Each week, local "women about town" Anjl Rodee and Marilynn Mee answer OnMilwaukee.com readers' questions about relationships, romance and whatever else is on your mind. They point out that this column is "for entertainment purposes only," but they mostly say that so they don't get sued. Send your questions to Anjl and Marilynn at anjlandmarilynn@staff.onmilwaukee.com.

Dear Anjl & Marilynn,

Do Cougar relationships really work?

Dear Cougar Curious,

Marilynn: YES. Next question?

Anjl: God, I hope so ... for those of you playing along at home, women who habitually prey on younger men are referred to as urban cougars. How much older does a woman have to be to earn the cougar moniker?

MM: Good question, Anjl. And I don't think there is an answer for that. Which is unfair, when you think about it. It never seems to matter how much older a man is than a woman in a relationship, unless there is a 40-year difference. With women, five or six years seems to be all it takes.

AR: Well, I'm going to say that 10 years is the cougar realm. That way I feel much less creepy about myself.

MM: Funny, I was gonna say 15 years, for the same reason.

AR: OK, seriously, now. Do they work? I don't see why not. I've never seen one fall apart due directly to the age difference.

MM: My last serious relationship was with a guy 15 years younger. We were together for almost 11 years. We'll call him "Micah."

AR: Names are changed to protect the innocent ... Micah? Not so innocent.

MM: I won't bore you with the gory details, however I will tell you that it was one of the healthiest relationships I've ever been in, and the breakup had very little to do with our age difference.

AR: My guy is eight years younger than me. Our ages never come up. If the age gap doesn't factor in when things are good, I wouldn't think it would be a major part of a breakup ...

MM: I've never been one to say, "Thank goodness for Hollywood," but thanks to Demi Moore, Sharon Stone and the entire casts of "Sex in the City" and "Desperate Housewives," it's become almost vogue for Cougar relationships. Not to mention, women are taking better care of themselves and looking good at an older age.

Just beware of younger guys who are just getting in on the trend, "jumping on the Cougar Wagon."

AR: Is that such a bad thing? I say ride that storm while it's blowing through town.

MM: This is a much better trend than legwarmers and short shorts. For those interested in more information, go to www.urbancougar.com. You can get hunting tips, view the Urban Cougar of the Month.

AR: When you use terms like "hunting" and "prey," it sounds so sordid and evil ... maybe we should be warning the poor naïve young boys ...

MM: Let's save our sympathy for children and senior citizens. And by the way, the whole Cougar thing implies that it's all about sex. Demi Moore is proof that it has more potential than just being a hookup. We're both proof of that.

AR: I didn't choose Joe because he was younger. I preyed on him because he's incredibly good looking. The younger man thing was just a happy bonus.

MM: Exactly. Same for me and Micah. As much as people would like to think it was all about my wanting to relive my 20s, it was all about who he is as a person. If anything, the age difference was just an annoyance because other people wanted to make a big deal about. It all comes down to what people are like on the inside. And whether it's legal.

AR: So, do Cougar relationships work? We say a resounding YES. And we intend to spend many more years proving it.