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"Cat Person" is a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

by Kristen Roupenian that was first published in December 2017 in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' before going viral online. The

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described the short story as "being shared widely online as

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

users discuss how much it relates to modern day dating". The story has been adapted to a film of the same name directed by Susanna Fogel.

Synopsis

The story follows the brief relationship of Margot, a twenty-year-old sophomore college student, and Robert, an older man who is a regular at the movie theater where Margot works. After an exchange at the concession stand, he asks for her number, and they carry on extensive conversations through texts. Margot finds Robert witty and funny through text, and their conversations grow frequent, including running jokes about Robert's two pet cats, but he is more awkward and inscrutable when she tries to see him in person. When Margot returns from visiting home for winter break, she and Robert go on a real date: they see a movie, go to a bar (during which Robert learns her age), and then return to Robert's home. Despite being disappointed and uncomfortable during the date, Margot consents to sex with Robert rather than navigate turning him down. After the encounter, which largely disgusts her, Margot learns that Robert is thirty-four years old and reflects that their conversations have been impersonal. After not seeing Robert's cats in his home, she wonders if their existence and other aspects of Robert's persona while texting were fabricated. Margot resolves to tell Robert she is not interested in continuing to see him, but ignores his messages while she is unsure of how to do it politely but firmly. She eventually does so abruptly through text at the urging of her roommate. A month later, she sees Robert while out at a bar with her friends; she is unsettled by the idea that he is looking for her and avoids him. That night, he texts her repeatedly, his messages at first insecure and politely questioning if she was with a new boyfriend, but becoming more needy, jealous, and belligerent as Margot does not reply, ending with calling her "Whore."

Reception

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' described "Cat Person" as unique among the content in ''

'' because it resonated with a younger audience, commenting: "for one of the first times, something in the magazine seemed to capture the experience not of print-oriented, older intellectuals, but of Millennials." The story was the year's most downloaded fiction published in ''The New Yorker'', and one of the most-read pieces overall of 2017. ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'' notes that "The depiction of uncomfortable romance in 'Cat Person' seems to resonate with countless women", and describes it as a "literary adjunct to the latest #MeToo moment". Personal reactions have been largely, but not entirely, along

gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures ...

lines (drawing comparisons to Jane Austen), and for many readers, it captures what it is like to be a woman in her twenties in 2017, including "the desperate need to be considered polite and nice at all costs". Following the story's success, Roupenian secured a seven-figure deal with

Scout Press Gallery Publishing Group is a general interest publisher and a division of Simon & Schuster which houses the imprints Gallery Books, Pocket Books, Scout Press, Gallery 13, and Saga Press. Jen Bergstrom is the Senior Vice President and Publisher. ...

for her debut book, and was the subject of a bidding war in the American market, with offers exceeding $1 million. She received a $1.2 million advance for her 2019 book ''

You Know You Want This ''You Know You Want This: "Cat Person" and Other Stories'' is a collection of short stories by Kristen Roupenian. Following the viral success of the short story "Cat Person "Cat Person" is a short story by Kristen Roupenian that was first ...

'', an anthology series which includes "Cat Person".

Real-life inspiration

In July 2021, Alexis Nowicki published an essay in '' Slate'' magazine alleging that Roupenian had appropriated details from Nowicki's life and that of her lover, and used them for "Cat Person", with Margot representing Nowicki and Robert representing Nowicki's former partner, only identified in the essay by the pseudonym "Charles". Social media users reacted strongly to Nowicki's allegations. In the words of Elisabeth de Mariaffi, in ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian persp ...

'', "Twitter went wild, with readers struggling to understand how a writer could justify using such real-life details, and writers rallying to defend themselves." ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' writer Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett described the potential for readers to feel that "using someone else's story in this way was unethical." In a 2021 email reply to Nowicki, Roupenian said she had an "encounter" with Charles and that she later found out about Nowicki through social media. Roupenian acknowledged that information she learned from Nowicki's social media served as a "jumping-off point" for "a story that was primarily a work of the imagination, but which also drew on my own personal experiences, both past and present." She apologized for not changing particulars such as Nowicki's hometown, stating "I can absolutely see why the inclusion of those details in the story would cause you significant pain and confusion." Nowicki's essay points out salient differences between "Cat Person" and her relationship. Elisabeth de Mariaffi notes that "the entire weight of Cat Person, what made it resonate, was exactly the part that Nowicki says bears no resemblance to the truth."

References

External links

"Cat Person"
at ''

''
What It Felt Like When "Cat Person" Went Viral

by Alexis Nowicki {{Authority control 2017 short stories Works originally published in The New Yorker 2017 in women's history American short stories