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Colombo Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

Why is "she" used for a cat, instead of "it"?

Hi everybody,

I'd like to know what's the reason for using the feminine pronoun for cats, instead of the neuter. I understand that this is so when you are talking of cats in general or of female cats, but not when you're talking of male cats. Are there many words for which this occurs? And words for which "he" is used instead of "it"? If I remember well, a ship was also "she", wasn't it? (or, rather, wasn't she?)

Thanks!
  

Top answer

Hi Colombo Usually people use "he" or "she" when referring to their pets because they know which gender their animal is. There is no "rule" that says a cat of unknown gender should be thought of as feminine. But there are many people who tend to see cats as having feminine qualities and dogs as having masculine qualities.

— Yankee

  • Hi Colombo Usually people use "he" or "she" when referring to their pets because they know which gender their animal is.
  • There is no "rule" that says a cat of unknown gender should be thought of as feminine.
  • But there are many people who tend to see cats as having feminine qualities and dogs as having masculine qualities.
  • On the other hand, my sister refers to both of her cats as "he" although both cats are female!
  • I have no idea why she does this.
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13 Answers
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Hi Colombo

Usually people use "he" or "she" when referring to their pets because they know which gender their animal is. There is no "rule" that says a cat of unknown gender should be thought of as feminine. But there are many people who tendto see cats as having feminine qualities and dogs as having masculine qualities. On the other hand, my sister refers to both of he
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Hello, Colombo,

"It" is used for all animals when a speaker either doesn't know their gender or is indifferent to it. "He" and "she" are used when a speaker wants to indicate the gender of an animal.

According to grammar rules, "she" is used for ships and for countries. But maybe in modern English it's already out of date, I don't know...

I have never heard of inanimate
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In the case of a baby, the pronoun 'it' can be used when we are not sure whether the baby is male or female.
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But not in front of the parents unless you want to offend them. Emotion: smile
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Nona The BritBut not in front of the parents unless you want to offend them. Emotion: smile
Thanks for remin
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Nona The BritBut not in front of the parents unless you want to offend them. Emotion: smile
My sentiments e
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Thanks everybody! So "she" isn't used for cats, as a general rule!? I remember being told that more or less at my third English lesson, when we were taught the pronouns (we were told that all animals and inanimate things were "it" except for a few, like cats and ships, that were "she").

I have a tendency to call babies "it", even when it's easy to avoid using a pronoun or a possessive. I
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I have never heard of inanimate nouns for which "he" is used instead of "it".

A friend of mine uses "he" for computers, to explain how they work in executing programs.

First he creates space for the variables, then he loads ..., then he ..., then he prints the report.

But this is completely idiosyncratic, as far as I know.
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Colombo
So "she" isn't used for cats, as a general rule!?

No, although some people do this as an idiocyncracy. It's okay to use it if you don't know. If you are talking to the pet's owner, you can say "He (pause) (raised eyebrow) she? (pause while the owner tells you)... sure is a pretty thing" if you really want to find out.
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What's the difference between "some baby is crying across the room" and "some baby is crying in the room?"

Thanks for answering!
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