I had a “friend” who swore that getting a cat was the kiss of death for single women.
Once you got a cat, it was all over. Men “knew” about you.
What did they know?
Well, my friend wouldn’t tell me THAT.
I thought he was wrong. And I was determined to prove it.
Let me backtrack. I wanted my own cat. I’d just got an apartment, a tiny 2-bed perfect for the up-and-coming single young professional, and I was lonely. I wasn’t in the mood for a roommate, so why not a pet?
I wasn’t home enough for a dog, so a cat it would have to be. I loved cats. I’d had cats since I was a kid.
But I didn’t want to have to hide my cat ownership from a potential date. If he came back to my place, Miss Pussycat would be sitting on the sofa, staring at him in the face. Would he have the courage to stick it out?
Or would her glare send him straight out the door?
Find a Man Who Love Cats as Much as You Do
Cats are coming back.
Freelance photographer David Williams has been photographing men with cats since 2009. Despite growing up with cats himself, he was surprised to discover just how many men are undercover cat lovers.
He explains: “Our culture has a weird and terrible habit of assigning gender to pretty much everything—colors, cars, toys—and it’s no different for animals. Cats are for girls and dogs are for boys.”[1]
He set out to remedy that. His photo collection Men with Cats: Intimate Portraits of Feline Friendships is the perfect coffee-table book for the cat-loving single girlfriend in your life…
Offering evidence that men who love cats DO exist—and are just as cute and adorable as their pets.
Mark Moll agrees. He’s the creator of the “It’s okay to be a cat guy” campaign to raise awareness about shelter cats for adoption.
A 6’4” man’s man who likes sports, gambling and beer, he didn’t like being judged for owning cats. “A guy like me shouldn’t really have a cat,” he says. “Or, at least, that’s what society says. They say that a guy who has a cat is somehow soft or weak. And that’s bullsh*t.”[2]
He’s hoping to reclaim feline masculinity by interviewing tough guys who adore their pussycats. Check out the fun on the Cat Guy YouTube channel.
What Science Says about Dating with Cats
Sure, some guys love cats.
But what about those who don’t?
Unless he’s allergic, it may not be as much of a problem as you think.
It turns out that owning a pet—ANY pet—is a positive when it comes to dating.
We know this thanks to a 2015 study that looked at “The Roles of Pet Dogs and Cats in Human Courtship and Dating.”[3]
The study found that about 1 in 4 men and 1 in 3 women were more attracted to a potential date if that person owned a pet.
The only caveat?
These were fellow pet owners.
Obviously someone with their own pet would be more likely to appreciate a date who also likes animals.
But women are pickier about this than men. About half of women judge a date based on whether he likes her pet, compared to only a quarter of men.
And three-quarters of women judge a date based on how much her pet likes him, compared to less than two-thirds of men.
So what he thinks of you as a cat lover may matter less than how well your cat gets along with him, and vice versa. Especially if you decide to move in together.
Get Your Purr On
The fact is:
A man who loves you will love ALL of you.
Your quirks. Your idiosyncrasies. The funny things you say.
Your pets are part of you. You come as a package deal.
And even the least cat-loving man can find himself worn down by a gentle paw or a rumbling purr.
For more proof that cats are no impediment to true love, check out Hot Dudes with Cats.
[1] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-11/the-rise-of-cat-men-antidote-to-toxic-masculinity/8082618
[2] https://ideamensch.com/mark-moll/
[3] https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/08927936.2015.1064216?TB_iframe=true&width=921.6&height=921.6
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