Can Sexual Behaviour Be Misinterpreted?

Can dogs be gay? Can cats be gay? Here's another reason why it's tough to find the answer to these questions: for animals, what's presumed to be a mating behaviour may be misinterpreted. For example, both male and female dogs will mount other dogs. While it is possible that some pets do this because they want to engage in sexual activities, there are many other reasons they may be performing that behaviour. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA) suggests that mounting is less about sex and more about playing, releasing stress or showing dominance. Also, don't forget that dogs will often mount humans and furniture as well.

PetHelpful notes that male cats (even neutered ones) may also mount their pet parents and other household kitties to show whose boss. Neutering or spaying your pet will often help prevent mounting and other aggressive behaviours. Cats are also known for their grooming skills, and will often lick and sleep cuddled up to other cats. What may seem like sexual behaviour to humans may very well be a part of social grooming.

The Jury Is Still Out

While there's been much speculation, there's no scientific evidence of various animals, especially house pets, being gay or not.

"Whether there's any kind of same-sex sexual preference going on, that's left entirely to the imagination in the sense that the data just [doesn't] exist to demonstrate one way or the other," said Paul Vasey from the University of Lethbridge to the Washington Post. He continues to say that being exclusively gay is "exceptionally rare" in the animal kingdom.

So, if you're curious if your dog or cat is gay, know that there is currently no evidence to support this notion at least in terms that humans are used to defining homosexuality.

Measuring Puppy Love

Scientists often study two things when trying to determine whether animals can be gay: exclusivity and longevity. Exclusivity considers whether these animals are participating in sexual relations only with members of the same sex. A study in the Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology journal found that about 8 percent of rams appear to mate exclusively with other males, but domesticated sheep seem to be the only non-human mammal with deliberate same-sex mating behaviours. Other animals, such as Japanese macaques, bottlenose dolphins and bonobos (one of our closest primate relatives), mate and cuddle with partners of both genders, notes the BBC — exhibiting more fluid behaviour that is closer to what we would call bisexuality.

Next, scientists consider longevity when studying same-sex behaviour in animals. Female albatrosses, for example, often form lifelong partnerships with other females. But dogs and cats don't tend to engage in any sexual behaviours for long periods of time. Unspayed cats will go into heat several times a year and may attempt to be mounted, rubbed, or licked by another cat, regardless of sex. Because cats and dogs also do not have long-term mates like humans, longevity is often quite difficult to measure.