Cats have always been a woman’s companion. Ancient Egyptian
worshipped cats and magic, all the way to Salem where cats and women were
burned at the stake for having magic. Respect and fear go hand in hand.
Now there are many Reddit threads discussing this.
I
want to know where this cat insult/threat on women stems from. : r/childfree
Cats
and Femininity — Sartorial Magazine
What's
with the hatred of cat owners? : r/Pets
The general take being that cats are independent creatures associated
with magic, the night, the moon because they are nocturnal, and women for their
quiet, slender gracefulness. Cats, now, are associated with boundaries and
consent with dating.
This seems to ring true for most of history. Single women were considered spinsters
or nuns or witches. Those were your occupation options.
Even the sociology of language
is interesting. Besides your period being the same as the moon cycle, all
insults towards women are cat-related.
“Being catty”
“Catcalled”
“Being a pussy”
“catfight”
“you will be an old cat lady”
“there is more than one way to skin a cat”
“curiosity killed the cat”
All negative connotations. Cats have boundaries and
cannot be commanded. They will do what they want, when they want. Versus male
wording hypes you up. “Be the alpha dog” “Don’t be the beta” or “good boy” There
is even the theory that the world is built for dogs (patriarchy) vs cats (the
feminine) just by access. There are dog parks everywhere and if you don’t like
dogs (at least in usa) it is seen as a moral failing and a personal affront. Its
seen in that there are many dog shelters and vets but not that many no-kill
shelters for cats. Cats are the first to be killed. Cats are still seen as
conduits of black magic and witchery. That cats and cat-language is rooted in
misogyny. Even cat body language is totally opposite from dogs. You can take
your dog everywhere but not the cat. Even “pet friendly” hotels usually just
mean dogs only. Parallel to how women need to be careful of certain areas or
going out at night vs men can go anywhere. Its very interesting how animal
imagery evokes in human language and society.
Even Goddesses like Kali are misunderstood. A night, fierce mother goddess, reduced to Western lens of "occult" or "evil" because the outward appearance is unconventional, what mother wears skulls and drinks the blood of her enemies? What woman can command the Devil in the form of a Witch? Even the lioness does the hunting, yet the credit was misattributed to the lion. Don't even get me started on how women's health is underfunded and not understood at all...
Cats and ferocity and feminine have always gone together. There is feminine power and various types of feminine power. Magic, myth, the night, the moon, and cats are all connected. Embrace your inner witch!