Men adopting cats, defying 'cat lady' gender stereotype
A New York Times article highlights growing numbers of men adopting cats and breaking traditional gender associations with pet ownership.
What to know
- A New York Times article highlights men increasingly adopting cats and rejecting the 'cat lady' gender stereotype.
- Commenters debate whether this is truly a trend or simply newsifying long-established male cat ownership among artists, writers, and intellectuals (T.S. Eliot, Hemingway, Rousseau).
- Online discussion centers on cats as independent creatures that demand respect for boundaries—qualities framed as masculine rather than stereotypically feminine.
- Users share personal adoption stories and discuss cat-themed menswear and merchandise, actively building a 'cat dad' cultural identity.
The dispute Whether the article is reporting on a genuine social trend or simply repackaging centuries of male cat ownership as if it were novel. · positions read across 200 posts and comments
Male cat ownership isn't new—famous men have celebrated cats for centuries; the NYT is repackaging history as trend.
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“Does TS Eliot mean nothing to you people?”
waybread.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
Cats' independence and respect for boundaries are inherently masculine traits—liking cats reveals good character.
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“Men who are loved by cats are men who understand and respect boundaries”
leahreich.com · Bluesky ↗
Male cat ownership deserves celebration; it's personally fulfilling and breaks harmful gender stereotypes.
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“I've been a cat guy my entire life, never knew I was bucking a gender stereotype!”
seanadb.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
Cat ownership shouldn't be gendered at all—the stereotype has caused fewer adoptions and limited cat-themed menswear options.
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“I dislike the gendering of cat ownership not only because it means fewer cats get adopted, but also because it makes it harder to find cat-themed menswear.”
dieworkwear.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
Mamdani Subject of NYT articleNew York Times Publisher
How it unfolded 5 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump postscomments
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Commenters critique NYT for presenting old phenomenon as novel trend
Several users point out that the article treats male cat ownership as a new development when it has been documented and celebrated throughout history and modern culture, criticizing the outlet's framing.
“NYT's whole schtick is writing articles pretending something is news. @mlobelart.bsky.social's got a whole archive of man artists with their cats.”
— frydawolff.bsky.social -
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I don't like most cat clothing/accessories because they're more cutesy than I prefer, but I did get this bananas scarf recently .
2 more of the top 3 · 174 posts in this stretch
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Men who are loved by cats are men who understand and respect boundaries
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Cats don't have owners, they have staff.
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Users share personal adoption stories and cat-themed merchandise
Multiple commenters share detailed stories of adopting cats, often under difficult circumstances or for rescue purposes. Others discuss cat-themed menswear, accessories, and merchandise they have collected or designed.
“I took in a cat because I expected it to be near the end of its life (he was ~9 at the time) and wanted him to have some stability in his final years since he'd always been bounced from house to house.”
— thebestdavid.bsky.social -
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I dislike the gendering of cat ownership not only because it means fewer cats get adopted, but also because it makes it harder to find cat-themed menswear. Below are some I've come across over the years. Brands and descriptions are in the alt text. Also a mug at the end that I like.
2 more of the top 3 · 10 posts in this stretch
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It doesn't eliminate Red Flags, but it's such a good baseline filter
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Or Hemingway? Heck, they call polydactyl cats 'Hemingway cats.'
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Commenters debate whether cat ownership reveals character and masculinity
Users develop a thematic discussion around whether liking cats signals positive character traits—respect for boundaries, freedom, consent—and whether the stereotype ever made sense given cats' solitary, independent nature.
“Men who are loved by cats are men who understand and respect boundaries…”
— leahreich.com -
Heard somebody say "never trust a man who doesn't like cats" and I have kind of sworn by it since.
2 more of the top 3 · 14 posts in this stretch
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I took in a cat because I expected it to be near the end of its life (he was ~9 at the time) and wanted him to have some stability in his final years since he'd always been bounced from house to house. That marked a decade of cat ownership before Samurai passed in November 2024. I miss you, buddy.
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I've been a cat guy my entire life, never knew I was bucking a gender stereotype! 😆 But seriously, love dogs but cats are just the best(this is personal, people, everyone has their preferences).
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Users invoke historical precedent: T.S. Eliot, Hemingway, Rousseau as male cat enthusiasts
Commenters push back against the framing of male cat ownership as novel, citing centuries of male writers, artists, and philosophers who owned and celebrated cats. References include T.S. Eliot, Ernest Hemingway, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
“Does TS Eliot mean nothing to you people?”
— waybread.bsky.social -
Does TS Eliot mean nothing to you people?
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Bluesky users engage with article, celebrate male cat adoption
The article gains traction on Bluesky, with hundreds of users sharing their own experiences adopting cats and commenting on the cultural shift. Users share photos of cat-themed menswear, personal adoption stories, and reflections on masculinity and pet ownership.
“I've been a cat guy my entire life, never knew I was bucking a gender stereotype!”
— seanadb.bsky.social -
Enjoyed this article about the growing number of men adopting cats, bucking gender stereotypes. Apparently Mamdani is allergic to cats, but has been getting allergy shots because his wife wants to adopt one.
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background
New York Times publishes article on men adopting cats, breaking gender stereotypes — The New York Times published an article examining the growing trend of men adopting cats and challenging the gender stereotypes around cat ownership. The article notes that one subject, Mamdani, is allergic to cats but has been receiving allergy shots because his wife wants to adopt one.
What people are saying 12 voices from 1 site · best of 200 · verbatim
- Sep 21
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"Don't ever speak to me or my son again"
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My dad was a machinist, union organizer and contract negotiator. Remodeled our house when I was a kid, built a big retirement house with my mom on weekends in their 50s, then did a lot of the remodel work on our house in his 60s. He's always been a cat guy. Here he is with his sister's cat, Buffy.
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I just adopted a shelter kitten! Hims named Tucker
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Whatever gender stereotypes there are about cat ownership, it's definitely kept exactly the right people out of my life, apparently.
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Rousseau: Do you like cats? Boswell: No. Rousseau: I was sure of that. It is my test of character. There you have the despotic instinct of men. They do not like cats because the cat is free and will never consent to be a slave. He will do nothing to your order, as the other animals do.
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Here's the T shirt I got for Father's Day this year (from my three cats, of course, silly)
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I agree we shouldn’t gender cat ownership, but also never got that cats were girl-coded. They are solitary hunting machines that see in the dark and have knives for hands. That’s some tuff shit.
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My cat has three single polish men in different households in my neighbourhood that she visits. (I am in Norway) The local polish catdad density is one of the reasons i won't move from here.
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The Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, with Nico, aka the The Purr Minister of Canada.
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Adopting this girl 11 years ago was one of the very best decisions of my life. And yes, she's drinking from a Jonathan Adler cat bowl (she's shaved a bunch from recent major surgery).
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It's not that far off, if you're old enough
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My wife's allergic to cats. We have two.