Cat Person: The short story people are talking about

A fictional short story published in a magazine is being shared widely online as social media users discuss how much it relates to modern day dating.

Published in The New Yorker Cat Person by Kristen Roupenian has provoked an online debate about the main character Margot and her date with a man called Robert who has cats.

The story which includes a graphic description of an awkward sexual encounter has been shared on Twitter more than a thousand times and liked almost 2,500 times since it was posted online on Saturday.

Ms Roupenian has described how inspiration for the story came from communications she had with someone online.

In an editorial for the magazine, she said it was: "an excruciatingly bad date story and, I think, a kind of commentary on how people get to know each other, or don't through electronic communication."

In an age of dating apps, swiping left or right, and getting to know potential partners through social media, it seems Cat Person has resonated with a number of people, mostly women, many of whom explained the story's appeal on Twitter.