These women in the original article are simply suffering from what St Augustine called "inordo amoris".  I consider it a symptom of a much more malignant malady known as being in possession of a rancid soul.  

These women, or at least some of them, are the granddaughters of young ladies born into a Catholic family of seven or more back before Vatican II.  

It's just defining deviancy down.  When you look at the rest of the attributes of this generation:  i.e., widespread acceptance of abortion and a willingness to use public funds to procure more of it; gαy marriage; single motherhood, etc, merely expressing an abundance of fondness for animals is on the harmless side.

These rancid souls remind us of what can become of us if we ever lose our devotion to Our Lord and Our Lady.