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Abstract

” doesn’t seem appropriate. It is 2019.</p><p id="520b" type="7">The cat doesn’t care.</p><p id="e5fc">The issue for me is recognizing the world is changing. Showing respect. Although this is “just” about a cat, the world is moving forward.</p><p id="ed96">Okay, yes, I am being silly. This is a cat. I can call the cat she or he or hir or they. The cat doesn’t care.</p><p id="077b">I also don’t have young children in the house any longer. The need to make a point and set an example when I am alone with my cats doesn’t exist.</p><p id="156a">I tried very hard when the kids were young to overthink these things. Maybe the overthinking stuck.</p><p id="5f10">This cat is a male in my head. I was using “him” in my head. Why? Why do some stray cats get filed in my grey matter as male, while others are stuck in my female folder?</p><p id="64b9">There are some underlying assumptions in my subconscious. How do I get in there and kick the tires? The fact that I’m asking these questions could mean I don’t need to.</p><p id="c5f2">It could mean I just need to keep asking those questions and not accepting the status quo.</p><p id="f4de">Sometimes a cat is not just a cat.</p><figure id="302e"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*COfF7hfjzh93eacoFbWsPg.jpeg"><figcaption>Anya and Xander watching the stray cat — photo by the author.</figcaption></figure><p id="da06">If you liked this, you may like:</p><div id="afde" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/honoring-the-woman-i-was-1d0225ac41e6"> <div> <div> <h2>Honoring the Woman I Was</h2>

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He, She, or It? There Are Other Options.

Sometimes a cat is not just a cat.

What pronoun should you use if you do not know if a cat is a male or female? I am stumped.

If it were human, I would know to use gender-neutral language. But a cat?

The old fashioned, universal “he” doesn’t seem appropriate.

There is a member of our local cat colony laying in the grass outside my family room window. My grey tuxedo cat, Anya, is laying on the back of the couch watching the black cat. She inched closer and closer to the window.

Xander, my black and white cat, was also laying on the couch. He didn’t move closer. Xander must feel he is close enough to have a good view.

There’s a hummingbird feeder outside the window. It is between the window and the stray cat on our lawn.

This window serves as my indoor housecats’ entertainment screen. The birds are safe, and my cats are entertained.

As I watched my cats and the outdoor cat, I wondered which pronoun to use. The old fashioned, universal “he” doesn’t seem appropriate. It is 2019.

The cat doesn’t care.

The issue for me is recognizing the world is changing. Showing respect. Although this is “just” about a cat, the world is moving forward.

Okay, yes, I am being silly. This is a cat. I can call the cat she or he or hir or they. The cat doesn’t care.

I also don’t have young children in the house any longer. The need to make a point and set an example when I am alone with my cats doesn’t exist.

I tried very hard when the kids were young to overthink these things. Maybe the overthinking stuck.

This cat is a male in my head. I was using “him” in my head. Why? Why do some stray cats get filed in my grey matter as male, while others are stuck in my female folder?

There are some underlying assumptions in my subconscious. How do I get in there and kick the tires? The fact that I’m asking these questions could mean I don’t need to.

It could mean I just need to keep asking those questions and not accepting the status quo.

Sometimes a cat is not just a cat.

Anya and Xander watching the stray cat — photo by the author.