Fur and loathing: do America’s ‘childless cat ladies’ hold the key to the US election?

When JD Vance dismissed Kamala Harris as a childless cat lady', it sparked controversy, brought Taylor Swift into the presidential debate and focused attention on right-wing political pressure placed on women to have children

When writer and artist Alice Maddicott's beloved rescue cat died, she was understandably bereft. Dylan was a proper character, she says, the kind of gregarious cat that follows you to the pub or for a walk. But mourning him made Alice, who was then in her late 30s and single, feel faintly self-conscious. What if people thought she was a mad cat lady, weeping spinsterish tears for her pet?

If I'd had a dog, there would be no stereotype. But as a single woman approaching 40, it could be seen very differently," says Maddicott. Curious about the origins of such a kneejerk prejudice, she started digging into its history. The research became a book, Cat Women, reclaiming an insult long used to belittle older women (especially non-compliant ones) or frighten younger women into settling down, lest they end up like the crazy cat lady from The Simpsons: once a high achiever, now a burnt-out drunk.