If you’re an aficionado of The Simpsons, you’re likely aware of Eleanor Abernathy, better known as The Crazy Cat Lady. No one has captured what we think it means to be a “crazy cat lady” quite like Matt Groening’s prolific cartoon legacy. She’s the full package – old, incoherent, usually seen with a shopping cart full of screaming cats, and, most importantly, single AF. Yes, the comedic “crazy cat lady” trope has long been a punchline in many a joke aimed at single women. But why are they flung so venomously at us cat-loving ladies? Why is the term “crazy cat lady” used as a pejorative? Personally, comments such as “you’re just one cat away from being a crazy cat lady, Dio” echo in my brain like a triumphant chorus of angels whispering “yes, if a street cat makes eye contact with you, you absolutely must chase it 5 blocks out of your way to lure it into your arms and take it home with you. That’s your baby now.”

All The Single Ladies

It seems that, for as long as there has been an unmarried woman about, there have been nasty rumors in her wake as to “why she can’t keep a man”, as if winning a man’s affection is the ultimate goal of womanhood. (Yes, brace yourselves, because it’s going to be that kind of article.) And for some reason, it seems that the spiciest insult anyone ever came up with is calling said unmarried woman a Crazy Cat Lady. Like, oh man, you got me – right in the jugular. Freaking nailed it, my dude. My singledom is directly related to my affection for cats. That’s just basic science, you’ve sure unraveled the mystery of the universe just now.

But all sarcasm and saltiness aside, what is it really about cat ownership and women’s love lives that have been considered so intrinsically connected? Well, for one thing, it could lean heavily our society’s attitude towards cats as a species. Up until recent years, the popular opinion on cats is that they’re stuck-up, cold, and selfish (which, by the way, as I’m sure you know, they totally aren’t) as opposed to dogs who have been considered more loyal and friendly. American culture has somehow embraced this idea that like cats, women who are single can’t find a mate because they’re too snobby, and for this reason, prefer the company of their equally snobby compatriots. How often are single women chided for being “too picky”, “too selfish”, and “too career-minded”? Single women are always too something for a dude, and that must be why they have a cat instead of a husband, right?

Women And Cats

But who really cares if a woman is single or not? And who cares how many cats she has? Why is this all such a thing? Well, this distrust in cats and single women dates back to the Medieval Ages. Both were considered “too independent”, and as such, posed a threat to the Church. According to a 2013 article from Medievalists, “Metzler believes that the independent nature of cats was the source of this anxiety from humans. Medieval people generally believed that animals were created by God to serve and be ruled by humans, but the cat, even when domesticated, cannot be trained to be loyal and obedient like a dog.” See the correlation here?

It’s no wonder then why the archetype of the evil witch we see every year around Halloween is single and has a cat. Single women and cats are just way too independent to be trusted, and give grown adults anxiety, apparently. Yikes.

The Times They Are A Changin’

It’s pretty undeniable that at its conception, the whole crazy cat lady fiasco started out as a way to shame women for their disinterest in marriage, and that this form of shaming was used as a tool to control them as an extension of that. Because single women and cats are just so dang spoopy. But oh, how it’s transmuted over the years. Women are wearing their Crazy Cat Lady status like a badge of honor. Yes, ladies, you heard right, the tides are turning in our favor.

The stigma behind being an unwed woman is slowly dissolving in many cultures. Not fast enough, perhaps, but dissolving nonetheless – and we can thank that same Crazy Cat Lady “insult” that’s been hurled at us since marriage was a thing for that. Why? For one, the crazy cat lady movement has caught on. And yes, I do say “movement”, because um, hello, the visibility of third wave feminism coinciding with the popularity of cat videos on YouTube – coincidence? I think not. (Just kidding. Maybe. Only slightly.)

So to all my fellow married and unmarried cat-loving ladies alike out there, enjoy being a Crazy Cat Lady. The perks? Snuggles, bean toes, intermittent affection that exists solely on our furbaby’s terms, and sometimes even a nice dead cockroach in your shoe. What else can a girl ask for? Remember to thank the next person who calls you a Crazy Cat Lady, because in the words of feminist icon Eleanor Abernathy, “a woman can do anything!”