One stereotype about single 30-something women is that we're all sitting at home consoling ourselves for our miserable, lonely, childless lives by caring for a cat or five (insert off-colour Mrs Slocombe-style joke here)... That may be true for someone, somewhere but not for anyone I know. On the contrary, if a conversation I had the other day is anything to go by, it seems that there are many single women (and men) forgoing a full-time relationship because they care for cats.
Case in point: K, an attractive IT executive with a great career, large house and a huge personality, who shares her home with the 13 stray cats she's rescued from various "death rows" around Sydney. "Partners don't tend to stick around long unless they really like cats," she says. "If they have allergies, then there's no chance."
Her friend J, a TAFE teacher who cares for seven former strays, has a similar story. "I don't mind the odd date," she says. "But I can't commit to a relationship unless that person realises that the welfare of the animals comes first. Some guys get a little strange about the fact that I won't go away on holidays with them if it means leaving my girls in a tiny cage at a shelter."
With the number of pets abandoned apparently spiking at key holiday periods such as Christmas it's obvious not everyone feels the same way - J's feline friends would be amongst the lucky ones if she did put them in a cattery.
Apparently the demographic for animal rescuers encompasses two main groups. People like J and K who integrate caring for otherwise unwanted pets into their everyday lives and die-hard animal liberationists who take in dozens of animals and spend every waking moment cleaning, feeding and attempting to rehouse their feline charges with new families.
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For people actively involved with rescuing animals, being in a relationship can be a bit of a double-edged sword. "The only people who truly understand the workload and effort required are other volunteer workers, which is like pouring petrol on a lit flame," says D. "Your life can become totally consumed by the need to raise awareness of the issues and rescue animals in need. Weekend and holiday plans are non-existent because you never know when you'll need to drop everything to take in a group of kittens in need of hand rearing." Couple-time is usually one of the first things to go out the window because at the end of the day, the animals' needs come first.
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Cynics might even argue that when push comes to shove, having a furry friend at home is better than a two-legged partner. "My cats never lets me down, unlike the guy who 'forgets' to come home for dinner because he got caught up at the pub watching his team play footy," jokes J.
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One thing is for certain, if you do want to date a cat lover, it pays to have a clothes brush on hand...
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