Who performs “The Ad‑Dressing Of Cats” on the Broadway cast album?

Ken Page, as Old Deuteronomy, leads the address on the 1983 Complete Original Broadway Cast Recording.

Where do the lyrics come from?

They adapt T. S. Eliot’s poem “The Ad‑Dressing of Cats” from Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, published in 1939.

How long is the track on the Broadway album?

4 minutes, 22 seconds on Disc 2.

Does the song appear in film versions?

Yes. Ken Page delivers it in the 1998 filmed stage production; in the 2019 movie, Judi Dench addresses the audience with the same etiquette lesson.

Did the cast album win awards or chart?

The Broadway cast recording won the Grammy for Best Cast Show Album and reached No. 131 on the Billboard 200; it’s RIAA Platinum in the U.S.

Ad-Dressing of Cats Lyrics – Cats

Ad-Dressing of Cats Lyrics

(The Ad-Dressing of Cats)

You've heard of several kinds of cat
And my opinion now is that
You should need no interpreter
To understand our character

You've learned enough to take the view
That cats are very much like you
You've seen us both at work and games
And learnt about our proper names
Our habits and our habitat
But how would you ad-dress a cat?

So first, your memory I'll jog
And say: A cat is not a dog

Now, dogs pretend they like to fight
They often bark, more seldom bite
But yet a dog is, on the whole
What you would call a simple soul

The usual dog about the town
Is much inclined to play the clown
And far from showing too much pride
Is frequently undignified
He's such an easygoing lout
He'll answer any hail or shout

The usual dog about the town
Is inclined to play the clown

Again, I must remind you that
A dog's a dog, a cat's a cat

With cats, some say one rule is true
Don't speak 'til you are spoken to
Myself I do not hold with that
I say you should ad-dress a cat
But always bear in mind that he
Resents familiarity

You bow, and taking off your hat
Ad-dress him in this form: "O' cat!"

Before a cat will condescend
To treat you as a trusted friend
Some little token of esteem
Is needed, like a dish of cream

And you might now and then supply
Some caviar, or Strassburg pie
Some potted grouse or salmon paste
He's sure to have his personal taste
And so in time you reach your aim
And call him by his name

So this is this, and that is that
And there's how you ad-dress a cat

A cat's entitled to expect
These evidences of respect
So this is this, and that is that
And there's how you ad-dress a cat
Last Update: September, 28th 2025

Song Overview

“The Ad-Dressing Of Cats” is the ceremonious finale of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats, sung by Old Deuteronomy as a final direct address to the audience. On the Complete Original Broadway Cast Recording, the song features Ken Page and closes Disc 2 at 4:22, released by Geffen Records on January 26, 1983.

The Ad-Dressing Of Cats lyrics by Original Broadway Cast of Cats — Original Broadway Cast of Cats is singing the ‘The Ad-Dressing Of Cats’ lyrics in the music video.

Personal Review

“The Ad-Dressing Of Cats” lyrics turn the curtain call into a primer on manners. The scene plays like a ritual: Old Deuteronomy explains, with dry wit, how to approach a cat with respect, how to speak, how to wait. One sentence that sums it up - etiquette as empathy. Simple rules, sung softly, reframe the entire musical you just watched.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Original Broadway Cast of Cats performing The Ad-Dressing Of Cats — Performance in the music video.

The lyrics are adapted from T. S. Eliot’s 1939 poem of the same name in Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. Eliot’s closing lesson - “this is this, and that is that” - becomes the show’s last word, a wink that ceremony matters.

Musically, the number sits between patter and parlando - a gently rocking pulse under spoken-sung phrases, strings padding the bar lines while woodwinds flick the ends of sentences. It starts avuncular, turns a touch professorial, then relaxes into communal assent as the Company repeats the rule.

As a finale, it reorients the audience. After a night of names, rituals, and choices, “The Ad-Dressing Of Cats” spells out the show’s ethic: attention is love, and names require care. The humor cools the sermon.

Cultural touchpoints help. In the 1998 filmed stage version, Ken Page delivers the address with velvet gravitas; in Tom Hooper’s 2019 film, Judi Dench breaks the fourth wall and instructs the cinema audience directly - proof that the piece doubles as curtain speech and thesis statement.

Creation history

The Broadway cast album was recorded in October 1982 and released January 26, 1983 by Geffen Records, produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with Martin Levan also credited on recording production across the set. The track closes the album’s second disc at 4:22.

Song’s message and themes. The lyric draws boundaries with charm. Old Deuteronomy reminds us, almost like a parent teaching table manners, that respect precedes intimacy:

“So first, your memory I’ll jog / And say: a cat is not a dog.”

