Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat

Conspiracy Theory - Is the illustrator trying to make a point about the media and Watergate?

Erik Blegvad’s version of Pussycat, Pussycat is unique indeed. His setting is a black and white cityscape of London. The main focus of this illustration is a cat greeting a little girl. To the left is a newspaper hawker. On the wall is a poster that says, “Mouse Frightened at Palace”. It is interesting that Blegvad chose to put a media spin on this nursery rhyme. The illustration was published in 1974, so perhaps this has some connection to the events of the day. Could Blegvad have been alluding to the Watergate scandal in the US? Maybe the cat represents the FBI and the mouse represents Nixon. The London backdrop may just be a “cover-up” so that people do not become suspicious that this picture has anything to do with current events of the time. On the contrary, this could be a simple image of a small, proud but unassuming cat returning to an unknowing mistress.