Structure

The short story “Cat Person” by Kristen Roupenian is structured around Margot’s inner conflict regarding her relationship with Robert. On the one hand, she feels that he is an innocent man she does not want to hurt. On the other hand, she feels scared and disgusted by him. 

The beginning of the story highlights Margot’s immaturity and hints that her relationship with Robert does not have a solid foundation: 

...she did think that Robert was cute. Not so cute that she would have, say, gone up to him at a party, but cute enough that she could have drummed up an imaginary crush on him if he’d sat across from her during a dull class.

Some foreshadowing elements suggest that Margot is ignoring several warning signs about Robert, such as his questionable beh...