The line reads obvious, yet it lands - a gentle caution to dog-trained humans who rush, clap, and coo. Different animal, different etiquette. That annotation, often noted by fans, nails the point: don’t transpose dog rules onto cats.

Language and symbolism. The repeated “ad-dress” pun sits between costume and salutation - both how we present ourselves and how we speak to another being. Titles, bows, a removed hat, and the plain vocative “O Cat!” give ritual weight to everyday contact. Eliot’s poem even lists gourmet tributes - cream, salmon paste - as tokens of esteem.

Production and instrumentation. On the Broadway recording you hear a compact theater orchestra - strings leading, winds replying, light percussion, keyboards anchoring harmonies - keeping the rhetoric buoyant rather than ponderous.

Verse Highlights

The Ad-Dressing Of Cats lyric video by Original Broadway Cast of Cats — A screenshot from the ‘The Ad-Dressing Of Cats’ video.

Verse 1

Old Deuteronomy catalogs what we’ve learned tonight - names, habits, habitats - then asks the practical question: how would you address a cat? It’s the musical’s callback to earlier lessons about naming and identity.

Chorus

“A cat is not a dog” becomes the refrain. It’s a rhythmic speed bump that slows the pulse and clears space for courtesy. The ensemble’s echo turns personal advice into social code.

Closing lines

“So this is this, and that is that” returns as a tidy cadence. The formality is comic, but the takeaway is serious - respect earns trust, names confer dignity.

Annotations used: reminder about the “cat vs. dog” distinction and the need for different approaches when reading the lyrics or meeting a pet.

Key Facts

Scene from The Ad-Dressing Of Cats by Original Broadway Cast of Cats — Scene from ‘The Ad-Dressing Of Cats’.

Featured: Ken Page as Old Deuteronomy.
Producer: Andrew Lloyd Webber; recording production also associated with Martin Levan.
Composer: Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Lyric source: T. S. Eliot’s poem “The Ad-Dressing of Cats” from Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats.
Release Date: January 26, 1983.
Genre: Show tunes, Broadway.
Instruments: theater orchestra - strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, keyboards.
Label: Geffen Records.
Mood: ceremonious, gently comic, didactic in the best way.
Length: 4:22.
Track #: 21 on Complete Original Broadway Cast Recording.
Language: English.
Album: Cats - Complete Original Broadway Cast Recording.
Music style: parlando with patter inflections over steady orchestral bed.
Poetic meter: light-verse anapests with iambic cadences.

Songs Exploring Themes of respect and etiquette

“The Naming of Cats” - Original Cast of Cats. If “Ad-Dressing” teaches how to speak to a cat, “Naming” explains why names are complicated. The lyric lists public, private, and ineffable names - identity as layered ritual. Musically it whispers, all sibilance and hush, making the listener lean in. Together, the two lyrics sketch a code: know the name, then address it properly.

“Getting to Know You” - The King and I. While not about animals, it’s another etiquette song - gracious, formal, built on small courtesies. The melody smiles; the lyric models patient conversation. Where “Ad-Dressing” is droll and didactic, “Getting to Know You” is sunny and social, two sides of the same social coin.

“Consider Yourself” - Oliver!. Switching gears, this one normalizes welcome. The lyric grants belonging through simple speech acts - “consider yourself one of us.” Compared to the feline rules, it’s rowdy and communal, a street-song version of etiquette. In contrast, Old Deuteronomy’s rules value restraint - bow first, then speak.

Questions and Answers

Who performs “The Ad-Dressing Of Cats” on the Broadway cast album?: Ken Page, as Old Deuteronomy, leads the address on the 1983 Complete Original Broadway Cast Recording.
Where do the lyrics come from?: They adapt T. S. Eliot’s poem “The Ad-Dressing of Cats” from Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, published in 1939.
How long is the track on the Broadway album?: 4 minutes, 22 seconds on Disc 2.
Does the song appear in film versions?: Yes. Ken Page delivers it in the 1998 filmed stage production; in the 2019 movie, Judi Dench addresses the audience with the same etiquette lesson.
Did the cast album win awards or chart?: The Broadway cast recording won the Grammy for Best Cast Show Album and reached No. 131 on the Billboard 200; it’s RIAA Platinum in the U.S.

Awards and Chart Positions

The Broadway cast recording that includes “The Ad-Dressing Of Cats” won the Grammy Award for Best Cast Show Album at the 26th Annual Grammy Awards and later earned RIAA Platinum certification. On weekly charts, the album peaked at No. 131 on the Billboard 200, with higher peaks in Austria and New Zealand.

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