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Many critics have rightly debunked the misleading nature of the study showing that 51% of American women currently live without husbands. However, one intriguing thing reactions to it pointed out is the way unmarried women are associated with cats in the popular mind. One commentator wrote that the study led him to “want to invest in cat futures.” I am told that an actress noted that she was 31 and unwed so perhaps she should start subscribing to “Cat Fancy” magazine.
Why are cats associated with single women? There is a tendency to think of felines as feminine, to refer to cats as “she” while dogs of unknown gender are frequently called “he.” That would seem to associate them with women. It is also true that cuddling and stroking a cat might serve as a kind of substitute for other types of cuddling and stroking. A cat’s soft fur and warm body can be sensuous in a wholesome, non-sexual sort of way. Cats are often thought of as independent and so may seem apt metaphors for the live of a woman alone.
These are some of the reasons I think people associate single women with having cat companions. Can my readers think of others?
By Denise Noe
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