The most genius shirt ever made. |
Cat apparel is seeing a striking rise in popularity in
recent days. There are shirts, leggings, sweaters, hats, socks, shoes, belts,
etc. all adorned with our furry feline friends. Castronauts (Cat astronauts,)
Taco Cats, cats on fire, cats with hipster glasses, cats ascending to heaven in
flowery cloud beds… Cats are everywhere! Perhaps this trend began with the
popularity of Tard, the notoriously Grumpy Cat or the long anticipated release
of the feature film, ‘Lil’ Bub and Friendz’ based on the adventures of a cat
plagued by a facial deformity and his ragtag group of palz. All this prompted
me to ask myself, “Well, shit, is being a cat lady actually…. COOL?”
Tard being Tard. Haha, "nuts." |
The answer is no, BUT with cat apparel appearing in the Targets, K-marts, and Walmarts of the world, it opens up the opportunity to sport the kitty apparel to the masses, thus our problem. There is a rise in number of “Cat Lady Imposters.” The problem with CLIs is that they don’t actually own a cat or give any thought or devotion to the feline cause. They don’t know the panic of repeatedly calling for your cat’s name and when they don’t come, not even when you shake their treat bag, you’re sure they’ve run away or are hurt, so you furiously search the house only to find them hiding in the bathroom cabinet, just waiting, like a sick game of hide-and-go-seek you didn’t know you were playing. They don’t know the torture of finally sitting down after a long day with your Big Salad and glass of wine and, your cat, after ignoring you all day, decides THIS is the exact moment they simply must be in your lap and be thoroughly stroked. CLIs don’t know the disappointment of buying the perfect, state-of-the-art cat toy (stick with a dangling feather attached) only to wake and find the toy untouched but every piece of used dental floss has been removed from your trashcan and
"Don't act like you're not impressed." |
So, if you’re wondering if you might be a CLI, I’ve created
this list of questions, a Cosmo style quiz, if you will, to help you decide if
you’re worthy to don the Castronaut shirt.
ARE YOU A REAL CAT LADY or JUST A CAT LADY IMPOSTER?
Question 1: Are you a woman?
If you answered “Yes” to this
question, then congratulations! You’re halfway to being a REAL CAT LADY. Proceed
to question 2.
If you answered “No” to this
question, then it gets more complicated. It gets complicated because you don’t have to be a woman to be deemed worthy
to wear cat apparel. So men, you must answer these sub-questions to move on to
question 2 and potentially find out if you too, are qualified to wear cat
apparel.
A.
Do you go to the gym a lot?
B.
Do you own a Dog? (Yikes.)
If you answered “Yes” to either of these questions, unfortunately you are,
by the law of averages, probably not worthy of the Taco Cat t-shirt. I’m sorry.
You’ll never be hilarious at parties.
If
you answered “No”, to both of those questions, then Congratulations! You’re
halfway to being a REAL CAT LADY. Proceed to question 2.
Question 2: How many cats do you own?
If your answer was anything from
1-4, the CONGRATULATIONS! Head to Target immediately and get that t-shirt
featuring a Cat DJ workin’ the turntables. You’ve earned it, baby! Hell, treat
yourself to the kitten ballet flats too!
If your answer was 0 cats, then you
are a CLI, the worst kind of people and everything that is wrong with America. I
have two suggestions: One, go to a shelter immediately and change your life.
Cats are awesome, low maintenance, and will teach you everything you need to
know about life. No cat for you? Fine. Two, wade in that void for the rest of your
fucking life for all I care.
If your answer was 5 or more….. (I’m
about to get real here) then we have a problem. Unless you live on some kind of
magical farm, you fall into a category of crazy (and are probably really, very
lonely) that is really hard to come back from. Toxoplasma Gondii, the parasite
found in cat feces that causes Crazy Cat Lady Syndrome, has likely taken over
your brain already. 5 cats, is too much. I personally understand the deep,
aching urge to save each orphaned feline you come in contact with but, you must
think of the effect this has on your human relationships. Have you had a sexual
partner in the last year? Probably not. Go, immediately clean out your litter
box and decide your least favorite cat and find it a home.
Somewhere he/she can
be special. Yeah? Ok. You can definitely still wear the cat apparel, but it’s a
little less cute and a lot more sad.
She and I could be friends. |
Gaaaaaaawwwwwww!!! |
Alright everyone, I’m not saying that just because you don’t
own a cat, you don’t like cats. You could be 7 and living under the tyranny of
your dog-loving parents. But until that time you’ve realized that the holidays
are coming and that means you have to get your new cat a stocking for
Christmas, you’ll never feel quite right in cat leggings. You see?
PS. Owning a cat and a dog is OK. That makes you some kind
of saint. Like bringing the Sharks and the Jets together. Good work.
This exists. CCL super hero movie? I think so. |