An animal adoption agency has prevented a Christian couple from re-homing a kitten after they refused to use a gender neutral pronoun to refer to the cat.

Cats First, a feline charity based in San Fransisco, told the would be owners that they had a strict policy of “gender neutrality” and that the couple failed to meet the required standard for adoption.

A statement on their website explains, “We believe that all animals have the right to assert their own gender identity and should not be forced to conform to the archaic stereotypes imposed by a patriarchal worldview”.

Joe and Cara Alsop have spoken of their disbelief when they were informed of the conditions to the adoption. Cara told local news, “We thought it was some kind of joke, I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous in my life”.

She continued, “The agency doesn’t care about the cats, they only care about promoting their silly agenda. Giving a kitten a gender specific name and referring to it as a ‘he’ or ‘she’ has no effect on the cat’s wellbeing whatsoever”.

Joe added, “What is so terrible is that they didn’t tell us about their policy until right at the end of the adoption process, we already had our hearts set on a little kitten”. They are now seeking legal advice over the incident and still hope to adopt from the agency.

Cats First have released a statement saying they “do not comment on specific cases” but that they “stand by their policy” and will “continue to fight for feline rights”.