History Main / CrazyCatLady

* ''Series/{{Reno 911}}'' has Deputy Trudy Weigel who, amongst several other weird idiosyncrasies, is a notable cat lady, even dressing them up for Halloween and other occasions.
* ''Series/{{Castle}}'':

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}} (1991)'': In "[[Recap/RugratsS7E1AcornNutsAndDiapeyButts Acorn Nuts and Diapey Butts]]", Betty sets Chas up on dates with her many single friends, much to the dismay of Chas (since they rope him into activities they like but he doesn't), and Chuckie (who doesn't get to spend time with Chas). One of Betty's friends is shown to have many pet cats, and Chas turns down this date since he is allergic to cats.

* Dina in ''Series/{{Superstore}}'' owns dozens of pet birds who she refers to as her "babies", and is shown to be extremely emotional whenever birds are involved despite otherwise being a very blunt and unsympathetic person. However, she differs from the stereotype in that she is also sexually active and had a multi-season relationship with a handsome veterinarian.

This trope definitely seems skewed towards female characters, and can be read as an extension of the traditional negative characterisation of spinsters, especially when it's implied that the cats are a stand-in for human children that she never had before it was [[MyBiologicalClockIsTicking too late]]. Men, apart from an occasional trend toward [[HomelessPigeonPerson living on a rooftop surrounded by pigeons]], tend towards either [[HermitGuru more complete isolation]] or a [[NatureHero more diversified set of friends]]. Male or female, however, animal hoarders tend to do a poor job of caring for their pets. Sanitation is often [[TrashOfTheTitans a nightmare]]: many of the animals die from malnourishment, and the owner themself might die from related illnesses. In fact, the "Crazy" part of the trope name Crazy Cat Lady is possibly TruthInTelevision because [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis a parasitical disease Toxoplasmosis that has been associated with neurological maladies such as schizophrenia]] is commonly found in litter boxes of many warm blooded animals (especially prominent with cats). Thus adopting more pets than one can maintain a clean healthy standard for increases the chances of the owner becoming this trope.

This trope definitely seems skewed towards female characters, and can be read as an extension of the traditional negative characterisation of spinsters, especially when it's implied that the cats are a stand-in for human children that she never had before it was [[MyBiologicalClockIsTicking too late]]. Men, apart from an occasional trend toward [[HomelessPigeonPerson living on a rooftop surrounded by pigeons]], tend towards either [[HermitGuru more complete isolation]] or a [[NatureHero more diversified set of friends]]. Male or female, however, animal hoarders tend to do a poor job of caring for their pets. Sanitation is often [[TrashOfTheTitans a nightmare]]: many of the animals die from malnourishment, and the owner themself might die from related illnesses. In fact, the "Crazy" part of the trope name Crazy Cat Lady is TruthInTelevision because [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxoplasmosis a parasitical disease Toxoplasmosis that causes neurological maladies such as schizophrenia]] is commonly found in litter boxes of many warm blooded animals (especially prominent with cats). Thus adopting more pets than one can maintain a clean healthy standard for increases the chances of the owner becoming this trope.

* The fiendish Mrs. Deagle from ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'' has no problem with cruelty to ''dogs'' (she threatens Billy's with a ride in her spin dryer at high heat for breaking a yard decoration), but when we see her home life it turns out her house is full of cats. Since she's a greedy old hag, she has [[ThemeNaming given them all names like "Kopec" and "Dollar Bill"]].

This person is invariably NotGoodWithPeople, except that instead of being an AnimalLover, she usually only has an affinity with one specific type of animal, which will flock to her like moths to a flame. She [[LonersAreFreaks lives alone]] (Either because [[OldMaid she couldn't get married]] or because she is a widow) except for the large number of cats or whatever animals living with her. She is often feared by the community and seen as an eccentric recluse. Sometimes she will turn out to be a MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold, leading to AnAesop about judging a book by its cover.

* On ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'', Randy briefly dates a woman who is crazy about her ''one'' cat, and has gotten to the point where [[NotGoodWithPeople she has difficulty distinguishing the best ways to show affection to a cat versus another human being]]. She worries, however, that if she doesn't have a significant other, she'll end up like the ''real'' Crazy Cat Lady who lives nearby with [[DyingAlone only her cats for company]] ([[SeniorSleepCycle when she's awake, that is]].)

