diff --git a/apis/python/src/tiledbsoma/io/conversions.py b/apis/python/src/tiledbsoma/io/conversions.py
index 982da7b739..f4f972fc1f 100644
--- a/apis/python/src/tiledbsoma/io/conversions.py
+++ b/apis/python/src/tiledbsoma/io/conversions.py
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@
 import pandas as pd
 import pandas._typing as pdt
 import scipy.sparse as sp
-from pandas.api.types import is_categorical_dtype
 
 from .._funcs import typeguard_ignore
 from .._types import NPNDArray, PDSeries
@@ -46,7 +45,9 @@ def to_tiledb_supported_array_type(name: str, x: _MT) -> _MT:
     """Converts datatypes unrepresentable by TileDB into datatypes it can represent.
     E.g., float16 -> float32
     """
-    if isinstance(x, (np.ndarray, sp.spmatrix)) or not is_categorical_dtype(x):
+    if isinstance(x, (np.ndarray, sp.spmatrix)) or not isinstance(
+        x, pd.CategoricalDtype
+    ):
         # mypy issues a spurious error here, but only when
         # _to_tiledb_supported_dtype is decorated with @typeguard_ignore???
         target_dtype = _to_tiledb_supported_dtype(x.dtype)  # type: ignore[arg-type]