Powell Cat (they/them): UCLA’s First (and hopefully last) Non-Binary Cat

By Ella Scalabrini

Powell Cat (they/them). Believe it or not, when the notable Powell Cat passed away last Spring, these were the words written at the beginning of an Instagram caption that doubled as the cat’s obituary. As a student at UCLA surrounded by others with mostly socially progressive mindsets (due to geographical location and existing in the higher education realm), this assignment of pronouns was not surprising to me. What came as a shock, however, was the subject that these pronouns were attached to. Some student behind a phone screen took it upon themself to assign Powell Cat’s gender as non-binary. Regardless of whatever perceived woke standpoint this person was attempting to take, or far-reaching display of inclusion, their execution is severely misleading, and the outcome is starkly counterproductive. Aside from the absurdity of the notion, assigning non-binary pronouns to Powell Cat diminishes the internal and external battle that individuals who identify as non-binary have to endure.

Now I know what you may be thinking. “They” is a widely accepted singular pronoun, especially in a generic context when a gender is unknown. This is exactly right. The part that I take issue with is the assignment of the pronouns “they/them” to Powell Cat’s identity, in bold parentheses representing the cat’s decision to not conform to either female or male gender stereotypes. 

In the context of Powell Cat, this idea is completely ridiculous. Felines do not hold the mental consciousness to be aware of their gender, let alone realize that their sex does not align with their preferred gender. Humans on the other hand do. Inner turmoil, gender dysmorphia, rejection and ostracism are all part of the challenges that individuals who do not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth go through. While the rights and recognition of non-binary individuals has improved in many parts of the country, progress is still to be made in both this country and the world at large. The ability to identify as non-binary opens the door of inclusivity just a touch wider. It allows the passage of people who previously felt socially exiled due to their nonconformity to typical gender stereotypes and expectations. 

When we assign Powell Cat’s gender as non-binary, we nudge this door in the wrong direction. While it is unlikely that this was the intended purpose of the pronoun assignment, it can imply mockery towards human beings who identify as non-binary. Creating a non-binary cat invalidates the lived experiences of those who actively do not conform to a gender, and therefore rely on these pronouns for a more encompassed sense of self. 

Assigning non-binary pronouns to a cat is an example of liberal, woke performativity. It’s like screaming from the rooftops “I’m accepting!!!” when all you really need to do is just be accepting. This type of virtue-signaling is over-the-top and problematic. Rather than authentically displaying empathy and acceptance towards non-binary individuals, arbitrarily creating a non-binary cat to emphasize this acceptance is performative. It is a ridiculous notion that demonstrates behavior that has drifted so far to the ideological pole that it has become frozen over and is cold to the touch. 

It is also unsurprising that we see “Powell Cat (they/them)” on a UCLA-student platform. At a liberal campus in an equally liberal city, the bubble of ideological homogeneity can foster the display of unrelatable, out-of-touch behavior. It is no secret that political and ideological polarization taints our nation, and extreme beliefs and behavior on both ends of the spectrum are leading contributors to this issue. Division on social issues falls along these lines of polarization, and extremity on the opposing side pushes people closer to their respective ideological poles; this is not necessarily due to strong in-group ties, but rather a passionate animosity towards the other side. As people continue to fester in their respective in-group, relating to others who fall outside their bubble of conformity becomes increasingly difficult.

Assigning non-binary pronouns to a feline is an example of this extreme behavior that results from festering. It strengthens the walls of these bubbles from soap to cement; it’s like pulling a Jenga stick on an already wobbly tower.

Now don’t get me wrong, ambiguity around Powell Cat’s sex is totally understandable. Perhaps a good look at the elegant creature’s underside was never fully achieved, or fear of calling the cat a “he” when it was really a “she” hindered the student’s ability to assign the pronouns (he/him) or (she/her). In this case, my recommendation would be to fight the urge of unnecessary and inaccurate representation and withhold pronoun assignment completely. 

Or perhaps you might argue that Powell Cat is an entity that transcends the constructs of gender. For those who don’t know, Powell Cat is almost a spiritual figure here at UCLA; a homeless, stray cat that climbed the rankings and got taken under the wing of 30,000 pet owners. Powell Cat’s home was a comfortable, 419-acre piece of pristine property in sunny Los Angeles with ample playing space and a surplus of food scraps to choose from. Not all cats have achieved this God-like status, and therefore maybe Powell Cat deserves this noble ranking of non-binary nirvana? Not. As a cat, Powell Cat inherently transcends the constructs of gender and therefore does not need pronouns attached to its name suggesting otherwise. 

Despite what Powell Cat’s obituary seemed to claim, in Powell Cat’s long and fulfilled lifetime, there was no indication that the cat did not conform to a specific gender. This is because Powell Cat is a cat. I am scared for a world where we as humans take it upon ourselves to inflict our gender constructs on the animal kingdom.