"I'm allergic to cats."

Since my girlfriend has effectively broke up with me, I've been thinking about the saying "I'm allergic to cats." The last two girls have both said that and within a day have declared a sudden disinterest - completely out of the blue. What's in this magical saying that seems to put nubile teenagers off of me altogether? The strange thing being I've always had an odd relationship with my pet cat, and always subconsciously thought that she'd be the final judge on whether I'm with someone or not. And suddenly that decision is looking to be eerily accurate.

That cat has always been scarily 'in touch' with what I'm feeling. She goes to bed when I do, comes into my room when I wake up, leaves when I want her to, and is there when I want her to be. And she only ever comes to me. It's possibly no surprise, if you believe in that sort of cross-specie connection (which I don't, or didn't), that she monitors my girlfriends!

It seems that this in-built weakness to cats (the scary thing being - the last girl wasn't actually allergic to cats - it developed entirely from when she met me) is a sure sign of a faltering, or soon to be faltering, relationship with me.

So I think when I next go looking for a better half, instead of cheesy pick-up lines, I think the first thing I'll ask is: "are you allergic to cats...?"