[Minsk, December 6. Image via AP.]

Kittens react during an international cat exhibition in Minsk, Belarus, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Slate, which ran its initial inquiry in 2005, was prompted to revisit the subject by the passage of the new Dudley, Massachusetts law that prohibits residents from owning more than three cats - which was prompted in turn by the out of control cat population of a resident C.L. Of course, one could argue that no self-respecting cat lady (or, for that matter, mere cat fancier) is going to heed any such injunction - either through obliviousness (the stereotypical cat lady isn't exactly glued to local news) or on animal-loving principle. So one wonders how effective such a law might prove.

Of course, as Slate's Daniel Engber points out, most of those whom we consider "cat ladies" are not mere animal-lovers, but those whose compulsion to collect and shelter has led to neglect, and often squalor - circumstances of which the perpetrators seen unaware. People toss the term around, but there's a difference between a woman with cats and someone who's a clinical animal hoarder.

Animal hoarding has also been viewed as an addiction, like compulsive gambling or alcoholism, or as a form of dementia. Though hoarders are usually quite old, many recall a history of neglect or abuse by their parents. Obsessive-compulsive disorder provides another psychiatric model; about a quarter of OCD patients exhibit object-hoarding behavior. No one knows why women are more susceptible than men. One member of the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium points out that women are also more likely to become veterinarians and less likely to perform acts of animal cruelty.

As the sympathetic new documentary Cat Ladies explains the phenomenon,"It's not the number of cats that defines someone as a 'cat lady', but rather their attachment, or non-attachment, to human beings. They create a world with their cats in which they are accepted and in control - a world where they ultimately have value." Of course, even from the preview, there seem to be a number of different types represented - and not everyone's motivations seem just the same. That's why legislation seems problematic; there are people who can take in a lot of animals and give them good lives. And then there's hoarding, which is a real concern for the Humane Society and the ASPCA.

And while it's clearly a phenomenon more common to women - no one knows why - it's obvious that the tendency has been conflated with witch mythology in ways we don't even question. You don't need to watch the Cat People movies (although you should, because they're fantastic) to know that felines have evil historical associations - and have often been regarded as the familiars of the sort of lone woman who was an easy target in Salem. Take this (which mythology I've long heard, but can't verify or cite to my satisfaction, so take it as lore)

A very early record of the linking together of witches and cats concerns the ceremony of Cat Wednesday which took place in the city of Metz in Northern France. This involved hundreds of cats being burnt alive in the belief that they were witches in disguise. Papal might was brought down upon witches and cats in the 13th century when horrible acts of atrocity were carried out on humans and felines. Black cats in particular were believed to be agents of the devil, especially if owned by an elderly woman.

Clearly, our cultural aversion goes deeper than we know. Of course, when it comes to the Rat Ladies - well, that's another matter. And another documentary.

What's The Deal With "Cat Ladies"? [Slate]

Cat Ladies Documentary

Hot Docs 2009 Trailers: CAT LADIES [YouTube]
Behind Closed Doors: The Horrors of Animal Hoarding [Humane Society]
Witches And Cats [Best-Cat]

[Image via Hexadecimal Time's Flickr]

Check out the fierce feline's pose! The model? Meh. The kitten, seriously, should get signed by Ford. Almost enough to make you gloss right over the fact that the jacket is a whopping $528.

Admit it: You want a pink closet complete with seating and kittens. Okay, maybe you don't need the $25 legwarmers. But the kittens! Non-negotiable!

This moddle is all, "Hee hee, look at the feather, kitty!" And that cat has purr-fected the "bitch, plz" face.

Honey! Your $88 plaid shirt, $198 ripped jeans and $198 studded boots are scaring the widdle kitty!

Is it the headband, the open-crotch pose or the creepers that have shamed this pooch into turning her head away from the camera? All would be understandable reasons.

Not every page in the catalog has an animal on it, unfortunately, which means you're forced to contemplate whether anyone ever needs a solid brass plated rhodium necktie ($298).

Additionally, you've got to wonder if the this catalog is pushing "future Miss Havisham chic."

New motto: Less lace, more doggie face!

Seriously, though, are creepers coming back? I like 'em better on Teddy Boys and greasers, for what it's worth.

Also, when I think "desirable dress," I think "Joan Holloway," not "Julie Brown in Earth Girls Are Easy."

Hopefully this cute bitch got to eat some of that cake.

