Single women shouldn't be nesting with animals in her house as replacement children. Having animals FOR the children, thats a different story. Animals are for utility, like hunting, herding and catching mice. If she is a farmer and cares for the chickens, thats a different story as long as she isn't living in the chicken coop herself.
Discussion
I agree that anything more than one typical pet (cat, dog) is a sign of the owner compensating for something.