Calling all cat ladies
Posted by Patricia on 15th Apr 2022
April 19 is National Cat Lady Day. Not Crazy Cat Lady Day, mind you. Although the latter would seem more fun from a party hat standpoint.
If you love cats, it's easy to qualify as a Cat Lady. Also, if you are owned by a cat (or a half dozen), if you volunteer at cat rescues, or if you help to care for a feral kitty community, you qualify as a Cat Lady. You are bonafide!
It wasn't always this cool to be a Cat Lady. Living in Europe during medieval times, your adoration of cats would have been viewed as suspicious, even an evil manifestation of your very soul. Years later, throughout the United States, a Cat Lady was thought to be a kooky spinster who always seemed to smell a bit like a litter box. Cat Ladies have not had an easy time of it.
Until now, thankfully. These days your love of cats is considered "normal." Therefore, you don't need multiple cats to qualify as a Cat Lady, and your litter box likely smells of flowers. And you are certainly not thought of as crazy. Communing with cats is quite therapeutic, and Cat Ladies know and appreciate this. I have often cited my cats and dogs as reasons I've held on to sanity throughout my life.
Yes, I have a mixed household, and the canines and felines all get along. Often better than the human members of my extended family.
Why some people prefer cats over dogs or vice versa is partly scientific and partly just preference. Studies conducted about this difference found that cat people are more likely to be curious, creative, and subject to anxiety than dog people. A Cat Lady would be proud of this. On the other hand, if you are interested, dog people are more likely to be spontaneous, loud, and messy. Of course, someone who enjoys the companionship of dogs and cats knows that both barks and meows are signs of love.
Saint Gertrude of Nivelles is considered the patron saint of cats (and gardeners.) And so, on April 19, if you curl up with a good book, a lovely aloe plant, and as many cats as you like, Gertrude will be smiling down on you.
Sources:
Slideshow: The Truth About Pets and Personality
https://pets.webmd.com/ss/slideshow-truth-about-cat-people-and-dog-people#:~:text=The%20Typical%20Cat%20Person&text=The%20survey%20found%20that%20cat,to%20worry%20than%20dog%20people.