Author's Corner
By Sarah Dahnke
Last year author Megan McMorris compiled Woman’s Best Friend, an anthology of dog stories written by women. After the book’s success, Seal Press approached McMorris about editing a similar book, this time with a cat focus. As she set out to compile these stories, she found that many of the writers she contacted were sheepish and apologetic about their love of cats. “I have three cats, but it’s not like I’m a crazy cat lady or anything!” are among the qualifying statements she encountered. As a lifelong cat lover herself, she aimed to get to the bottom of this stigma, while allowing each story to highlight the subtleties of the cat persona–characteristics only a true cat person would understand. McMorris took some time to talk with Tails about Cat Women, her new anthology.
What inspired you to put together this collection of stories? Was it especially important for the stories to be from women?
Actually, the idea came from my publisher, Seal Press. Their tagline is “for women, by women,” so there you go.
You say that you are an unapologetic cat lover. Did you personally relate to the sentiments held by the women included in this book?
Oh sure! I think that’s one of the big reasons to do this book, because cat [guardians] can all relate to each other in some way.
Have you ever been referred to as a “crazy cat lady?”
Not that I know of. I try to keep my cat obsession on the down-low, so only my friends and family are privy to it. Also, I’ve never [had] more than two cats at a time, so I don’t think I’ve officially crossed over into “crazy cat lady” land.
Since you have now done collections of stories about dogs and cats, what differences have you seen between dog people and cat people?
[Adopting] a dog is much like having a child, in that there’s so much more that goes into caring for your dog, so there’s naturally more of a community of dog moms, and all the unsolicited advice that comes with it. Cat people are more apt to bond over random things, like pictures of their cats in ridiculous positions.
In the book, you write about the rocky relationship between your live-in boyfriend and cat Lilly. How has their relationship progressed since you wrote this story?
I’d actually say their relationship has deteriorated, unfortunately. The thing is, we got a dog four months ago, so he’s much more focused on the dog than the cat. Once in a while though, especially when she’s cold, she’ll crawl over to his lap and start kneading, and then he can’t deny that she’s pretty darn cute.
What advice would you give to a self-proclaimed dog person who ends up in a house with a cat?
I would say be patient because the beauty of cats lie in their subtleties—like kneading, putting their paw over their eyes, purring. And sit still because then they’ll sit on your lap.
Are you working on any animal-related books for the future?
Dogs and cats are enough for me, although people often ask me, “What’s next, horses or birds?”
Last year author Megan McMorris compiled Woman’s Best Friend, an anthology of dog stories written by women. After the book’s success, Seal Press approached McMorris about editing a similar book, this time with a cat focus. As she set out to compile these stories, she found that many of the writers she contacted were sheepish and apologetic about their love of cats. “I have three cats, but it’s not like I’m a crazy cat lady or anything!” are among the qualifying statements she encountered. As a lifelong cat lover herself, she aimed to get to the bottom of this stigma, while allowing each story to highlight the subtleties of the cat persona–characteristics only a true cat person would understand. McMorris took some time to talk with Tails about Cat Women, her new anthology.What inspired you to put together this collection of stories? Was it especially important for the stories to be from women?
Actually, the idea came from my publisher, Seal Press. Their tagline is “for women, by women,” so there you go.
You say that you are an unapologetic cat lover. Did you personally relate to the sentiments held by the women included in this book?
Oh sure! I think that’s one of the big reasons to do this book, because cat [guardians] can all relate to each other in some way.
Have you ever been referred to as a “crazy cat lady?”
Not that I know of. I try to keep my cat obsession on the down-low, so only my friends and family are privy to it. Also, I’ve never [had] more than two cats at a time, so I don’t think I’ve officially crossed over into “crazy cat lady” land.
Since you have now done collections of stories about dogs and cats, what differences have you seen between dog people and cat people?
[Adopting] a dog is much like having a child, in that there’s so much more that goes into caring for your dog, so there’s naturally more of a community of dog moms, and all the unsolicited advice that comes with it. Cat people are more apt to bond over random things, like pictures of their cats in ridiculous positions.
In the book, you write about the rocky relationship between your live-in boyfriend and cat Lilly. How has their relationship progressed since you wrote this story?
I’d actually say their relationship has deteriorated, unfortunately. The thing is, we got a dog four months ago, so he’s much more focused on the dog than the cat. Once in a while though, especially when she’s cold, she’ll crawl over to his lap and start kneading, and then he can’t deny that she’s pretty darn cute.
What advice would you give to a self-proclaimed dog person who ends up in a house with a cat?
I would say be patient because the beauty of cats lie in their subtleties—like kneading, putting their paw over their eyes, purring. And sit still because then they’ll sit on your lap.
Are you working on any animal-related books for the future?
Dogs and cats are enough for me, although people often ask me, “What’s next, horses or birds?”
