'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' Rachel Bloom Explains the Backstory Behind the Crazy Cat Lady Song

It was only a matter of time before Crazy Ex-Girlfriend went to the cat lady place, and I for one am so grateful.

Towards the end of season 3, Rebecca decides she’s going to try to be more “realistic” about her future and embrace her inevitable future as a cat lady. And so, “Fuckton of Cats” was born.

Speaking with VultureRachel Bloom explained,

“This song came from the idea of Fuck it, I’ll just get cats. The idea of being Rebecca just giving up. She’s not meant to be with anyone, she’s going to be alone forever, so fuck it and get some cats. We quickly hooked onto this jubilance of becoming a cat lady. It’s a very funny emotional tone to work with because it’s tacky, but it’s happiness in this almost depressed delusion.”

crazy ex girlfriend fuckton of cats
Photo: Greg Gayne/The CW — © 2018 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

She added that she was *super* committed to the idea of using puppet cats.

“We never attempted to get real cats. I had been wanting to do something with puppets since season one. I love working with puppets, and I’ve done a few things with puppets in the past. A lot of people forget that Jim Henson, when he started out with Sam and Friends, was basically in an improv group. The characters on their arms were extensions of themselves. I love not only working with puppets but also with puppeteers. There’s such life and artistry to it. Let me tell you, sometimes those puppets have more expressions than real-life acting partners. It was never a question about real cats. Fuck cats, I want puppets.”

Um, genius.

The co-creator of the show and Rachel’s partner-in-crime Aline Brosh McKenna said,

“It was a magical day on set.”

Although there were a ton of amazing songs this season, including a pretty powerful one about getting the right diagnosis, Fuckton of Cats was one of my faves. As both a mentally ill person and a cat lady, I have imagined myself ending up as a spinster surrounding by cats numerous times.

So cheers to Rachel Bloom and everyone on Crazy Ex for making that possibility seem way less depressing than it sounds.

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Lena Finkel
Lena Finkel is the Editor and Founder of Femestella and The Feminist Health Source. Prior to starting Femestella, she worked at People, InStyle, Tiger Beat, and Sesame Workshop (aka Sesame Street). She loves all things Real Housewives and The Challenge. When she's not busy binge-watching TV, you can find her taking an absurd amount of photos of her tuxedo cat Tom.