Honest (and depressing) answer: dogs are larger and more expensive, so anyone who isn’t living on dual-income will prefer a cat. Being a woman is expensive, transitioning is expensive, being a guy who “just needs a bed and 4 walls” is cheaper, so dogs are back on the table.
I have no idea how many tampons a woman needs in a month, but a pack of 32 is €5 so that can’t be a big expense
And whatever the latest trend is, is not something necessary so you can’t blame it on that either