Ykno, most of the time when they clean out a cat nest on Animal Cops, it's an old man's house. But maybe you could say, people report old men cat hoarders b/c it's unnatural and wrong? Or not, ionno. #catladies
Normally I would make some type of hilarious quip about it being an extremely slow news day over at 20/20, but in truth there are infinitely more important things going on in the world which makes this broadcast (which seems to score a "conservative grandmother" on my scale of judginess) so upsettingly pathetic. #catladies
@JessickerFletcher: I can't watch the clip at the mo so I dunno how badly reported it was, but cat hoarding is a major issue for local govn't and public health. The people who do it usually aren't all well put together except for their cats. Often they're living in squalor and breeding diseases, not to mention breeding hundreds of cats and not supporting them. Often the house is in seriously poor condition too, which again is a problem for public health, esp w/ this H1N1 outbreak. It's very sad when a person who can't afford to care for themselves is spending hundreds of dollars on cat food a month b/c they can't control the population and can't afford to get the cats fixed. #catladies
This was not the article to read after returning from the kitchen, where I attempted to get a bowl out of the cabinet, and a cat jumpe out instead. There are only two of them, I swear! and they know they aren't supposed to be on the counters! #catladies
@samethingwedoeverynightpinky: dude, a month ago I accidentally shut my cat in the fridge, she has a bad habit of climbing in there whenever I open it (she knows I keep her wet food in there). After 5 minutes I heard muffled meowing and finally tracked it down. #catladies
@bluebears: My new cat did that once, and now I obsessively check the fridge before I leave the house, because I'm afraid of shutting her in there all day. I can't tell whether she's actually not that bright, or just enjoys causing me anxiety. #catladies
@samethingwedoeverynightpinky: two of mine like to lay on the towels in the linen closet. there have been multiple occasions where i wake up in the morning and open the closet and there is kitteh, blinking at me after being locked in for who knows how many hours. However, they seem not to mind. #catladies
I had two cats (one passed away) and a human man actually managed to find me desirable! GASP! If I had more money and lived in a bigger house I'd have like multiple cats and a couple dogs. Unless you have so many you're basically living in squalor who cares?
Oh noes! Someone likes cute animals!!! I mean really people. #catladies
I'm pretty sure that it's only the fact that His Serene Majesty would be unamused by an interloper that's keeping me at one cat. My neighborhood is full of kitties - this weekend I saw the most adorable tortoiseshell kitten - and I would love, love, love to adopt one.
But I also enjoy my bed linens staying in pristine condition, if you know what I mean. And I think you do. #catladies
I mean, Mamma Mia. I didn't think in this post-feminist age anyone said "She can't get a man." Yes, and consequently, she can't get an STD from her unfaithful husband, if we're going to paint with broad strokes? #catladies
Plus, everyone knows that it's every woman's duty to bag herself a husband and then wait on his every demand. Sheesh, where have you been? Gah, what's next? I suppose you'll be wanting to vote and drive soon. #catladies
There was a CCL who lived across the street from me. She had 150 cats in her house. I'm not joking. They were crawling in the walls and the ceiling. I'm leaving off a bunch of other unsavory details. The point is, know your city's legal limit for having cats and if someone has more than that, report them to the proper channel. A lot of the time the animals aren't being cared for properly. #catladies
@The HZA.: I agree. There is a line. I mean, there are the people who have maybe more cats than I would have, but if they are well-cared for, it's none of my business. However, if they are a true animal hoarder and the animals are suffering, it's unfortunately time to get the proper authorities involved. #catladies
@The HZA.: Yeah, THAT's CCL/Hoarder behavior. Personally, I don't think there's a number attached to how many cats are too many. It's too many when you and they cannot live comfortably in the same space because it gets too crowded, compromising your ability to properly care for them. But if you can properly take care of 16 of them, sure, whatever, go for it. #catladies
@The HZA.: Kind of uncool /definitely gross story - an old woman on my street years and years ago was super weird. She had like 15 cats, and because her husband had died before her, no one noticed when she stopped coming around. When they found her they discovered her cats had eaten her. And her husband was buried in the backyard, but that's a different story. #catladies
@PhDelish: The point of which being that she was in no condition to take care of that many animals, and it literally came back to er...bite her in the ass. And if someone had called animal services, maybe we wouldn't have had such a nasty story. #catladies
