Cat Man, Too
I had a cat once, but every time I tried to give him a bath, the fur stuck to my tongue. ~The site mascot
Everybody knows a Cat Man. They may not be as common as their sister the Crazy Cat Lady, but they exist. Some men like the rugged companionship of a Labrador or a German shepherd. These guys, on the other hand, may like dogs, but they just love cats (you can insert your own pussy joke here but I refuse to stoop so low.)
I’m here to dispel some stereotypes about the Cat Man. The Cat Man is *not* always effeminate. He doesn’t always wear sweater vests, speak with a lisp or know the whole libretto of Mamma Mia! Such famous “manly men” such as Marlon Brando, James Dean, Nicholas Cage, Morgan Freeman, and Ernest Hemingway are among the brotherhood of Cat Guys. Hell, even Robert De Niro’s CIA tough guy in Meet the Parents expounds on the virtues of cats. He also sings a love song to a Himalayan. Cats, as it turns out, are just as acceptable for guys to love. If you don’t believe me, check out Men and Cats.
I’ve known plenty of Cat Guys, from a trial lawyer to a librarian to a tattooed Hell’s Angel. I’m sure if these guys met at a party, they might have very little to talk about, but if the subject were cats, they’d be chatting like old friends before the night was over.
This New York Times piece has it right. What’s not to like about a guy who has a cat? Cats are much more suited to an urban, fast-paced life than dogs. It’s easier to have more than one (in fact, it’s usually better). Cat Guys should have nothing to feel ashamed of. They shouldn’t feel guilty about their masculinity, whether they are gay or straight. It’s the 21st century. Men who have cats aren’t just Bond villains or sociopaths anymore. (I mean, do we stereotype single women who have dogs? Generally, no.)
Personally I’m glad the Cat Guy can start coming out of the (litter box) closet. If pop culture phenoms like Simon’s Cat and Mean Kitty are any indication, the Cat Guy is getting close to becoming mainstream. If he can help make Garfield funny again, rein in the explosion of incomprehensible LOLcats or, even better, help find a home for orphaned kitties, then that’s a start. (I have this idea for a hot Cat Man calendar similar to the ubiquitous fireman calendars to raise money for spay-neuter programs for cats. Of course, someone beat me to the punch. Mr. April sorta looks like Bradley Cooper.)
What do you think of Cat Guys? Are you a Cat Guy? Curious minds wanna know!
As always, if you enjoyed this bit of catnip, be sure to click “Like” so the site mascot doesn’t start licking his own fur…
Prawn And Quartered 
1) The guy wearing a sweater in the last photo is holding a cat that looks just like my cat. It’s AWESOME.
2) This post came to my email after I had just finished an attempt at um. Vacuuming my cat. For real. With one of those small hand vacuums. Note I said *attempt at* and not *successful attempt at*. *headdesk*
1) That is one awesome-looking cat, and 2) vacuuming one’s cat doesn’t seem weird at all to me. It actually seems practical.
https://www.facebook.com/braktastic – he is what they call “one hell of a cat”. I adore him. 🙂 The vacuum experiment would have been great if it actually went as planned, however I succeeded merely in torturing him. Oh! Bonus round, now I have a new blog post idea. Thanks! See, this is why we’re friends. 🙂
I dated a cat guy and thought that he wore a really interesting musky cologne. Then when I went to his place I realized he smelled like his cats! Dumped him!
Somehow I don’t think Old Spice or Axe will do a Cat Musk line of products. Thanks for a good belly laugh, Susie!
Made me smile.
I’m glad. Cats usually do that for me too. ^_^
I’ve known lots of Cat Guys in my day. I find that they are usually even more passionate about their kitties than Cat Girls are.
Absolutely! For the most part I’ve found men tend to get more passionate than women in many ways, be it fashion, the arts, food…or, in this case, cats.
There’s nothing wrong with cat guys. Good point about cats just being more suited to an urban life. I love cats and dogs, but I have a cat because I’m gone for too much of the day to leave a dog inside. That reasoning works for a guy, too.
Cats are more self-sufficient than dogs, which might be the number one draw for me. They even give themselves a bath, eh? 😉
Guys that love cats seem very nice in general to me. For some reason, it seems to me that cats are often hated and abused. Once in my former area someone saw kittens being thrown out of a vehicle while it was going down the road! And someone else caught boys tossing around a kitten as if it were a ball. So, I would love to be friends with “cat guys” or “dog guys” because I have, in general, found that people who love animals are also often the same people who love people and will also often be likely to help people, especially those less fortunate. Respect for life crosses species. I do not believe that people who love animals do not care about people, regardless of what some people say (of course there are always exceptions).
Absolutely, Amy. I think guys who love animals show a certain depth of character, and empathy.
I love both my cats, but it’s my dog that’s my “baby.” Love that guy to death. Lol. I do know several guys that would prefer cats over dogs. They’re pretty common.
Lots of Cat Guys, eh? Wish I could meet a few here!
I actually dated one once. Lol. His little black cat named “Hostess” was his favorite animal on the planet. He still loves his little Hostess. 🙂
My friend had a cat that we called Stew.
I’ll leavve it to you to try to figure out why.
Not a cat person, me.
Yeeeeccchhhh..of course, different strokes, ya know. 😉 Not everybody is a cat person.
I love cats n dogs.. 🙂
I think you *can* like both, but most people seem to prefer one over the other. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
My guy’s a total “Cat Guy.” He makes huge sacrifices for Mr Ugly because Uggs is “his baby.” (his name really is “Ugly”) and he will do anything for this cat. Ugly gets special privileges over the other pets in the house. It’s pretty adorable.
Mr. Ugly?! Now that’s funny! The image of a guy fawning over a cat like that makes it even funnier. Is it an ugly cat or a cute cat?
He’s a cute tuxedo cat, but he was really ugly as a kitten. Huge head, crossed eyes, snaggle-tooth–the works. He was originally named “Dr Girlfriend,” but everyone kept calling him “Ugly,” so it stuck. He’s a sweet cat and has a tendency to pout. A friend of ours calls him “Ugford.”
Those pictures make my eyes itch
That last photo….it’s so weird! It’s professional-looking, touching and absurd at the same time.