* Irma from ''Anime/QueensBlade'' is all over the "cat attraction," thing, though she is likely sane, just very bitter and aloof.

** The Crazy Cat Lady, seen up above and originally introduced in "Girly Edition", is the {{Trope Namer|s}}. If somebody approaches her house, she greets them with incomprehensible screams and thrown cats. Her real name is Eleanor Abernathy, and according to the episode "Springfield Up", she used to be a successful doctor and lawyer -- until she suffered mental burnout around age 32, turned to alcohol, and sought emotional solace in her pet cats. A later episode, "A Midsummer's Nice Dream", reveals that her mental state is a result of [[TrashOfTheTitans compulsive hoarding]] and sees her ([[StatusQuoIsGod temporarily]]) cured. "The Blue and the Gray" has her meet a [[DistaffCounterpart Spear Counterpart]] in the form of a Crazy Dog Man. They fall in love!

* ''VideoGame/TheSims3'' ''Pets'' exaggerates this trope with the character of Hetty Lionheart, who lives alone in a shack-like home in Appaloosa Plains in a household of four cats. Not only that, but she has the Insane, [[CatsHateWater Hydrophobic]], and Evil traits, dresses in cat-like clothing, and even [[UncannyValley resembles one in facial appearance]]. She's also disliked by most of the town, in addition.

* ''WebAnimation/CatFace'': Cat Face is once forcibly imprisoned in a disgusting and cramped household full of cats owned by a demented cat lady who lured him in by bribing a female cat to woo him. Even when he escapes, she continues to chase him relentlessly until he locks her into a parallel dimension inhabited by his [[UncannyValley unfathomably creepy]] double, Face-cat. Face-cat floats towards her ominously, followed by the screen turning black and the Crazy Cat Lady's screams.

* ''VideoGame/MewGenics'' is referred to as a "Crazy Cat Lady Simulator".

* Accidentally occurs to an unemployed man in the first of "15 Portraits of Despair" in the last [[ComicBook/TheSandman Endless]] anthology. The "Despair" part happens when he's offered a job that requires him to go out of town, leaving his cats locked up in his trailer... Considering that all those cats were outdoor/strays to begin with, you have to wonder why the hell he didn't just put them outside when he left town.

* ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. Dr Akagi's liking for cats is a subtle use of this trope, hinting (along with her [[RoomFullOfCrazy post-it notes]]) that she's more MadScientist than HotScientist.

* Although technically disqualified because he hoards so many ''different'' species, Raoul from ''Film/{{UHF}}'''s "Raoul's Wild Kingdom" segments deserves honorary Crazy Cat Lady status for having ''dozens'' of [[CoolPet exotic and wild animals]] living tucked into drawers, hidden in cupboards, and running/flying/crawling free in his apartment. He qualifies for the Crazy part based on the number of poodles he sacrifices out the window in teaching them to fly. They make a pile about 8 feet high easily filling the trope, at least until they all die.

* In the world of the ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'', the TailorMadePrison for [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-511 SCP-511]] requires that an old lady suffering from dementia play the role of a Crazy Cat Lady to a building full of feral cats, with said feral cats all being controlled by a cat shaped ''thing'' [[BodyOfBodies made from the decaying flesh of multiple dead cats]]. Since the family of such a woman would never let her live alone in a cat-infested building[[note]]let alone live with the Frankensteinian-rotting-cat-zombie-thing[[/note]], the Foundation ''kidnaps'' one from a hospice or nursing home when the previous Crazy Cat Lady dies and forces her to live there. [[NecessarilyEvil The Foundation considers this to be a lesser evil than allowing SCP-511 to escape]].

* ''Literature/RatmansNotebooks'': Willard has his rats.

This person is invariably NotGoodWithPeople, except that instead of being a FriendToAllLivingThings, she usually only has an affinity with one specific type of animal, which will flock to her like moths to a flame. She [[LonersAreFreaks lives alone]] (Either because [[OldMaid she couldn't get married]] or because she is a widow) except for the large number of cats or whatever animals living with her. She is often feared by the community and seen as an eccentric recluse. Sometimes she will turn out to be a MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold, leading to AnAesop about judging a book by its cover.