Earlier: Anthropologie: Sartorialist-ic "Real" People Impossibly Pretty, Well-Dressed
Urban Outfitters: Does This Make My Ass Look Wack?
Fall At J. Crew: Romantic Ruffles, Destroyed Jeans, Hideous Shoes

[Image via Jezebel Tips Line]

I am reader-sometimes-commenter Soy-bean. A few nights ago, I took the attached pic of my foster kitten, Xena the Warrior Princess. Xena is the only surviving kitten of her litter – her siblings all succumbed to a horrible infection (either upper respiratory or distemper) when they were around 5-6 weeks old. I did everything I could to save them, but they were asymptomatic until just a few hours before passing (sometimes called fading kitten syndrome). Xena, though – she really earned her name! She was horribly, horribly sick – I have never seen such a sick animal.

After weeks of nursing care, syringe feedings, sub-cutaneous fluid treatments, and fearing that she was going to die, Xena is finally out of the woods and super-close to being ready for adoption. She has also become addicted to my laptop – I can't open it without her running right up to it and jumping on the keyboard!

Just thought you folks might like a cute kitten pic to brighten your day!

The connection between women and cats is as old as the universe itself. The feminine and the feline are closely linked, from the Egyptian cat goddess Bast — whose celebration involved telling dirty jokes and drinking wine — to the cats witches were thought to use as "familiars." In fact, women and cats were often burned together for crimes of witchcraft. These says, cats are part of language used in the sexualization of women — words like "sex kitten," "wildcat," and the dreaded "cougar."

But most interesting is the image of the sad, old, lonely "crazy cat lady," whose archetype — the Spinster — is often painted as a tragic, mentally ill figure. Because she's not married and has a pet. Susan Boyle is definitely being portrayed this way, as though not having a husband and only being able to share love with her cat Pebbles has made her addle-brained.

The truth is: Men and families have cats and are never thought of as being crazy. Some guys get fanatical about their dogs. Why is a woman who finds love, acceptance and zero judgments from the unique relationship a human can have with a feline scorned, mocked and shamed?

On the other hand, is there such a thing as a kitten-loving woman with a problem? Check out this trailer for the documentary film Cat Ladies, in which cat collecting seems more of an addiction than anything else:

Susan Boyle Axed From Britain's Got Talent Tour After Balcony Cat Rant [Daily Mail]
Putting Out Fire (With Gasoline) [The Awl]

Here are the glaring problems with what we can see so far:

• 1. The use of the word "cougar." It's clichéd, it's lame, it's undignified. It smacks of predatory desperation. As Salon's Rebecca Traister wrote in April, "How sad and backward that we have to give it a nickname, animalize it as if it's outside the boundaries of civilized human behavior, make it a trend, pretend that Demi Moore invented it. That's not progress, and it's not a step forward for women." 'Nuff said.
• 2. Bad jokes. From the tiny bit seen in clips below, Cougar Town is not funny! Courteney's character says to a friend over the phone, "Why so pissy?" The woman answers: "I'm fat." UGH. Really? Courteney says: "No, you're not," and the woman replies, "I am. I woke up fat!" "I don't buy it," Courteney says, and then goes to the window to look at her friend who lives next door. She sees the woman in a purple nightgown and deadpans, "Wow, you look like a whore." "Thank you!" the woman enthuses. This is just the beginning. Said neighbor is super reluctant to have sex with her husband. Ha? Later, Courteney's son thinks she is hitting on him because she is talking to him while holding wine. Hilarious?
• 3.Where's the empowerment? Courteney's character makes this speech to a male neighbor: "You know what drives me nuts? Your wife moved out what, a week ago? And you're already sexing up sorority girls. But nobody cares, because when a 40-year-old guy gets divorced, all your friends are like, 'Way to go, tiger.'" She's making a point — albeit one that been made TIME AND TIME AGAIN, that there's a double standard for how older men and older women are seen. But there's no new twist, new insight, or skewering of this double standard. Maybe it's coming later? Still, one of the rules of writing for the screen is show, don't tell. Oh, and in this scene, the man replies her rant by asking, "When's the last time you got laid?" Instead of kneeing the dude in the nuts or saying, "Right, because if a woman is angry she clearly hasn't gotten enough dick," Courteney's character seems to think that yes, maybe this is the problem. Groan.
• 4. Preposterous casting. Courteney Cox is 44 and gorgeous. Beautiful face, amazing body, and in possession of millions of dollars to designate solely for upkeep. As Allure blogger Erin Flaherty points out about Brooke Shields: "Sometimes an attractive woman is just an attractive woman." When you look at Courteney, do you think, "That's what a typical American 'cougar' really looks like"? When the male neighbor says, "Maybe what really drives you nuts is that you couldn't bag a young stud if you tried," you have no choice but to roll your eyes so hard they get stuck up in your brain. She looks almost exactly like she did when she was on Friends, which is to say: Hot. The only way a "young stud" wouldn't find her sexually attractive would be if he were gay. And even then, second base seems like a possibility.
• 5. There is a way to present older, desperate, needy, messy women and have it be funny — and it's been done, on a show called Absolutely Fabulous.

