 The initial New York production of "Cats" replaced "The Ballad of Billy M'Caw" with a "pastiche Italian aria" because the aria was "felt to be more of a crowd pleaser".The lyrics for the Italian aria come from the original Italian translation of "Growltiger's Last Stand".Lloyd Webber "much prefers" "Billy M'Caw", and in the 2003 UK touring production, "The Ballad of Billy M'Caw" was re-instated and has subsequently replaced the Italian aria in most productions.