School officials in Evansville, Indiana have declared there is no truth to persistent rumours that there are students who identify as cats at their schools.

The declaration comes after a retired schoolteacher named Ruth Baize appeared at a recent school board meeting making the claim.

Baize appeared alongside friend Theresa Finn, who was dressed as a cat and held on a leash, claiming that the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation Board was allowing students to self-identify as felines and supplying kitty litter boxes for students.

The interaction was reported by local media outlet Courier & Press who noted that Baize had previously unsuccessfully run for the school board and has a history of making inflammatory remarks on social media.

They are the latest in a long list of schools who have had to deny the urban legend. In recent years the claim has arisen in schools in Ohio, Utah, Michigan, Arkansas and Texas.

There have also been similar reports in Australia. Brisbane’s Courier Mail, Sky News and Melbourne’s Herald Sun have all shared Australian based stories of a similar nature.

Researchers in the USA say the tale of students identifying as cats can be traced back to various occurrences over the last 20 years.

The basic story is students are identifying as cats, and some part of the school world is being adjusted for their special needs. Often the claim is that kitty litter boxes are being put in unisex bathrooms, or tables in the cafeteria are being lowered so students can eat like animals.

There’s clearly a connection between opposition to people who are transgender accessing bathrooms or changerooms, and the outlandish tales of cat-identifying students.

OIP Staff

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