Does your pet identify as trans?

People often feel like their pets are trying to tell them something. But what if your four-legged friend was actually trying to tell you his or her or ‘their’ preferred pronouns?

Urban Paws, one of the leading pet talent agencies in the UK, has reportedly been presenting pet owners with a baffling application form, asking whether their cat or dog might be trans or ‘nonbinary’.

Gender-critical commentator James Esses posted a screenshot of the Urban Paws sign-up process on X last week. He was looking for potential modelling gigs for his new kitten, Leo, when he was presented with a question asking if Leo was male, female, ‘nonbinary / gender-neutral’ or ‘prefer not to say’.

This is beginning to get ridiculous.

Filling in a form for my new pet kitten and I’m actually being asked whether he identifies as ‘gender neutral/non-binary’.

Have we lost our minds? pic.twitter.com/M7z6hiL2IM

— James Esses (@JamesEsses) January 18, 2024

After the post went viral, an Urban Paws employee tried to defend the sign-up form. Apparently, the question was an attempt to be ‘inclusive’. But following widespread mockery online, the ‘nonbinary’ and ‘gender-neutral’ options have been removed. A spokesman for Urban Paws has since claimed that their inclusion on the form was an honest mistake. ‘That category is only for humans. It wouldn’t apply to animals’, he clarified.

Whether or not you believe that explanation, you almost couldn’t blame Urban Paws for taking gender ideology to its logical conclusion. Indeed, if sex isn’t real and we all have something called a ‘gender identity’, as trans activists claim, why wouldn’t that also apply to cats and dogs?

In fact, trans ideologues have long been making the case that we should ditch the gender binary for our furry friends, too. One writing style guide from a university in Ontario advises students not to assume an animal’s sex, unless absolutely necessary. Instead, students should use ‘they / them’ pronouns for all animals, so as not to accidentally ‘misgender’ them and cause offence. If you want to be a ‘trans-inclusive’ pet owner, perhaps you should think twice before calling your dog a ‘good boy’ or wrangling your molly into a hot-pink collar.

Talk of ‘nonbinary’ cats and dogs confirms beyond any doubt that trans ideology has sent the world mad.

Lauren Smith is an editorial assistant at spiked.