Last night the trailer for the upcoming film of Cats dropped, and last week the'live action' film of the Lion King came out.
Suffice to say, cats are having a moment. And while most of the comments about either of the films were about the cast or the music, there's also a strong faction of thirsty women who - to put it plainly - fancy cartoon cats.
For many years I assumed my crush on Scar from the Lion King was an anomaly, a secret shame to keep to myself, a bit like my romantic feelings for Stephen Fry. But then, one night after more wine than was advisable, I confessed my Scar crush to a group of girlfriends, and to much shock it transpired that I'm not the only one who finds cartoon felines appealing.
In the name of highly scientific research, I asked people to tell me whether the sexiest cat: Simba, Scar, or Idris Elba playing Macavity, which is a sort of soft peddle cat crush because he's still got human teeth.
But it's not just those three. Other popular choices include Thomas O'Nalley, Kovu from The Lion King II (a modern classic), Mufasa, Top Cat, Puss in Boots from Shrek and Idris Elba (again) as Sheer Khan.
Also, upon further investigation it seems that it's not just animated cats that women have the hots for. There's also a large number of people who had their earliest sexual awakenings as a result of the fox Robin Hood.
If you think about it, animated Disney characters are the ideal first crush. They're designed to seem human despite absolutely not being, they're non-threatening and non-sexual, but most of the films have a romantic element. It's a way to feel safe in developing some nascent romantic feelings.
Amy Lang, a parenting and sexuality expert and the founder of Birds+Bees+Kids, a Seattle organization that helps parents talk to children about sex, spoke on the topic of having a crush on a cartoon character: 'It happens all the time. Kids have crushes on characters, and why shouldn’t they? The more we have a variety of cartoon characters, the better off everyone is, because I think that we’re made physically and psychologically to be attracted to a variety of kinds of people.'
Holding on to a crush on a cartoon character from childhood is a way of retaining a connection with your younger self. If firm but fair Mufasa was a founding pillar of your romantic development, it makes sense that you'd retain a special place for him in your heart.
Fancying cartoon characters is an actual, recognised fetish, known as schediaphilia or toonophilia. If you're interested (probably if you're more into cartoon characters than real human people) then there are communities you can join to meet other like minded people.
Or you can just enjoy a warm and fuzzy feeling when you re-watch The Lion King for the twentieth time. Your call, really.
In conclusion, it's very common and perfectly reasonable to have a low-level crush on fictional anthropomorphic cats. Or foxes. Or any other cartoon character. Sometimes they're just sexy, and that's okay.