While research about human-nonhuman relationships benefits humans insofar as it provides parallels for understanding ourselves, sociological scholarship can also benefit other species by revealing their significance to human sociality. Researchers have used social psychological theories of interaction to successfully describe the ways that nonhumans serve as generalized others, co-produce symbolic meaning, and accomplish relational goals. These scholars have also illustrated how humans construct identities for their nonhuman companions. Fewer studies have undertaken how other animals are utilized in human identity construction, and as of this writing, no research has specifically examined identity work among those who consider domestic cats significant to their self-construction processes. This is a significant oversight, given that over one-quarter of American homes contain a cat, as well as cats’ roles in culture as instruments of self-expression. Moreover, cats exist in a state of perpetual cultural flux, simultaneously beloved and reviled—a status that has real consequences for their lives and well-being. However, it is clear that cats serve for many people as important identity markers in the same ways as friends, families, and other significant relationships. Motivated by the ultimate goal of uplifting the social status of the species, my research advances this mandate by investigating the phenomenon of performing identity work with cats. Broadly using a symbolic interaction lens, this dissertation examines how four different groups of individuals who are associated with domestic cats perform identity work that positions cats as critical social actors in their self-concepts.

Situating my questions within social psychological theories of identity and a multidisciplinary body of research describing human-nonhuman relationships, I interviewed 69 people across four groups of individuals: men who share pictures and information about their cats on social media; feline-exclusive veterinarians; cat fanciers—those who breed and show cats; and those who provide care for unhomed cats. These interviews informed the research question, “How do members of different social groups outwardly identifying as having an interest in domestic cats use the same species to construct their personal and social identities?” Two associated questions guided my constructivist grounded theory analysis: (1) What are the similarities and differences in identity work between these groups, and why do they occur? and (2) How does identity work translate into resisting or reinforcing boundaries with, and social construction of, domestic cats? I positioned my findings within a three-phase framework of human-nonhuman relationships—embodied experiences, attunement, and identity transformation—to describe one personal identity transformation and one social identity transformation for each group.

All interviewees discussed the ways they simultaneously reinforce and resist social boundaries between humans and cats to varying degrees. The identity work that my participants perform furthermore contests social stigma related to cats and those who care for them in their roles as, alternately, parental figures, advocates, and caretakers. Through “being-with” cats—engaging them in intentional relationships of mutual subjectivity—as well as “being-for” cats—acting in ways that further their individual interests—my interviewees also challenge stereotypes related to gender, family, hierarchy, and labor. Simultaneously, those who live with and/or care for cats constrict their agency through making decisions on their behalf regarding reproduction, diet, and other limits on their telos, the inexorable qualities associated with felinity. While doing so is an inevitable outcome of domestication, each group demonstrated accommodating cats’ preferences to varying degrees. Highlighting individuals’ whose identities are partially constructed via interaction with cats demonstrates how the boundaries between humans and cats are negotiated. Looking to my participants’ insights on how they view the cats in their care as agentic individuals can help to erase harmful stereotypes about the species and elevate the domestic cat’s status as a subjective actor, a critical step to more humane and inclusive policies that defy traditional conceptions of nonhumans as objects.