# Matthew Mugg — The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle character guide

> Matthew Mugg in The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** old Matthew, Matthew, old Matthew Mugg

**First appearance:** 0004-part-i-ii-i-hear-of-the-great-naturalist

## Snapshot

The cat's-meat man whose easy talk and rough kindness open the door for a cobbler's son to meet the most extraordinary man in Puddleby.

## Who they are

Matthew is the bridge between Tommy's ordinary life and the Doctor's strange household, a working man whose gossip and generosity set the whole story in motion. He measures the Doctor with plain-spoken awe — 'a great man,' he says, 'unbelievable' — and his voice carries the warmth of a community that half-admires, half-resents its eccentric neighbor. He matters because without his introduction there is no voyage, and because his perspective keeps the Doctor's genius grounded in ordinary human regard.

## Relationships

### [Doctor Dolittle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyages_of_doctor_dolittle_se/characters/doctor_dolittle)

_friendship_

Matthew Mugg is a cheerful cat's-meat man and a longtime friend who often supplies Doctor Dolittle with information and company.

### [Doctor Dolittle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyages_of_doctor_dolittle_se/characters/doctor_dolittle)

_friendship_

Matthew Mugg is a cheerful cat's-meat man and a longtime friend who often supplies Doctor Dolittle with information and company.

### [Doctor Dolittle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyages_of_doctor_dolittle_se/characters/doctor_dolittle)

_friendship_

Matthew Mugg is a cheerful cat's-meat man and a longtime friend who often supplies Doctor Dolittle with information and company.

## In the story

### [The Cobbler's Son](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyages_of_doctor_dolittle_se/chapters/part-i-i-the-cobbler-s-son)

The cat's-meatman, a friend of Tommy who knows all the dogs and cats in Puddleby.

### [I Hear of the Great Naturalist](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyages_of_doctor_dolittle_se/chapters/part-i-ii-i-hear-of-the-great-naturalist)

The cat's-meatman who knows Doctor Dolittle well and shares stories about the Doctor's ability to speak animal languages and his adventures.

### [The Third Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyages_of_doctor_dolittle_se/chapters/part-iii-i-the-third-man)

Visits the Curlew, expresses a desire to join but declines due to rheumatism.

### [Our Troubles Begin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyages_of_doctor_dolittle_se/chapters/part-iii-iii-our-troubles-begin)

Stows away in the hold, is discovered, and is put ashore at Penzance.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyages_of_doctor_dolittle_se/characters/matthew_mugg
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyages_of_doctor_dolittle_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyages_of_doctor_dolittle_se/characters