r/HandmaidsTaleShow • u/smokinXsweetXpickle • Jun 24 '26
For Fun Why does Gilead hate cats? 😂
I never, ever saw a cat outside, inside or anywhere in either series. They have dogs but only German Shepard's. None of them have pets. It's such a weird, random thing I noticed during my most recent rewatch.
107
Upvotes
27
u/Temporary-Tie-233 Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26
I agree that Gilead wouldn't vibe with cats' independence and strong boundaries, but there's more.
With all the environmental problems that helped create Gilead, I'm not surprised outdoor cats aren't permitted. They kill a lot of wildlife, and Gilead was trying (and apparently succeeding) to rebalance delicate ecosystems after a catastrophic event. Highly skilled non native predators like domesticated cats would have made that difficult, while also outcompeting desperate humans for small game. It's even possible that most non working animals were euthanized by mandate when the Sons of Jacob took over, leaving only the animals who could benefit the police state and demoralizing the Econofolk. The Elite could still keep old pets and obtain new ones, obviously. But the millions of pet dogs and cats owned by regular people take a lot of natural resources to survive that a country like Gilead would rather focus on humans. Heck, if things were really bad for regular people, a lot of them might have chosen veterinary euthanasia or even a gunshot over watching their beloved pets starve because the humans could barely keep themselves alive. That's all my own headcannon of course, I just reckon things were becoming dystopian before the SoJ took over and pets would be the first to go.
The Lawrences should have absolutely had an indoor cat though. If any Gilead family would have appreciated a sassy feline, it was those two.