But judge for yourself: Two Cougar Town clips below.

Giving It Another Go! [Perez]
Related: Sometimes An Attractive Woman Is Just An Attractive Woman [Allure]
Earlier:How Do We Survive The Cougar Attack?

The survey reports that 67% of pet owners said they can understand their animals' sounds (such as barks and meows) and 62% of owners said that their pets can understand them when they speak. One-fifth of pet owners said they and their pets understand each other's sounds completely.

Who are these people who say they can communicate with their pets? They are mostly female, living on a lower-income, older and cat-owners. Fewer than six in 10 males said they and their pets understand one another. Men!

AP Poll: Understanding Those Barks And Meows [AP]
Evan Rachel Wood Finds A New Love—A Cat! [People]

Dr. Wensley adds: "Cats and dogs, like young children, are sensitive to adult human emotions, and when these become tense or unpredictable this can cause stress-related health problems in our pets." So, depending on the situation, you should probably heed the doc's advice: "We would urge owners to make arrangements for their pets that minimize disruption to their pets' routines and allow their pets' lives to remain as stable as possible."

Of course, each scenario is different, just like each pet is different. Especially since a new mathematical model shows how and why animal personalities develop. Just like humans, some animals are routine and rigid, while others are curious, flexible and interested in change. For some reason, the idea that an animal has a personality seems new to science, which seems bizarre. But back to custody battles: My ex and I had a cat together, but when we broke up, I knew I was leaving them both. Have you ever had to have a custody agreement for a pet?

Pets Suffer From Stress Of Marriage Break-Ups [Telegraph]
Animals Have Personalities, Too [MSNBC]

[Image via Cute Overload]

When the mice are away, the cats will play... A UK company has unveiled these flatpack feline toys - including a fire engine, fighter plane and a TANK that your pet kitty can play in. The Cat Playhouse range is designed by London-based firm Suck UK. According to the company, "cats love to play in cardboard boxes and these are just about the most fun cardboard boxes you will find." The toys cost GBP £15 / $30 USD each.

— SplashNews.com

Ms. Horikoshi divorced her husband who had asked her to be stay-at-home mom; she wanted to pursue her career. "I don't want a family, I want to continue to work hard. I don't need help, I don't need a husband. I can do everything by myself," she says. "But sometimes I feel lonely, and now when I come back to my apartment, I can see two dogs." Dogs, not kids, okay?

Of course, there are downsides to the pet craze: The Japanese love everything tiny and kawaii (cute), so there are puppies born with horrible deformities due to overbreeding. Also, there are some all night pet stores in Tokyo's sleazy Roppongi district that are used for schemes: a "hostess" will ask a drunk businessdude to buy her a little dog; the next day, she will bring the dog back to the shop in exchange for cash. The shop keeps a cut.

But back to the cute: Since people are integrating pets fully into their lives, the market responds. Kimonos, yukatas, cookies, omu-rice dishes… for dogs. Pricey stuff, and pet owners are snapping it yup.

Let's be honest. A dog doesn't talk back. A cat never grows up to get hooked on heroin and resent you. A dog doesn't need college tuition or bat mitzvah money. I suspect that some people might see Toshiko Horikoshi pushing her puppies in a pram and snicker and think she's insane. Think she wishes she had babies. But she's a doctor who knows what she's doing. She doesn't want kids. She wants dogs. And that's okay. We're living in an overcrowded world where women are finally allowed to make choices. And if your choice is to baby a puppy or kitten instead of a human, who cares? There's a stigma of "crazy cat ladies" — maybe dating waaaay back to when women who were "too close" to animals were thought to be "communicating" with "familiars" in the animal world and therefore deemed witches?

Unlike spoiling a child — where the rest of the world has to deal with the bratty maladjusted results, isn't lavishing attention, affection, and yeah, cash on a dog or cat a victimless crime? So why do people feel the need to make pet-crazy women feel guilty?

(Related: I want that freaking pomeranian pictured up top. Kawaii!)

Preposterously Pampered Pooches [Tokyo Times]
In Dog We Trust [ABC News]