Guest: 'Cat ownership beware' LOL. When my husband first arrived in England for our wedding, he met my FIVE cats and was a bit daunted. No-one keeps pets in his part of the world; they eat dogs, cats, rats, anything that has meat on it. Now, decades later, he absolutely adores our present contingent of three. Over the years, he's cried his eyes out at the demise of some of our elderly moggies, buried them solemnly in the garden and sincerely missed them. I always smile in the early morning when he goes to make us a nice cup of tea. He natters away in Malinke to them all in their large cat bed in a silly high voice. I bet they laugh their socks off at him! I certainly do. So even if you have pets, there is someone out there who can accept them.
I have to add that it's perfectly possible (like brave Shimrod) to create a happy and fulfilled life for oneself without a partner. We have a lovely chap of about sixty in our village who has never married, but has so many activities, interests and friends that he hardly has time to sit down. He seems to me to be one of the most well-balanced and contented folk I know.