Why Do Lesbians Love Cats? Exploring the Stereotype and Queer Celeb Cat Parents

From black cat witchy vibes to the idea that cats ignore men like lesbians exist outside the patriarchy, the cat-loving lesbian is a 100% a thing in the queer community. In honour of International Cat Day, we’re delving into just why lesbians love their feline friends so much, as well as spotlighting some of our favourite queer cat parents.

The stereotype of cats and queer relationships dates back to early lesbian feminism when cats were said to show "spirited feline self-sufficiency." If you’ve ever been around a cat, you’ll know when it doesn’t want to be touched — not to mention the striking ability to simply ignore someone it doesn’t like.

As such, cats very quickly became associated with lesbianism, particularly as these folk were seen to emulate cats’ ability to exist (and even thrive!) outside the patriarchy.

There’s also the age-old idea of the crazy cat-lady, typically used to describe childless women who live alone with their feline companions. But what if this companion was another queer woman — especially given how “puss” was used about cats before it became slang for vagina! One theory behind the cat-loving lesbian stereotype is straightforward: two women, twice the cats.

Witches are peak lesbian symbolism. And who is a witch’s best friend? A black cat, of course. Historically, witches considered cats companions in spiritual matters, while also expressing a general disgust for the demands of heterosexual marriage, gender roles, or mainstream femininity — sounds like most lesbians we know!

The witchy affinity for cats has also led to the modern queer identity of black cat lesbians , a queer woman who’s typically femme, sexy in a mysterious way and has no problem getting her claws out if you vex her. 

There are tons of queer cat parents out there. Here are some of our favourites.

Previously sharing that her relationship with a Bengal named Max (who also answers to Jella-Man) was “really strong, really weird, codependent, and almost a Bella-Edward relationship, ” Kristen Stewart always has been a big cat-lover. More recently, she described one of her current cats as a “real cock-of-the-walk” and the other as being nicknamed Snack — as in, terrified of getting eaten by the outside world.

Kate McKinnon is a big fan of cats, both on-screen and off. Not only did she play Barbara DeDrew, a lesbian cat lady who runs a cat rescue home and has a dating history of obsessed lovers on Saturday Night Live, but she rescued her own cat Nino from a Pizzeria — then named him after the eatery. Iconic.

If you didn’t know that Miley Cyrus has her own farm yard full of animals, where have you been? As well as eight dogs, a pig and two horses, Miley (who identifies as pansexual and genderfluid) also has a handful of cats. Meet Lilo, Kiki and Harlem, who were all adopted in 2015/2016.