Cat
A Nigerian cat has been disowned for being 'gay'. NB This is not the cat in question.

The crackdown on homosexuals which has brought international criticism raining down on Nigeria now appears to be spreading to animals.

A woman from Lafia, central Nigeria, has disowned her cat due to his "unnatural sexual behaviour," the Leadership news website reported.

The cat, named Bull, allegedly had the habit of making sexual advances exclusively towards the owner's other male cats, despite there being females in the household.

The woman, whose name is unknown, claimed that the seven-year-old pet gave her a great deal of concern because its behaviour is "a contradiction of the laws of nature".

"Anybody interested in the gay cat can have it because I have no further use of it," the woman said to the several neighbours who had gathered outside when she renounced her pet.

Neighbours attested that none of the other cats born in the woman's home over the past seven years had Bull's color, raising suspicions that the woman's accusations about his sexual inclinations might be true.

While other people in the area were said to be making jokes about the woman's reason for disowning her cat, nobody has, so far, adopted the pet after the woman rejected it.

The Leadership also reported that this is the first time a cat has been "so publicly declared gay and disowned by its owner."

The Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2013, otherwise known as the 'Jail the Gays' bill, has introduced prison sentences of up to 14 years for Nigerians found guilty of homosexuality.

Amnesty claims the new law disregards human rights, and mirrors the laws enforced by the military dictators who ruled Nigeria until 1999.

Nigeria's discriminatory laws and systematic homophobic repression is also having a negative effect on public health, as persecuted people will encounter difficulties in accessing the health service, which may cause an increase in the rate of HIV.

Only South Africa has a higher rate of HIV than Nigeria anywhere in the world. According to the latest figures, 3.4 million of Nigerians are currently living living with HIV/Aids.