BlogBlack cat with cat dad toy

Cat dads, we know you’re out there. To your neighbors and coworkers, you’re just a regular guy with cats. But we know you’re a Cat Dad. Maybe even a Cat Daddy. Sure, everyone loves a Cat Mom, but isn’t it time for the Cat Dad to have his day? This Father’s Day is the purrrfect day to honor our hardworking cat fathers taking care of business for the kitties.

Rise of the Cat Dad

Cat dad on gold couch

If you have a sense that there are more cat dads out there, you are correct. The statistics back up your feline intuition. You’re hearing it first: Rise of the Cat Dad!

Cat Dad Statistics: Numbers Tell the Tale

  • In the U.S., more men have cats than women! In a landmark 2016 GFK study, recent cond looking at the U.S. pet owning population, 40% of men own cats vs. 38%  of women.
  • In the UK, a steady rise in overall cat ownership is being driven by more men owning cats. So says a recent study by the Pet Food Manufacturer’s Association (PFMA) which shows that 1 in 5 UK men now own cats!
  • Globally, more women still own cats than men. But not by much. The same GFK study on pet ownership across 22 countries shows a gap of just 3% between the sexes in the type of pet they choose. 25% of women pet owners have cats, while a close 23% of pet owning men own cats.
  • Millennial cat dads between 18-34 yo are outpacing cat ladies, with one study showing 48 percent had cats, vs. 35 percent of woman.
  • Men spend more $$! Men are 1.5 times more likely to spend over $100 per month on their pet, they also spend $20 dollars more per month than women. More treatsies!

Where Are All the Cat Guys?

Dog guys are little easier to spot. They are out at the dog park or maybe at the dog-friendly pub.  But new research from Nielsen, as reported in the Seattle Times, points to some hot spots for single guys with cats:

  1. Portland
  2. Seattle
  3. Riverside, California

And what cities have a scarcity of single cat loving men?

  1. Miami
  2. Washington D.C.
  3. Boston

Good news for cat lovers everywhere is that there are now cat cafes all across the country, where you may just find your own cat or cat guy.

Favorite Cat Loving Men

Mark Twain

 

Mark Twain and kitten

When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade without further introduction. -Mark Twain

Pablo Picasso

Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

 

Picasso and cat

Picasso is well remembered as a cat guy! There are many pictures of him posing with cats throughout his lifetime. Cats are also portrayed in many of his drawings and paintings.

.

Johnny Cash

Flesh and blood needs flesh and blood, and you’re the one I need. Johnny Cash and Cat

Goodbye, Great Cat Dad Karl Lagerfeld

In 2019, we lost one of the great cat daddies of them all: fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. Over the years, the  world well beyond haute-couture has come to know Lagerfeld’s beloved cat, Choupette.

Choupette is in fact a genuine celebrity herself, with fashion shoots, magazine cover, her own book, and -apparently- inheritance.

Choupette inspired Daddy Karl to launch several collections, including Monster Choupette and Choupette Love Collection. Any Choupette item would be sure to delight any cat lover and we can surely thank this most favored kitty cat for much of the cat style we see on streets around the world.

Choupette: A Very Lucky Kitty

Karl Lagerfield and Choupette

Photo: Choupettesdiary

Sadly, Daddy Karl passed away in February of 2019 at the age of eighty-five. But great loves don’t end. A great cat dad to the end and beyond, Lagerfeld left Mademoiselle Choupette very comfortably well-off, with a fortune estimated to upwards of $195 million. Choupette has mostly retreated from her public life and we presume she’s living the life her cat dad dreamed for her.