@PhDelish: Yes I can see how some people can have the space to take care of many animals and that's fine. But that seems to be a rare exception, you know? #catladies
@Dorilys: I have the same stats as you. I told my guy the other day that there would be more if he wasn't around, tho. Too many cute skinny strays in my neighborhood... #catladies
I've always kinda wondered what the cut-off is for a "crazy cat lady." What are the precise criteria? What's the number that makes you crazy? My mom has four--does it make a difference that she lives in a huge house and is married? Would a single woman living in a huge house with 4 cats be a crazy cat lady? And, after a while, it doesn't matter how married you are or how big your house is, it's weird. #catladies
@LaComtesse: I think you have to consider the number of cats living with you, together with the size of the living space. Four cats + huge house = acceptable. Four cats + studio apartment = crazy. I don't know how to work the single vs. married thing in here, but the ratio of square footage to number of cats is, I think, a good place to start. #catladies
@LaComtesse: I think they hit the nail on the head when they said that the difference between a cat lady and a crazy cat lady is when you stop being able to take care of the cats and yourself. All of these women are suffering on one level or another because of their cat hoarding tendencies. #catladies
@LaComtesse: One of my friends and his gf live in a 1 bedroom apartment -- not large at all -- and have four cats. They are both socially awkward, and I think with the acquisition of their fourth cat came the realization that they are, together, a crazy cat couple (in a social rather than clinical way). #catladies
My eyes were burning just watching this. I used to pet sit for someone who had 3 cats and 3 dogs, and the smell of the ammonia in the house was pretty overwhelming. I can't even imagine 16, let alone over 100. #catladies
wow, they really shattered through the sad, lonely cat-lady myth with that one. i like journalism that neither challenges my preconceived notions or tells me anything new. thanks, gma! #catladies
@KATE!: I wouldn't be surprised if the documentary actually did shatter some stereotypes, and GMA just chose the most status quo-affirming clips. #catladies
@Justine: yeah i think you're right. i didn't see the film when it was screening as a part of the silverdoc festival because i was hosting a house party that night, but i had some friends (one of whom certainly is a cat-lady-in-trainings) who went before the party and said that it was great.
@KATE!: But ... but it's EASIER to just regurgitate stereotypes! I mean, these people have LIVES -- they can't spend time researching and discovering new ways to think about stuff ... #catladies
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Ykno, most of the time when they clean out a cat nest on Animal Cops, it's an old man's house. But maybe you could say, people report old men cat hoarders b/c it's unnatural and wrong? Or not, ionno. #catladies
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This guy thinks this report is bullshit #catladies
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Oh noes! Someone likes cute animals!!! I mean really people. #catladies
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But I also enjoy my bed linens staying in pristine condition, if you know what I mean. And I think you do. #catladies
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Crazy Cat Lady = stereotype perpetuated by the Man. And the Dog Loving community.
Also, what about Caboodle Ranch? which is run by a MAN? (and I love the idea of Caboodle ranch, by the way - just sayin'). #catladies
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I mean, Mamma Mia. I didn't think in this post-feminist age anyone said "She can't get a man." Yes, and consequently, she can't get an STD from her unfaithful husband, if we're going to paint with broad strokes? #catladies
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Plus, everyone knows that it's every woman's duty to bag herself a husband and then wait on his every demand. Sheesh, where have you been? Gah, what's next? I suppose you'll be wanting to vote and drive soon. #catladies
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How does she get them to stay stacked up like that? And are cat walls that great, fortification-wise? #catladies
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When the cleanup crews finished, they found something like 40 dead cat carcasses in the attic, garage, under the sofa, etc... nauseating. #catladies
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Also, I consider myself a crazy cat lady (4 kittehs + 1 husband). #catladies
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from the doc's website: "CAT LADIES is a one hour verité documentary that unravels the real story behind the oft-ridiculed 'cat lady' - a cultural stereotype and figure of ridicule for women of a certain age with too many furry companions. Through the intimate portrait of four unique 'cat ladies' we create a sensitive and emotionally honest portrait of women whose lives and self-worth have become intractably linked to cats." #catladies
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