Why Is Everyone Talking About the “Cat Person” Short Story Again?

At times, it seems as though “the discourse”—a.k.a. what’s being obsessively discussed on Twitter, a site that consumes more of my time and brain space than I like to admit—is cyclical. Four years after the release of “Cat Person,” a short story about a hookup gone wrong written by author Kristen Roupenian for The New Yorker, we’re somehow debating it again, as though the furor that accompanied its initial reception wasn’t enough. Below, get all the answers to your questions about why, exactly, the story is back in the ether.

For the uninitiated: What is “Cat Person,” anyway?

The short story revolves around Margot, an undergrad and movie-theater employee who meets an older man—Robert—at work and begins dating him. A dalliance that initially seems sweet quickly turns sour, though, when the two share a less-than-exciting sexual encounter; soon, Robert is texting Margot to call her a whore. Coming out, as it did, at the height of the #MeToo movement, the story sparked seemingly endless debate about dating, enthusiastic consent, attraction, and gender roles, and was soon included in Roupenian’s full-length book of short stories. (It’s also being adapted into a TV show starring Emilia Jones and Nicholas Braun.)

Why is the story in the news again?

On Thursday, writer Alexis Nowicki published a story in Slate titled “‘Cat Person’ and Me,” alleging that Roupenian drew specific details from her life to inform her portrayals of Margot and Robert. Nowicki describes her own relationship with an older man while attending the University of Michigan and working at an art house movie theater, all of which she says Roupenian used after getting to know Nowicki’s ex-boyfriend (who recently passed away, Nowicki mentions). Nowicki makes her communication with Roupenian on the matter public, ultimately landing on the idea that “we are all unreliable narrators.”

What do the various arguments about the Slate story boil down to?

The prevailing sentiment on social media seem to be fatigue, along with light amusement that we’re really dissecting that short story, again. (No knock whatsoever to Roupenian’s writing, it’s just…how much conversation and outrage can one story generate?)

Ultimately, though, the “Cat Person” discourse has become a flash point for multiple conversations about authorial voice, integrity, and who has the right to draw inspiration from details of the lives of the people around them.

Isn’t talking about it—even to explain it—just adding fuel to the “Cat Person” fire?

Well…yeah. Sorry.