why cats make me uncomfortable

the guiltiest of verbal diarrhea, i often start phrases that dont catch with anyone but me.

"hang in there, kitty."

it was supposed to be like that sad 70s poster; its supposed to be affectionately encouraging. but the poster doesnt say "hang in there, kitty."



i guess that explains the perplexed looks. but i just dont feel comfortable saying "hang in there, baby." its way too personal.
i am, however, not against pet names. although i recently scoffed a friend who called me "kitten pants."


its interesting how quickly pet names come in and out of fashion. or in a few cases how it becomes completely unacceptable.
"my pet": strange now.
"puss": totally unacceptable.


the word "pussy" never fails to make me uncomfortable or to make me snigger. or both at once.
and the strange thing is, it has a few dozen meanings. and only a third of them are dirty. straight from the OED:

Chiefly colloq. A girl or woman exhibiting characteristics associated with a cat, esp. sweetness or amiability. Freq. used as a pet name or as a term of endearment. Cf. PUSS n.1 3, PUSSYCAT n. 3.

BUT THEN
coarse slang: a. The female genitals; the vulva or vagina.; b. Sexual intercourse with a woman.; c. A woman, or women collectively, regarded as a source of sexual intercourse.

and also
slang (chiefly N. Amer.). A sweet or effeminate male; (in later use chiefly) a weakling, a coward, a sissy. Also: a male homosexual.; adj.2 colloq. and slang. Exhibiting characteristics associated with a cat; cat-like. Also (in later use chiefly): weak, cowardly (cf. sense A. 1b).

as well as
nursery and colloq. Something soft and furry; esp. a willow catkin. ; Criminals' slang. A fur garment.

pussy posse n. U.S. slang (a) a group of police officers responsible for dealing with prostitution; a vice squad; (b) a group of men each actively seeking a woman for a (casual) sexual encounter.
pussy mob n. Criminals' slang (now rare) a gang of fur thieves
pussy-hoisting n. Criminals' slang (now rare) the action of stealing fur garments

pussy hair n. slang (a) hair likened to that of a cat (rare); (b) a woman's pubic hair (coarse slang).

pussyfoot: intr.To tread softly or lightly, so as to avoid being noticed; to move warily or stealthily; (also) to behave in a sly, furtive, or underhand manner. Also (occas.) trans. with it. Freq. with around. Now rare.
intr. To speak or act with excessive caution; to behave in a hesitant, non-committal, or evasive manner. Freq. with around or about.

and most recently caught by my own eyes (and making me feel akward)
pussy-cat bow n. a large floppy bow, usually worn at the neck.

its interesting to me that we cancel out so many uses of the word because a few are dirty. i can't be the only one who hasnt yet gotten over those conotations if so many of those phrases are noted as "rare."
and it becomes one of those chicken and egg social questions


does it make us uncomfortable because we stopped using it or did we stop using it because it makes us uncomfortable