Dawn O'Porter on how her cat protested when she first met husband Chris O'Dowd: 'She knew exactly what she was doing'

Virgin Radio

27 Oct 2022, 10:28

Acclaimed writer Dawn O’Porter joined The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky to talk about her new novel, Cat Lady, which is out today.

The book tells the tale of Mia, who - when a shocking event shatters the conventional life she’s built - is faced with a choice of living for a quick-to-judge society or living for herself. Dawn told Tom Allen, who is in this week for Chris: “I would describe it as a woman who looks like she has her life in order; she has a house, a husband, a step-son, a great job, but she’s escaping a life of chaos, which is her past. And so, she does these things to keep everything in check, and bit-by-bit over the course of the novel, all those things slip away, and she returns to a state of chaos.

“As she puts her life back together again, she realises that she was living the life that she was supposed to be living, as opposed to the life that she wanted to be living, so… she lands on her feet, but after a pretty spectacular meltdown.”

Speaking more about the book and its title, Dawn said: “I do think there is, even still, an expectation on women to have a partner, and have children. And this is where the whole crazy cat lady stereotype comes from, in terms of - so a woman who hasn’t got those things but has a cat is, for some reason, crazy! Which I just think is just the most bizarre thing. And I’m like, ‘Why is she crazy for having love in her heart and looking after an animal?’ And yet women have been brandished with this crazy cat lady. There’s no such thing as a crazy cat man, that’s just ‘Ah, isn’t he sweet for having a cat?’”

The story - which is Dawn’s fifth novel - sees Mia attending a pet bereavement support group despite her beloved cat, Pigeon, still being alive. “The whole problem with Mia at the start, is that she’s surrounded by people, but they’re not the right people, and what this pet bereavement group does for her is it just puts her in another world that she’s far more suited to than the world that she’s been trying to be a part of for so long,” Dawn explained.

She added: “Mia was the most fun to write, because I pushed the limits on that. I said, ‘This is the kind of woman who I don’t know if I would necessarily get on with in real life, but she is extraordinary.’ People don’t quite understand her, but I think on the page, she’s really fun to read.”

Dawn also told Tom a story regarding her own cat sleeping on the bed with her when she met her future husband, actor Chris O’Dowd. “For years this cat and I were just joined at the hip, we came as a pair. I took her to parties, travelled the world with her, it was ridiculous, but I was just totally devoted to this cat,” she said.

“I met my husband, and he stayed the night, and we just, you know, chatted all night, and then the next night, when he stayed over again, she puked on his side of the bed, and it was the biggest protest puke of all time!" 

The author continued: “She knew exactly what she was doing. She’d never been sick on the bed before, and it was just very deliberately next to his pillow.

“So, we discovered this puke, and Chris was obviously horrified, so the cat goes of out the room. Now, I remember laying there thinking, ‘Okay, what if this is something that continues? This man, who I really like, what if it’s serious, but he won’t have the cat in the room?’

“Luckily, the cat and the husband fell in love with each other and all is well! But, Mia’s husband doesn’t allow the cat in the bedroom, and for that reason, they are in separate rooms. So, she sleeps in one room with the cat and he sleeps in his room.

“She thinks that’s a good solution, but you kind of see how that’s chipping away at their marriage a bit.”

When Tom asked if non-cat lovers will enjoy the book, its writer replied: “The book isn’t about cats. It’s about a woman who has a cat. So for all the cat-haters out there, you will also enjoy the story of Mia!”

Cat Lady is out today. This evening (27th October) Dawn will be in conversation with fellow author Jane Fallon at Waterstones, Piccadilly, London. Tickets to watch the livestream are available: waterstones.com

For more great interviews listen to  The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky, weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or  catch up on-demand here.