He/She or It? Pronouns for Animals
Summary
Use the pronouns he and she instead of it for animals with names or whose sex is known.
- My cat Tooks is so talkative that she keeps me up at night with her chatter.
- The gorilla beat his chest and threw sticks and rocks at the intruder.
To refer to a species or to an animal whose sex is not known, use the pronoun it instead.
- If one polar bear wants food from another, it will touch the other bear’s nose with its own.
- The little black dog followed us home, wagging its tail.
In scientific and academic writing as well, use feminine and masculine pronouns like she, he, her, and his instead of neuter-gender pronouns like it and its to refer to an animal whose sex is known.
When a peacock struts his stuff, our attention immediately turns to his elaborate plumage with its colorful eyespots.
— Carrie Arnold, “Mystery Solved: Why Peacocks Got Their Eyespots,” National Geographic (July 15, 2014)The farthest distance any mother had to travel to obtain food or water was two meters from the nest where she kept her cub.
— Snyder et al., “Giant Panda Maternal Care: A Test of the Experience Constraint Hypothesis,” Scientific Reports (June 7, 2016)
He, she, and it as pronouns
He, she, and it are personal pronouns that refer to people or things. He and she, which are masculine and feminine, are generally used for people, while it, which is neuter gender, refers to things.
- Have you met my friend Lulu? She likes photographing sunsets.
- Farley knew he was going to be late for the meeting.
- Check the suitcase: is it really empty?
- Where’s my phone? Here it is, in my pocket.
Other masculine and feminine pronouns are him, her, himself, herself, his, and hers, while neuter pronouns are its and itself. These are objective, reflexive, and possessive pronouns that carry gender. Possessive determiners like her, his, and its also carry gender.
- Call him tomorrow.
- Ask her if she wants to take some cake home for herself.
- Poco has gone and bought himself another car.
- These are all hers.
- This car can drive itself.
In this article we discuss whether to use feminine and masculine pronouns like she, he, her, and him or neuter pronouns like it to refer to animals.
He/she vs. it for animals
Use masculine and feminine pronouns like he and she instead of the neuter pronoun it for animals that have names or whose sex is known.
- When we first brought our cat Tooks home from the shelter, she was afraid of humans. Now she’ll jump onto your lap as soon as you sit down, so she can snuggle up cozily and purr.
- Rita takes her dog, Lava, everywhere she goes. He even goes sailing with her and loves the water.
- The mother bear swam to shore, with the cub on her back.
- My neighbor’s cat visits me often. Sometimes he spends the whole afternoon on my windowsill, washing himself, enjoying the sunshine.
- My cat Hobbes stays in the bedroom when we have visitors. He doesn’t like strangers.
- Bessie the cow likes having her ears and neck tickled.
To refer to a species or an animal whose sex is unknown, use the pronoun it instead.
- Lulu has posted a cute video of a cat washing itself.
Use it instead of she or he when you don’t know whether an animal is female or male.
- Look at the puppy chasing its tail.
- The horse whinnied and stamped its foot.
- The cheetah, which is the world’s fastest land animal, gets as close as possible to its prey before initiating a high-speed chase.
Use it to refer to a species of animal.
- When a beaver senses danger, it slaps its tail loudly on water to sound the alarm before diving underwater.
In scientific and academic writing as well, he and she are used instead of it for animals subjects with names or whose sex is known.
The female [platypus] incubates the eggs by curling around them with her tail touching her bill.
— “Platypus,” Encyclopedia Britannica (Accessed Aug. 5, 2022)- Researchers watched as a lone female wolf entered the territory of one of the wolf bands they had dubbed the Middle Pack. She was attacked by the wolf pack and forced into the chilly water of Lake Superior. Though wounded, she swam back to shore and survived. A male split from the Middle Pack and came to her aid, staying with her and licking her wounds after she had been left for dead.
— Adam Hadhazy, “The Wolf and the Moose: Natural Enemies That Need Each Other,” Scientific American (July 17, 2008)
In creative writing, animals may be given human traits and characteristics. The writer will then use he and she instead of it for such anthropomorphized animals.
Major was already ensconced on his bed of straw, under a lantern which hung from a beam. He was twelve years old and had lately grown rather stout, but he was still a majestic-looking pig, with a wise and benevolent appearance in spite of the fact that his tushes had never been cut.
— George Orwell, Animal Farm (1945)
Additional guidance
Grammar and style authorities generally agree that masculine and feminine pronouns like he and she should be used instead of it for animals with names or those whose sex is known.
- Merriam-Webster in its dictionary entries on he and she states that these words refer to male or female persons or animals.
- The AP Stylebook recommends that he and she be used instead of it for an animal with a name or whose sex is established.
- The Chicago Manual of Style does not provide specific guidance, but in its Q&A section, it notes that a feminine pronoun is used when referring to a female person or animal.
- The APA Publication Manual also recommends using he and she instead of it for animals with names.
Use who instead of which for animals with names, including people’s pets and service animals, the same way that you would use he or she instead of it for such animals.
- The Harrises’ dog, who is a rescue, is afraid of thunder.
- Avoid interacting with a guide dog who is working.
- My cat Hobbes, who is white with black markings, often sits and stares at his evil twin in the mirror.
Examples from published content
Here are some examples from published writing that show how feminine and masculine pronouns are used for pet and other animals whose sex is known.
In the morning when she wishes me to wake, she crouches on my chest and pats my face with her paw. If I am on my side, she crouches, looking into my face.
— Doris Lessing, On Cats (1985)Seven paintings were created by the rescue dog, who uses his nose and paws to make the pieces of art.
— “Banksy the Dog Raises £500 for Bristol Animal Charity,” BBC News (Feb. 7, 2022)Pauline Wayne was the last pet cow to graze on the White House lawn. She provided milk and butter to the first family – including the notoriously rotund president – and was so popular nationally that her milk was once sold in little souvenir bottles.
— “Pomp, Circumstance, Fur: A Quiz on Presidential Pets,” New York Times (Sep. 30, 2016)
In academic writing as well, he and she are used for animals whose sex is known.
Dominant gorillas do not generally overtly assert their rank. When threatened by intruders, however, the male hoots, stands upright, beats his chest with cupped hands and throws vegetation. If his message of dominance fails, he charges with a huge roar and knocks the aggressor down with a massive hand swipe.
— Henry R. Hermann, “From Whence We Came,” Dominance and Aggression in Humans and Other Animals (2017)Annabel the elephant has a collar that transmits her GPS location hourly over the cellphone network. Unusually, she has wandered out of range, in an area frequented by poachers. We’re heading out to look for her.
— Deborah Mackenzie, “Spot That Elephant,” New Scientist, Volume 230, Issue 3078 (June 18, 2016)
Anthropomorphized animal characters in creative writing (who behave like humans) are referred to using he or she instead of it.
None of the new spiders ever quite took her place in his heart. She was in a class by herself.
— E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web (1952)‘Hush! Hush!’ said the Rabbit in a low, hurried tone. He looked anxiously over his shoulder as he spoke, and then raised himself upon tiptoe, put his mouth close to her ear, and whispered ‘She’s under sentence of execution.’
— Lewis Caroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865)
Usage guide
Use masculine and feminine pronouns like he, she, his, and her instead of neuter-gender pronouns like it and its to refer to an animal with a name or one whose sex is known. Also use he or she rather than it for an animal that is personified or anthropomorphized. However, use the pronoun it instead of he or she to refer to an animal species or an animal whose sex is not known.