Discovered while researching the story “Felines at Fault” – In the 1910s and 1920s, cats became pets instead of just mousers. An uptick in the number of house cats was accompanied by an increase in the number of divorces. Back then, couples had to prove a valid reason for dissolving their marriage. Cats often provided the excuse, with husbands claiming abandonment over their wives affection for their cats, or wives angered by their husband’s mistreatment of the animals. After no-fault divorce laws went into effect (late 1960s), the number of cat-related divorces declined. One suspects there was more to these marital spats than feline infelicity. Read more in BEHIND THE STORY.
