You will grow old without a man but with 20 cats (probably in a small apartment that smells like a mix of cat food and litter box), a real cat lady. This is usually the stereotype image that is sketched when people talk about a crazy cat lady. Not very positive the stereotype crazy catlady. That you are not going to have a future, that you would be socially awkward and that you will end up lonely with only cats. (But hey, just ending up with cats really doesn’t sound bad at all).

The history of the negative crazy catlady image

In the Middle Ages, cats were mainly associated with witches (flying on broomsticks and brewing drinks). This was seen as dark and bad and was rejected. The cat itself was also not considered as reliable. A cat was a symbol of dissolute behavior and female sexuality (which was very negative by medieval standards). In the Middle Ages, therefore, the catlady did not have the dusty image it has now, just the opposite.

Society, especially in the Middle Ages, looked very differently at women. A single woman who lived with a cat was seen as not normal, deviating from the norm. And was soon labeled dark and a witch. It was easier to shame these women who followed their own path than to accept them.

Be proud of your inner crazy catlady

If you as a woman say that you love cats, you will soon be approached as if you are crazy. But actually you can be quite proud that you are a catmom.