Cats have been Internet stars for years, with endless videos, photos, memes, and more circulating on Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms. These cute kitty images often inspire users to comment “Awww!” and shower them with likes and shares.
This week, however, cats have also been a hot topic in the national political conversation, thanks to comments made by a vice-presidential nominee and the response from fans of a vice president-turned-presidential nominee. We’re talking about the controversy that erupted after remarks made by JD Vance, the Republican senator from Ohio chosen to be Donald Trump’s running mate in the presidential race.
In a 2021 appearance on then-Fox News Channel host Tucker Carlson’s show, Vance said that the U.S. was being led “by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they’ve made.”
Vance went on to say that Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and other Democrats are “people without children. And how does it make any sense that we’ve turned our country over to people who don’t really have a direct stake in it?”
As NBC News points out, “Harris, who has two stepchildren, is now running for president after President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race. Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, has adopted twins.”
Since the Vance interview resurfaced and was shared on social media, Harris supporters have been out in force, posting “Childless Cat Lady for Kamala” messages on social media. Celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston have also objected to Vance’s comments, as have fans of Taylor Swift, who has widely shared her love of cats.
With all this going on, U.S. News and World Report has sent an email that doesn’t take a political position on childless cat ladies but does have a timely rundown of “The Most Popular U.S. Cities to Have a Cat.” According to the media company’s report, based on “cat ownership data across America,” Portland ranks among the top 10 cities for cat ownership.
According to the report, the cities with the most cats nationwide are Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Brooklyn, Seattle, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and Portland.
As the report notes, cities in the western U.S. have a large number of cat owners. The report also notes that many of the cities with the most cats are densely populated. “This could be because apartments, which are common in these cities, may be seen by some as better suited to cats than dogs due to size constraints. Some apartment dwellers may be more likely to adopt a cat — though, of course, many people prefer feline companions,” as the report says.
The report also notes that cat ownership is generally cheaper than dog ownership, which may explain why cities with a higher cost of living also have high rates of cat ownership.
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In terms of how the report reached its conclusions, the “team analyzed data from a third-party pet insurance industry partner from September 2023 to March 2024. The data points analyzed included registered cats and state residence, which were filtered by city and ranked to show the U.S. cities with the most cats.”
