Cat ladies big part of small towns
It’s hard to put an age on her, because she’s let herself go a bit and she gave up wearing makeup long ago.
She could be middle-aged, perhaps older, but it’s been a long time since she’s looked in the mirror. Not that she cares. Her wild hair is pulled back and her dress sense is practical and comfortable, rather than trendy.
She’s not really one for social engagements, and doesn’t get out a lot.
Her house is the one on the street that hasn’t seen a paintbrush in years and isn’t familiar with the drone of a lawnmower.
She doesn’t really notice, because she’s not trying to impress anyone.
She lives alone and doesn’t have a lot of visitors anyway.
Every self-respecting small town in New Zealand has a cat lady - in fact, there could almost be a National Association of them.
They’re as much a part of small town life as your farmer, publican or mail-man, but no-one knows them quite as well.
Much of their time is spent indoors, doing whatever they need to do to fill in their day.
They’re often arty types and would rather spend more time creating or reading than doing housework.
Ever noticed how most of the women on those hoarding shows have cats? (And mice and rats because the job just got too big for the feckless felines?)
Far from lonely, our cat ladies have their cats to talk to.
How many feline friends maketh a cat lady?
One is acceptable, two is ok, three is heading in that direction but any more than that is heading into certified cat lady territory.
Early in the morning they can be shuffling about feeding their tabbys, calling their names, making sure they all get some attention and feel loved.
A quiet conversation, a pat under the chin, and only the best cat food in the bowl.
And at dusk, they go through the routine all over again.
If you’re a neighbour, you might not feel the love for her furry friends.
Doors and windows have to be closed to prevent the moggys from coming inside and spraying everywhere.
Gardens are scratched up and shat in. Birds don’t stand a chance against the puma-like predators. Who hasn’t come home to wings all over the back yard and an autopsied sparrow on the lawn?
Last week someone in Taranaki sent an anonymous letter to neighbours stating they would be laying poison in the street to bring the feral cat population under control.
A man in Wanaka appeared in court and had to write a letter of apology and pick up the vet bill for his neighbour’s cat, which he shot with a .22 rifle.
And we all know of Gareth Morgan’s ambitious plan to eradicate cats from the country.
That’s not something perhaps New Zealand’s most famous cat lady, Anne Batley-Burton, star of Real Housewives of Auckland, would agree to.
Batley-Burton infamously hosted a cat-themed party on the show, resulting in the show’s other ‘housewives’ - a term I use lightly - getting into a cat-fight of their own. Not something smalltown cat ladies would condone.