Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that the sex of cats is not on a spectrum?

316 replies

FindTheTruth · 20/02/2021 07:49

Just saw this comment in the comments section of Times Article today talking about Play for Women taking taking the ONS to court for redefining sex in the census

Comment:
I thought that it was an exaggeration that there were extremists who denied sex. Then I went to a local meeting about the toilets in our town. Person after person stood up to say that segregating them by sex was wrong because “sex is reductive and must be replaced by gender identity”. My father - a retired vet - got chatting to one of them afterwards and asked if he knew humans are mammals.
“Ye-es,” he said.
“And if you were to get into breeding other mammals as pets - you would know which cat was of the sex class that could get pregnant by observing their sex organs. So you see, sex is not reductive but instead an absolute basic fundamental in the classification of mammalian life.”
His stupefying reply: “sex is a spectrum, so there would be no guarantees. In that scenario I’d buy a group of cats, leave them alone and they’d figure it out. By the way, you sound like a transphobe.”

AIBU To think that the sex of cats is not on a spectrum?

OP posts:
BrumBoo · 20/02/2021 08:57

@Margotshypotheticaldog

Why do some people think this didn't happen? What is the outrageous/ unbelievable part? The townspeople claiming that sex is reductive or the local vet pointing out the flaws in the argument?
Plenty of people want to refuse to believe how ridiculous TRAs and their thought-process can be. My husband was berated once (by a friend at the time, not on the internet) for saying the baby we were expecting was a boy. Apparently we couldn't possibly couldn't decide that on behalf of the poor child Hmm. Most people just said 'congratulations' and moved on Confused.
caringcarer · 20/02/2021 08:59

Some people have their heads up their own arse they refuse to believe what we all know to be true. Wearing lipstick does not mean you have XX chromosomes.

SheGonBringThatAttitudeHome2 · 20/02/2021 08:59

@donaldtrumpisatwat

Oh Lordy. You'd have to be as thick as pig shit to believe such bollocks.

I agree with your post and your name.

RoseAndRose · 20/02/2021 08:59

It's a silly comparison, because feline society is utterly unlike human

Sex and gender both exist

Trying to erase the trans population is wrong

WeAreJackieWeaver · 20/02/2021 09:00

I listened to a podcast on Queer Theory recently. It seems those people who insist sex is a spectrum are well versed in Queer Theory. Personally it would be better if renamed A Load of Bollocks Theory.

Evidencebased · 20/02/2021 09:00

Indeed.
But self-awareness and social construct do not alter biology. Identify how you want, live how you want, my own life is testament to that; but it won't alter your sex, or involve your sex being on a spectrum.

What you actually said was "humans are more complex in terms of biology".

Having had that refuted, you shift the goalposts to ' it's not about biology'.

donaldtrumpisatwat · 20/02/2021 09:01

Now giving my cat a stern lecture on not assuming that just because the cat next door had kittens that it is female.

They keep trying to escape out of the cat door but I'll keep dragging them back in until they look convinced.

boatyardblues · 20/02/2021 09:02

Potatoes have more chromosomes than humans. I'd love to know what you think that means for potatoes.

I’m not sure how I feel about eating crisps and chips now you’ve posted that. Grin

AbstractHeart · 20/02/2021 09:02

Can cats have sex chromosome abnormalities like humans can? XXY, XO, etc?

Originalusername2021 · 20/02/2021 09:05

@Evidencebased

Indeed. But self-awareness and social construct do not alter biology. Identify how you want, live how you want, my own life is testament to that; but it won't alter your sex, or involve your sex being on a spectrum.

What you actually said was "humans are more complex in terms of biology".

Having had that refuted, you shift the goalposts to ' it's not about biology'.

I think you need to re read my comment- I did not mention biology, my point is that human society is not cat society.
BrumBoo · 20/02/2021 09:05

@AbstractHeart

Can cats have sex chromosome abnormalities like humans can? XXY, XO, etc?
Yes they can. Calico cats are all xx as a rule, however there are rare instances of being intersex, as with humans. Again, as with humans, intersex is just a medical observation not evidence of a third sex or proof of the reality of gender.
drspouse · 20/02/2021 09:11

@AbstractHeart

Can cats have sex chromosome abnormalities like humans can? XXY, XO, etc?
They can have non-sex-chromosome abnormalities, but I'm not sure about sex chromosomes.
Shannon9873 · 20/02/2021 09:11

@Originalusername2021

I don’t believe that happened, also Humans are a lot more complex than cats.
Nope
Originalusername2021 · 20/02/2021 09:14

@Shannon9873 really, I wonder if they are discussing this on catsnet?

Coffeeandaworry · 20/02/2021 09:15

If we aren't more complex we definitely shouldn't keep cats as pets

Shannon9873 · 20/02/2021 09:15

@Originalusername2021

I don’t believe that happened, also Humans are a lot more complex than cats.
Absolutely annoys me when someone announces rubbish like this and when they get called out on it they make out like they meant something different. Just admit you were talking out your arse
16purplecolour16 · 20/02/2021 09:16

“Like calicos, tortoiseshell cats are almost exclusively female. Male tortoiseshells are rare and are usually sterile.” Maybe cat biology not so black and white.

I have no problem with transgender. The only reason why women only spaces, I believe, should be protected is because of make history of violence toward women, which I see persisting similarly in the transgender debate.

Originalusername2021 · 20/02/2021 09:16

@Shannon9873 not sure what you mean?

16purplecolour16 · 20/02/2021 09:17

The debate seems to be ‘you’re either with us or against us’. Seems pretty binary to me.

Shaniac · 20/02/2021 09:18

Trying to erase the trans population is wrong

What does this actually mean? How does people talking about biological differences mean a small group of people will cease to exist?

16purplecolour16 · 20/02/2021 09:18

*male not make. It’s early.

DdraigGoch · 20/02/2021 09:20
"Symbolic of his struggle against reality."
NaughtipussMaximus · 20/02/2021 09:21

[quote Evidencebased]@Originalusername2021 yes humans have more chromosomes than cats (humans 46, cats 38)
No this does not affect sexual dimorphism; in both species , the sex you are depends solely on whether you have XX chromosomes, or XY.

Elephants have 56 chromosomes, dogs 78. The XX/XY thing still applies.

Potatoes have more chromosomes than humans. I'd love to know what you think that means for potatoes.[/quote]
Winning comment for the day.

Shannon9873 · 20/02/2021 09:22

[quote Originalusername2021]@Shannon9873 not sure what you mean?[/quote]
Apparently you’re not sure what you meant. Cats are more complex than humans. You mentioned chromosomes ‘ well they have more chromosomes for a start’ and then when you got shown up that that wasn’t relevant it became ‘cat society is not human society’ . Not just you but I’m sick of people flouncing onto threads to post stupid vacuous statements like yours. Boring

Babdoc · 20/02/2021 09:22

Humans are mammals and no mammal can change sex, which is binary, and chromosome dictated.
“Gender” is just a lot of old fashioned sexist stereotypes. Most people with any sense abandoned those decades ago.