Cats are returning to the political stage, reminiscent of the 2016 election, with New York pet owners and animal welfare supporters nationwide pushing the Harris-Walz campaign to defeat former President Donald Trump.
This recent cats-in-politics renaissance came to a tipping point when a previous 2021 Fox News interview with then host Tucker Carlson and former President Donald Trump's 2024 running mate, JD Vance, resurfaced in late July in which he commented that "childless cat ladies" were running the country.
Vance was outspoken in his disgust for the Democratic Party, blaming "childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they've made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable, too."
The throwback clip spread like wildfire on social media. It incited other past controversial women-driven comments from Trump's running mate, such as expressing alarm over a declining fertility rate and suggesting giving higher voting rights to parents with children.
BriAnne Wills is a Brooklyn-based author and architect behind Girls and Their Cats, a collection of portraits and profiles highlighting ladies with their feline companions. Wills has photographed over 400 women from all walks of life, with and without children.
Wills told NBC New York that she was appalled by Vance's comments and polled her own cat-centric social media followers after the Vance interview reemerged.
"He doesn't know the power of childless cat ladies" is one of the Instagram responses Wills posted. The photographer sees cats as a reoccurring symbol promoting women's and reproductive rights but does say to rather "leave the pink 'pussy hats' in 2016."
Vance defended these previous comments, stating he was blaming the Democratic Party for becoming “anti-family,” but Hell's Kitchen resident and rescue cat owner, Jenny Pierson, does not agree with his clarification.
"Democrats have been the ones pushing child tax credits. Democrats are the ones defending families' rights to make their own decisions about the size and quality of life for their families," Pierson told NBC New York.
Pierson is the founding executive director of the Cat Museum of New York City, a work-in-progress project aiming to become an educational and cultured haven for cat enthusiasts. She was speaking to NBC on the subject in a personal capacity.
She notes that while many of those who are in the animal welfare groups may remain independent due to nonprofit status, there is an energy "bubbling underneath" for the Harris-Walz campaign.
But other city residents remain undecided when it comes to the presidential election and breaking down policies. Jannatul Ahmed, 25, is from Astoria, Queens, the daughter of Bangladeshi immigrants and the director of operations LIC Feral Feeders.
Ahmed believes while it is inspiring to see Vice-President Kamala Harris, as a Black, South-Asian woman, running for president, one of her disappointments is the lack of policy and peace plans surrounding the Israel- Hamas war.
"I think that this obsession that the Republican Party has with policing women's bodies is nothing new, but it's quite absurd thinking about their 'pro-life' stance when you think about billions of dollars of our American taxpayer money being used to kill children in a foreign state that they, along with many Democrats, are OK with," Ahmed shared with NBC New York.
As a hijabi, she has experienced other policing -- like being forced to cover or not allowed to cover up. The added threat to reproductive rights only adds "another level of fear" as a Muslim-American woman.
NYC creatives deliver on political 'cat' merch
In an effort leaning in on the "childless cat lady" trend, New York creatives are branding shirts, ball caps, stickers, mugs and other merchandise.
Staten Island native Dan Rimada is the owner of the online shop and social media handle, Bodega Cats of New York. Rimada is selling clothing with texts like "Cats Over Brats: Vote for Kamala" and "Childless Cat Ladies Vote, Too."
"30% of all the revenue we make from those purchases, we are sending to the Harris-Walz campaign," Rimada told NBC New York on Sunday during a historical cat-themed walking tour in Brooklyn Heights.
Brooklyn's J. Morrison is the artisan behind HOMOCATS, which started in 2010 as a project connecting feline art and politics. The shop is selling various "Kittens for Kamala," "Fight Project 2025" and "Kittens Against Trump" prints.
"HOMOCATS was inspired by Obama and the politics of the time — primarily a fight for gay marriage and a call to action for queer equality. Similarly, 'Kittens Against Trump' was created in 2016 as protest art made out of desperation during the election with Hilary Clinton," Morrison told NBC New York.
Cat ladies and allies are taking stands on a national level, scheduling online video calls to strategize and fundraise for Harris-Walz.
'Cat ladies' fundraise, assemble at the DNC
RaeShanda Lias-Lockhart is a Kentucky business owner, content creator and cat owner who hosted the "Cat Ladies for Kamala" call earlier this month with over 28,000 attendants that raised upwards of $380,000.
Lias-Lockhart, a Black mother of four, shares that having children is a very serious decision only a woman can make on her body. Her hopes are these meetings and momentum will prevent any "handmaid's tale happening in the U.S."
Lias-Lockhart is attending the Democratic National Convention for the first time in Chicago where the "Cat Ladies for Kamala" group plans to host a watch party on Thursday during Harris' speech, as well as scheduling another fundraiser call in October.
She plans to build a political action committee, "Kitten Heels for Kamala," and is interested in setting up a meeting in New York with other political cat ladies.
There are two political action committees registered under the U.S. Federal Election Commission.
NBC New York reached out to both "Childless Cat Ladies for Harris" and "Childless Cat Ladies for America" but neither gave a response for comment.
News 4 also contacted the Trump-Vance campaign for comment, and a spokesperson did not respond.
