Lifestyles of the poor and nameless

What is it about women and cats? Why do so many women (notably single) have cats?
Aside from a few goldfish in my youth...and my two younger brothers (ha!)...I never had any pets. For the past few years, I've been thinking of getting a small turtle (something that could fit in the palm of my hand). Why a turtle? Well, it's small, doesn't require much maintenance, and (slightly) more interactive than fish. I think I'm going to get the turtle.

But for some reason I can't explain, as I get closer and closer to having my own place, I have this overwhelming desire to get a cat. When I was little I hated cats. They were jealous creatures, sneaky and notorious for scratching the heck out of furniture and people who got in their way. Old, single women always seemed to have an abundance of cats crawling all over the place....I never wanted to share that fate. I always figured that if I had enough space for a pet, I would get a dog.

Yet, I've got this cat thing going on. Is it because of the phases of the moon? Estrogen levels on the upswing? I have no clue. I just know that I really want a cat all of a sudden. Maybe this is how the old single women with more cats than human friends got their start. Someone I know recently told me of a woman that was removed from her apartment because she had 87 cats. Some of the cats had hollowed out her mattress and were living inside it. Please do not let me end up like that.

I hope this is a phase that ends with the craving for a cat. Some of my older friends are in the advanced stages of whatever this is. They complain of barren wombs and wanting to have children. Eeeek.