik's hostility is an instinct shaped by competition, not yet a policy or a job.

The Cat in the Bathroom

Instinct Becomes Disorder A Chase Begins Sharikov pursues a cat through the apartment and traps himself in the bathroom. The chase breaks glass, floods rooms, and disrupts the professor's appointments. Household Costs A once-comprehensible animal impulse now operates in a human body with destructive consequences. Others must repair the damage and manage the people waiting outside.

The Cat Is Blamed

Responsibility Avoided Excuses Sharikov calls the cat destructive, despite having caused the flood while chasing it. He treats his own actions as justified retaliation for imagined wrongdoing. A Pattern Revealed The episode exposes his inability to assess cause and consequence. Professor Preobrazhensky and Doctor Bormenthal see that the problem is not simply a dislike of cats.

Strays Made into Work

Hostility Institutionalized Departmental Appointment Sharikov becomes responsible for eliminating stray animals in the Moscow Cleansing Department. He arrives at home in clothes that smell of the cats he has killed. A Dark Transformation His former instinct now has public authority and a method. The conversion of a private impulse into official labor makes the role particularly alarming to the professor.

The Professor's Reproach

An Impulse Misnamed The Heart of the Matter Professor Preobrazhensky rejects the claim that Sharikov has a dog's heart. He regards the dog's hostility to cats as a limited instinct, unlike Sharikov's deliberate cruelty. A Moral Distinction The distinction resists using animal nature to excuse human wrongdoing. Sharikov's conduct belongs to the choices and social power of his humanized state, not simply to Sharik's old instincts.

During the walk to the apartment

After Sharikov moves through the apartment

Immediately after the bathroom flood

After Sharikov returns with a new job

At the final confrontation