Warrior Cats Expained: Mudclaw (ShC), was he a Good Father? by Dawnlight

Dawnlight takes a look at ShadowClan’s Mudclaw and whether or not he had been a good father.

Hello! And welcome back to another article!
I’ve had the longest of long breaks and I’m back and ready to start cracking!
Today’s topic may be unfamiliar to you.
I will not be defending a cat.
I will be doing the opposite.
For I will be talking about
Mudclaw.
And not the deputy of Windclan.
I mean Mudclaw
From Shadowclan.

SPOILERS TO YELLOWFANG’S SECRET

Who in Starclan’s name
is Mudclaw?
Have you all heard of Brokenstar?
Most likely.
How about Lizardstripe?
Probably.
Well, Mudclaw was Lizardstripes mate.
That’s right. The father of Runningnose, Tangleburr, and Deerfoot. As well as the foster father of Brokenstar.
And I hate him.
Now before I get to the nitty gritty, here’s the boring facts.
Mudclaw was a warrior under Cedarstar, Raggedstar, Brokenstar, Tigerstar, and Blackstar’s reign. He’s a gray tom with brown paws. He is mates with Lizardstripe and the father of Runningnose, Tangleburr, and Deerfoot.

Why do they, or I, hate Mudclaw?
Okay, this is where I will focus on.
Mudclaw was a terrible mate and a terrible father.
He pops up as a Warrior in Yellowfang’s Secret and then does Warrior stuff.
Then he gets married to Lizardstripe and makes her have kits against her wishes.
Then absolutely DISAPPEARED for the rest of her LIFE.
Everyone hates Lizardstripe but you should also hate Mudclaw.
First, Lizardstripe said that she didn’t want to have kits and if she knew toms could have kits, she’d make Mudclaw have his own. Isn’t this a Bumble x Dove situation, but to an extent where it happened?
Second, HE DISAPPEARED???????
Not from the book, but from Lizardstripes life.
When Brokenkit was thrust to Lizard, did Mudclaw help her? NO!
When his kits bullied Brokenkit, did Mudclaw stop them? NO!
When Lizard was being moody, did Mudclaw ask about her? NO!
He doesn’t give his mate a thought.
And Lizardstripe still has the compassion to love him.
Lizard had no moral help whatsoever from her so-called mate.
Do you know what I call that? A failed mate AND a failed parent.
If Mudclaw really wanted to have his own kits, he could have pulled a Fernsong and stayed in the nursery while Lizardstripe took on Warrior Duties.
This would have made Lizardstripe happier and certainly better to her kits.
Also, Mudclaw, don’t force your mate to have kits if you’re not willing to take care of them yourself.
That’s selfish.