February 17, 2014 - Written by: Cas Sutherland

Valentine’s Day is Not an Excuse to Behave Like a Cat in Heat

This Valentines Day, I had planned an evening at home with the people that I love, but my evening soon went tits-up when we realised we couldn’t find the cat. We searched the house top to bottom, she wasn’t there. She had literally disappeared. We began searching the local streets for our little stray. Although we tried to keep calm and think logically, one or two of us became distraught and a little bit hysterical…

There were two reasons we were so worried. First, because she has never been outside. Second, and the reason she’s never been out, is that – until recently, she has never before been in heat. The thing with cats, is that you can’t trust them not to get preggers. AND they won’t tell you about it when they do get knocked-up.

So, recently, our little kitten became a fully-fledged cat. If you haven’t known a young cat in heat, it’s a bit like a cross between a teething baby and a horny teenager; apparently the experience is quite stressful. For several days last week, she would not stop yowling (very loudly) and was determined to present her backside to any animate being available. As Scout has never met any tomcats, my housemate had the unfortunate experience of dealing with this smitten kitten flashing her bum to the world.

After hours of searching, a lot of fretting and creating a den for her outside the front door just in case she came back while we were sleeping, we heard her mew. She was in the house somewhere, but out of sight. We eventually realized she had managed to get under the floorboards and beneath the house, found a corner and decided to shelter there from the raging storm outside. That’s fair I suppose – it’s a big scary world out there, made all the worse by the wind, rain and other unpredictabilities, particularly for a first-timer (or a recent singleton, like me).

But I realize that she had reacted to her very first experience of being young, single and not getting laid by huddling in a cold dark dusty corner and hiding away from the world. Okay, so she’s a cat and (probably) doesn’t have to deal with the vast array of wildly uncontrollable emotions that young women (and men) do, but – for a human at least – that’s not on.

(Our cat)

Wanting to hide away from the world for fear of rejection is perfectly understandable. We all have those days, we all know that shitty feeling, we all have an imagination wild enough to make use believe that nobody attractive of the opposite sex has given us a second glance in weeks, but that’s no reason to shy away from life. Although there are lonely moments, being young and single is a fantastic opportunity. There’s no-one to consult, no permission to be asked – you can do exactly as you please, as and when you want to. And who cares whether or not you’re getting it on while you get on with your life?

There’s a lot to be said for throwing caution to the wind when it comes to these things, albeit avoiding unwanted pregnancies and other such awkward situations. You don’t have to act like a cat in heat for the first time to get somewhere in personal relationships, nor is it necessary to hermit-crab away from the world when your methods don’t work (bum-flashing at tomcats in this case).

Tags: cats dating fear single Valentine's Day