Washington DC, US

JD Vance had rubbed the wrong furs with his remarks on 'cat ladies', and Kamala Harris is milking it like a happy kitten, with her supporters organising events to promote her campaign for US president.

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Vance, the running mate of Republican candidate Donald Trump, set the cat among pigeons after defending his original remarks made in 2021 that appeared to target a now-very agitated group: pet-owning women without children.

He had said in 2021 that Democratic politicians were "a bunch of childless cat ladies with miserable lives".

Those remarks were raked up online recently, leading to sharp reactions from Hollywood celebrities like Jennifer Aniston. A meme fest followed targeting the 39-year-old Republican vice presidential candidate, who later defended it as a "sarcastic comment." 

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Now, pet lovers who call themselves "cat ladies" are organising video calls to support Harris. On Tuesday, such a Zoom call was organised by the group Pet Lovers Fur Kamala. 

Also Read: Trump backs Vance in 'childless cat ladies' controversy, says he said that because 'family is good'

It was hosted by Christine Pelosi, the daughter of Nancy Pelosi and chair of Florida Democratic party Nikki Fried with the former US house speaker herself in attendance. The event featured slide shows of pet pictures and the music by Abba. 

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"The cat ladies are striking back," said Nancy Pelosi, as per a report in The Guardian, adding Vance didn't realise "what an opportunity he was giving us, and what he would unleash."

What exactly did JD Vance say about cat ladies: the full quote

In the original 2021 remarks, made while Vance was campaigning for a Senate seat in Ohio, he had named Harris among people who do not have children.

Harris, who is married to Douglas Emhoff, does not have children of her own. Emhoff has two children from his previous marriage.

In the 2021 remarks, Vance had said that the US was being run "by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they've made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable too".

"The entire future of the Democrats is controlled by people without children. How does it make any sense we've turned our country over to people who don’t really have a direct stake in it?"

Vance stands by his remarks

Last week, in different interviews, Vance said his comments from 2021 were not aimed at those who do not have children. "People are focusing so much on the sarcasm and not on the substance of what I actually said. The substance of what I said, Megyn...it's true," Vance told host Megyn Kelly last Friday (July 26).

Watch: US Elections: JD Vance slams Harris, VP takes swipe at Trump

"This is about criticising the Democratic party for becoming anti-family and anti-children," he told Kelly. "Having children, becoming a father, becoming a mother... changes your perspective," said Vance, who is father to three kids.

He claimed that "our entire society" has become "sceptical and hateful towards the idea of having kids."

(With inputs from agencies)