Choupette

Photo: Choupettesdiary

Following Lagerfeld’s passing, cat life has been complicated for Choupette. Outwardly, at least. Drama over the estate and even Choupette’s Instagram presence has swirled. But the great cat dad rests well knowing Choupette is well cared for in his absence:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Dear daddy It’s been a year since you’ve not been here, time flies so quickly… I learned to live with the weight of your absence, not a day goes by without me thinking of you, of us, of all those happy memories spent near to you. Thank you for the love you have given me for these joys that you have brought me, thank you for being you, a unique and exceptional man. You know, everyone loved you and we still love you today, because this Love is infinite… Our Françoise takes care of me as you wished, we are fine, I know that from where you are, you watch over us… One day we will meet again and we can hug again. Until this day, I do everything to make the people I love happy… Know that I loved you, I love you and I will love you forever etched for eternity With love, your Choupinette?❤️ #Choupette #choupettelagerfeld #karllagerfeld #karlforever?

A post shared by Choupette Lagerfeld (@choupetteofficiel) on

Step aside Cat Moms, Here Come the Cat Dads

Do you know the old joke where the lady says to the cat, “Go to Daddy.” The husband replies, “I’m not that cat’s daddy!” We’re still laughing! Yesterday’s cat guy is today’s cat dad. While celebrity cat moms like Taylor Swift are well known for their love of cats, today’s celebrity men now share their cat love freely. Ed Sheeran is a leading young cat dad who has even been credited as inspiring the whole generation of millennial cat fathers.  He won our hearts with this visit to a cat cafe:

While John Mayer’s cat status is not known, he certainly has cat dad potential and great cat style.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

When we couldn’t love JM more, he wears this. #catpeople #catwear #johnmayer #cats

A post shared by ThatCatLife (@thatcatlife_stl) on


It’s not just a thing, it’s a movement! Men have not just embraced the role, but the moniker. And the gift of social media gives us a window into the depths of their devotion. Some have even monetized their cat love, like MoShow The Cat Rapper. Find more cat dads using the obvious hashtags or just check out our personal obsession: Cat Dads Worldwide. Cat Dad

Cat Dad

Cat Dads

Cat Dad

Cat Dad

Would You Date a Cat Dad?

Well, duh:  for sure! And here at That Cat Life we personally know couples who came together and stayed together through   cats.   We know  one couple who had their first date   attending a  cat show. The owners   of     Cattfeinated   Cat  Cafe first   met   while  volunteering for  a cat  rescue. They are now partners  in life, cat  rescue, and Cattfeinated!  We believe!

Cat Dad Nick

Who wouldn’t want to date this hunky cat dad?

So  cat guys should take heart and   ignore the latest research out of Colorado State University   that suggests  women find men with cats “less dateable.”     

Before you consider  becoming dog guy,   know  the study  presented college women with   profile   pictures   of men with and without cats.  The study says, “Men holding cats were viewed as less masculine; more neurotic, agreeable, and open; and less dateable.”

Meh.   We’ll take the guy with the cat   every single time!

Cat Guy

Dateable cat guy from the Instagram account, @tinder.cats, which shares tinder profile pics of people with their cats.


Cat dad

Swipe right for the cat dad! Credit: @tinder.cats

Happy Dad Day to All the Cat Dads!

Extra Treatsies for All!

12 Comments

  1. My husband is definitely a cat man! He calls himself our cats’ “daddy” as well. I love how he interacts with our cats. It’s fun to see all of the celebrity cat dads out there too. 🙂

  2. I love the recent trend in young guys having their yearbook photos taken with their cats. I think I saw something recently about a high schooler who took his cat to the prom!

  3. Had to update my response! My neighbor is a cat dad! He built a screened in cat condo that talks up his entire balcony of a downtown Seattle condo! He did this after I showed him your post in June!

  4. My nephew is a cat dad and loves it. But he’s the only one in our family, the rest of us are dog people. I think cat dads just don’t make it very obvious like cat (and dog) mom’s do. Loved the video on Choupette and all the great photos – where did you find them, especially Mark Twain with a cat?

  5. It is so much fun to see cats getting to do some of the activities that used to be reserved for dogs, like going for walks and other adventures with their humans. All of my kids really loved our cat. I can picture my sons becoming cat dads.

  6. Aww I love this. I must admit my boyfriend was a dog man turned into a cat Dad. Yep, that sealed the deal and I made him a keeper! We’ve been married 8 years this year. 😉

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