The Old Spinster Cat Lady

Recently, I started volunteering as an Adoption Counselor. Basically, for two hours once a week I get to love on some adorable kittens and subtly push adoptions. After about a week there, I started fostering a kitten. I had been thinking about getting one for a few months and figured that fostering was a smart way for me to figure out if I wanted the responsibility, liked having one, etc.

Okay, I know what you’re all thinking. OF COURSE she’s going to keep it. My friends said as much from the get-go. To be clear, I was dead set on giving this kitten back. I told everybody within shouting distance that I was NOT keeping him!

And yes, of course, over time he grew on me. I got used to him being around – in fact he’s laying half on me as I write this. It is so nice to come back to my apartment and have him be there and be excited to see me – even if the first thing he wants is food (can I blame him?) Anyways, I decided on Wednesday that I am going to fill out an application to adopt him.

Now amidst the excitement and nerves, one thought popped into my head: Am I already on my way to becoming the old spinster cat lady?

Think about it. I’m single. I am showing no signs of not being single in the immediate future. I own a rocking chair (no shame here, but a valid point). I read romance novels (again no shame, but still). And now I have a cat…who sits in my lap while reading, rocking or writing blog posts about being single. It’s comical really.

Logically I know that one cat does not equate to “old crotchety spinster woman who surrounds herself with hoards of cats to make up for a lack of male companionship.” I know I am being silly, and if I were to be perfectly honest, I do find humor in my situation and kind of enjoy it - anything that makes me feel like I’m in a RomCom can’t be too bad (girl seeking professional career, longing for that perfect romantic relationship, adopts young kitten who becomes her companion [this is where the humor in the film seeps in] and then meets unattached male [male protagonist obviously], falling desperately for him and they end up happily ever after).

Now, if I were adopting a dog instead, this wouldn’t be a concern. I would be cool because I could go to dog parks and meet men that way. Take my dog running with me and meet men that way. You get the idea. I have definitely fallen in with the stereotype/stigma attached to single women owning cats. It’s certainly not fair for me, and definitely not for others out there in a similar situation or any situation with a cat(s).

What are your thoughts on the cat lady stereotype? Is it true? Unfair?