there are 0 cats in the room. there are 3 cats in the room. The phrase "there is 1 cat in the room" is an example of
plural's counterpart,
singular.
Two
halves are better than one, even though two halves is equal to one. While one half is singular, two halves is plural.
And we wouldn't say "two halves are plural".
Yet, two halves are one, is fine.