Single in Sydney: I might be unattached, but don’t call me a crazy cat lady
THIS week, Sarah got a kitten. But don’t, whatever you do, call her a crazy cat lady. Besides, cats are cool and have you seen the hot dudes with cats on Instagram?
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JOURNALIST Sarah Swain has been single (but dating) for longer than she cares to remember.
That’s because it’s tough out there, as any single will tell you, so to bring hope to others across the city, she’s sharing her no-holds-barred adventures on the Sydney single scene every Friday.
Week 40 Feline Fine
“You didn’t!” asked one friend.
“I did!” I replied, defiantly.
Yes, the claws were out when I announced some news recently on Facebook.
And I hadn’t married Geoffrey Edelseten, shaved all my hair off, or become a Mormon.
I’d simply got a cat
“You can’t be Miss Single in Sydney AND a crazy cat lady” said another of my friends, a self-confessed feline hater.
When I replied that my friend Han also had a cat, she said that was different — because she also has a boyfriend, apparently.
And it made me a bit mad.
I love cats you see.
Not because I want to marry one, dress it up as a baby, or push it around in a pram (like this lady).
I like them because they’re cute, clever, entertaining and you don’t need to take them for walks.
And Prince Harry (he came with the name, and I love it) is a ginger fluff-ball who likes watching TV, playing cat games on my ipad, and creating assault courses around my apartment.
He walks around the house chirruping, likes to sleep snuggled next to my legs (for at least, oh four minutes) and even follows me to the bathroom (I hate to say it, but when I go to the loo, he goes too - that’s where his litter tray is. I like to think it’s a sign of affection).
He was rescued from a cat hoarder who died, leaving him and his sisters and brothers and a bunch of other cats alone. Some died. But Prince Harry was one of the lucky ones who was found and cared for by the dedicated Brighter Future Cat Rescue.
And I’ve just got him, you know. I don’t have 66 cats. Or even six (and hoarding animals is actually a psychological condition, don’t you know.)
So why exactly is it that women with cats who are single get a bigger roasting than sportsmen who chat up reporters?
I mean, it’s like saying that all people who ride motorbikes are criminals or all gay people love the Wizard of Oz.
It’s just not true.
And I did a bit of research to see where the whole thing came from.
Nobody really knows.
But historical links to witches and the fact that traditionally cats hung out in the house with the women to catch mice, while the men went hunting with the dogs seem to have something to do with the associations.
Then there’s some new report which says a virus you can catch from cat poo can actually send you crazy. Eek.
And apparently there’s also the idea that cats are often owned by older ladies whose husbands have died, as they’re low maintenance.
But why on earth should having a furry creature running around my house stop me finding a boyfriend?
I mean, I’m not going to talk about him on dates or anything.
*Deletes Prince Harry screensaver from phone.*
And anyway, pop queen Taylor Swift, screen siren Joanna Lumley and even local comic and writer Rosie Waterland are cat lovers.
Plus look at Instagram. There’s heaps of pages dedicated to men and kitties, from hot dudes with kittens, to hot men with cats, and blokes with cats on their heads.
Oh sorry, I made that one up.
And I know that despite how bad a day I had at work, or how disappointing my latest date turns out to be, I’ll always have somebody waiting at home for me (I like to shout “Hi Harry, I’m hoooooome.”)
Until my human prince comes along.
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