A Nigerian woman is making some eyebrow-raising headlines after reportedly disowning her cat for "an unnatural sexual behaviour" -- allegedly, same-sex attraction.
As the Nigerian newspaper Leadership notes, the woman (identified simply as being middle-aged) rid herself of Bull, whom she owned for seven years, after the cat was deemed to "be in the habit of making sexual advances" only to other male cats in the household.
"By this, the cat has made a record as the first cat to be so publicly declared gay and disowned by its owner," writer Donatus Nadi notes in the article. As for the cat's disgruntled owner, she would only add, "Anybody interested in this gay cat can have it because I have no further use of it.”
The news comes just days after Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan signed a controversial bill banning same-sex marriage, gay "amorous relationships" and participation in LGBT rights groups.
While Bull may be the world's first documented gay cat, other animals have exhibited what many believe to be same-sex attraction. In December 2013, it was revealed that penguins Chupchikoni and Suki, who live together in an Israeli zoo, were actually two females.
"We are certain that they made a choice to be together," Tamuz Setti, head of the Safari Avian Department, told reporters at the time.
Meanwhile, in 2005, Romeo and Juliet - two graceful swans in Boston's Public Garden who shared a nest -- were found to both be female. Still, some found their Shakespeare-inspired names to be particularly appropriate given the circumstances.
"Many a gay or lesbian teen has his or her own tale of forbidden love and parental disapproval," Change.org blogger Dana Rudolph wrote. "Some, alas, are just as tragic as those of Shakespeare’s pair. Perhaps the example of the beloved Public Garden swans will help to change that."
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