The tailless mouse is shown in the corner carrying a flag that reads “down with the cat”. The tiny mouse is dwarfed by the large cat, and the cat and mouse metaphor is used to invoke the conflict between the old tsarist Russia and the rising proletariats in the Russian Revolution of 1917. The mouse plans to oust the cat by rallying the other mice.

The text describes the cat purring and in a mocking mood, and the image of the cat matches this description. The cat is either unworried or unaware of the mouse rebellion, but this demeanor changes as the tailless mouse rallies forces and mounts an attack. The cat on this page looks starkly different than the image of the cat on the following page, where it looks much more threatening.

The cat was in a mocking mood He didn’t fear a mouse crusade: “I’m a warrior too, you know,” The well-fed cat purred.