Can cats be gay? There’s no scientific evidence, but some cats just have no interest in mating. Does that mean they are gay? And if we trust Wikipedia, we find there’s evidence that the lion and the European Polecat may in fact be gay.

Paws’ does not have the answer to that very thought-provoking question. However, we can share a story of a woman who bought a pedigreed Maine Coon cat to breed. Only thing was, he had no interest in mating.

When at a work related conservation conference, one woman shared her story, of her dreams of making money by having a pedigreed cat. She spent boatloads of money on this cat. He was big, beautiful, and what she thought would be the ideal stud for a dad.

People would want their kittens to look just like him. This was going to be great.

She spent hours researching cats and finding just the right one. As a kitten, this kitty was a love. She just knew this would be a winning venture, and she’s easily recoup the large amount of money she had spent to procure this special kitty.

She advertised, and lined up customers. Only every time she lined up her gorgeous male with an all too willing female mate, he turned tail and slunk away. He didn’t even try to mate.

Sounds curious, but true. She went around telling her friends and others, her cat was gay.

Paws went to the internet to find out more about this possibility? On answers.yahoo.com we find a few questions post. On March 19, 2006, we find someone stating ‘Yes, cats cat be gay. Proving further evidence that sexuality is not a choice, but rather determined by genetics, homosexuality has frequently been observed in apes and penguins.

We find another question posted in October 23, 2008 asking can dogs and cats be gay? Others follows: Can there be homosexual cats? Is my cat gay?

A 2009 post on the CatSite.com says that ‘if penguins can be gay, then why not cats…It goes on to say… so the cat is not gay, he just doesn’t like those particular females,’

While we don’t take Wikipedia as a totally sound resource, we had to check out a list of animals displaying homosexual behavior. They claim people bias might be the reason this issue has not been studied. The presence of same-sex animal behavior was not observed on a large scale until the 1990s due to the attitude that homosexuality was taboo.

That article, List of animals displaying homosexual behavior, finds ‘homosexual behavior in 1500 species ranging from primates to gut worms, and it is well documented in 500 species. While the article does not mention domestic cats or dogs, it does mention lions, It states, ” Both male and female lions have been seen to interact homosexually Male lions pair-bond for a number of days and initiate homosexual activity with affectionate nuzzling and caressing, leading to mounting and thrusting. About 8% of mountings have been observed to occur with other males. Pairings between females are held to be fairly common in captivity but have not been observed in the wild.’

We also find that the European polecats Mustela putorius were found to engage homosexually with non-sibling animals. Exclusive homosexuality with mounting and anal penetration in this solitary species serves no apparent adaptive function’.

Other well-known mammals on that list include sheep, spotted hyena, giraffes, monkeys, elephants, and bottlenose dolphins. there’s also a list of well-known birds in addition to penguins. They include gulls, mallards, vultures and pigeons.

Have you ever had an experience with an animal that you thought might be gay? Would you still love your cat if he or she were gay? Weigh into the discussion with your thoughts, comments and stories. Please share.