Old Tom is a one-eyed, decrepit, eternally hungry orange tomcat who lives with a single, middle aged woman, Angela Throgmorton, who, by the creators' own admission 'treats (him) as if he were her own son'. She seems oblivious to Tom's chaotic, uncontrolled behaviour (often in search of food) which usually results in respectable people being offended, and various locations being wrecked. She's equally oblivious to the scorn all of this mayhem brings down on her from her high society friends.