Who’s afraid of American cat ladies?

This week on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ programme, Don Trump‘s chosen dunce, J D Vance, refused to regret his 2021 comment, ‘We’re effectively run in this country, via the Democrats, via our corporate oligarchs, by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices they’ve made.’ Targeting people like Kamala Harris – who is mum to her husband’s two children from his ex-wife, but is not known to cohabit with a cat, yet – Vance advanced his theory that these folks are somehow peddling ‘anti-family’ values in America. Much has been talked about the sizeable, voluble number of American ladies who don’t have children, but less about ladies with cats. What do people like Vance find discomforting about these tenders of tabbies?

The archetypal ‘cat lady’ is the stuff of urban legends, whispered about in hushed tones at knitting circles and organic kale smoothie meetups. Instead of chasing after men or career advancements or doting over oversized kids, the CL spends her evenings arranging catnip-infused potpourri and practising her fellow feline impressions. Her wardrobe consists exclusively of oversized sweaters adorned with billi baal – a fashion statement that screams, ‘I’m not single; I’m just waiting for Mr Whiskers to propose.’ Understandably, Vance is afraid, very afraid of them.