Rumpus Cat

The Great Rumpus Cat is a featured character in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats. He appears only in "The Aweful Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles," a short play put on by the Jellicles to entertain Old Deuteronomy.

In universe, The Great Rumpus Cat is not a "real character", similar to Growltiger and Griddlebone. Whether he was real, legendary or fictional is unclear. However the Japanese production uses the name for an ensemble cat.

Personality
As the Rumpus Cat only appears in the context of Pekes and Pollicles, his only interactions are with Munkustrap, the narrator. He is somewhat a fool; he misses his cues, misunderstands commands, and only just avoids kicking Munkustrap. However, the Pekes and Pollicles are suitably intimidated by his presence.

Role
The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles is a play put on by the Jellicle Cats to impress and entertain Old Deuteronomy. As the story is most likely fictional, that means the Great Rumpus Cat likely is too, just an urban legend.

Appearance
The Great Rumpus Cat is portrayed as a kind of superhero to the Jellicles; as such, his appearance is stylised, with a glowing red eye-mask as eyes, a thin tail and a sleek black coat.

On his chest is a Superman-style "R" logo. In the Original London Production in 1981, Alonzo (who plays Rumpus Cat if George isn't) didn't wear a separate costume for Rumpus, only the logo was detachable.

However as the show developed Alonzo soon established his own black and white costume, with the Rumpus Cat being a quick change.

Ensemble Character
Exclusively in the Japanese production, an ensemble character named "Rumpus Cat" does exist. The production varies considerably from the normal licensed productions, rather than having Alonzo, the production has two tall male ensemble, Gilbert and Rumpus Cat. Rumpus' design has varied significantly over the years, however his most recent look is recognisably related to the black and white Alonzo. Gilbert's look is similarly related to the black and gold Alonzo design.