The Burdening Task of Naming a Cat
by Sherri S. Reese
Once the gender of the cat is defined, you can move on to making a good choice. You can check the Washington Post’s latest results on their ongoing survey of the most popular cat name. According to their results on December 3, 2006, the most popular cat’s name at 76 votes is Kitty, what a surprise! Needless to mention, you may want to choose a slightly more original name than this popular name for a cat.
Others use names taken from popular animals known from television, books, and movies such as Mr. Bigglesworth, Garfield, and Felix just to name a few. The same can apply to names of famous actors, sports legends, and musicians. Names derived from such sources can certainly personalize the meaning behind the cat’s name although, naming your cat after Keyser Soze or Ozzy Ozborne could have negative effects.
Perhaps the easiest approach is to use the appearance of the cat to lead you to a decision. Ask yourself these questions: It the cat fat, or thin? What color or type of cat is it? I guess this is how cats end up being named ‘Fluffy’ or ‘Smokey’. It seems as though most people prefer to spend some time observing their cat, and spending some time with it before they give it a name. Can you imagine not having a name for your own child after it was born? I think avoiding an identity crisis for your cat is a good idea. At least decide on something within the first week. Otherwise, the cat may be less responsive to the name once you finally decide on one.
Generally, within a few hours you can determine whether or not the cat is friendly, aggressive, shy, or outgoing. These personality traits can clue you in to whether the cat is named ‘Cuddles’ or “Dracula’. KittyNames.com offers an excellent site for helping you choose a name based on any of the previously mentioned factors. It also offers a search engine which tells you the meaning behind your suggested name for your pet.
Although ‘Tigger’ may seem appropriate and popular cat name for an orange tabby with a bouncy personality, selecting a fitting name is essential in establishing a lifelong relationship with your cat.
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December 8th, 2006 at 9:52 pm
my cat has been nameless for years. and we call it a nuisance,
February 10th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
I love you You love me were a happy family give
a kiss and a hug to me and to you.I hope you have
a good day throuh.
the end
For My Cat Angel
February 10th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
My cat Cuddles Allen Smith,is the best cat in the world. The most beautiful calico cat in the world,is Angel Brett Smith,anyone could see that! If anyone says their cat is better,………well, their wrong!!!!!! If you are reading this right now,you might think,…..well,my cat is better! Well,…to tell you the truth my cat is way better,so,HA! But remember,Cuddles Allen Smith,and Angel Brett Smith,are the best,I mean BEST,cats in the world!
February 28th, 2007 at 4:05 pm
i just got my kitten today!!
the question is…what to name it??!!
March 19th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
I have five cats. Patches, Alley, Dumas, My Cat(Myke for short), and Indica/Fluffy(I call her Indica, my dad calls her Fluffy). I always thought Patches would be one of the most popular cat names.
April 5th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
Personially it depends on what kind of cat it is to decide the name. I think my cat is an americian short hair. and he has a bunch of twirls and swirls on him :] ( smiley face ) so i named him Marble. Tell me what kind of cat yours is caitlin smith!!!! and is it skinny or fat ( lol ) and does he have big or small eyes? Tell me!
Boom cha cha +*~*+..POOF..+*~*+
aka kat lova
April 26th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
i named my kitten diamond! because shes the most precious thing in the world 2 me. i watched my other cat of almost 5 years and only her and her sister survived they r now almost 4 months old.my cat,princess, did have 5 kittens but 3 died. now my best friend takes care of the other one.
July 24th, 2007 at 3:49 pm
Actually, I have found that people tend to name cats too quickly. Before they have a chance to know their cat’s personality. Just a spur-of-the-moment “Whitey” or “Shadow” or “Callie.” More than once I have decided on a name in the week after we get a cat, only to have a nickname develop into the name that the cat responds to. Tiny started out as “Pandora,” Skinny started out as “Star,” and Pickle Boy was originally known as “Binky.”
My philosophy is that the cat will let you know the right name if you just pay attention. As long as it is said with love, your cat will learn it and respond to it.
September 10th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
I have four cats: Missy, Ivan, Jesse, and Saba. Missy is my favorite, she is a buetiful tan Tonkinese and no dude, she’s the best. Ivan is also a Tonkinese cat. He’s dumb and sleeps all the time. Jesse is a black “rescue” cat. He is such a sweet lap cat, I forgive him for eating paper (that I sometimes needed). Saba is a Bengal. She is a troublemaker! She’s like living with a two year old. She eats anything, like my brother feeds her stuff just to see if she’ll eat it, and she ate grits right off of his spoon! They’re all really great cats, and I miss them so much now that I’m in College.
September 20th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
I have a cat that my parents rescued when i was like seven. He’s ten years old now. He was a stray and my mom named him Scooter. I probably would have named it something different, but I wasn’t very good at coming up with names then. My dad wanted to make him Mocha, although he’s pretty golden, so that wouldn’t have been because of his color.
October 1st, 2007 at 3:19 pm
My cat is a white /tortie ‘rescue shelter’ cat called Tansy. It is a herb. My other cat, who I got at the same time, was Fern. Suited them both. Short, pretty, easy.
March 17th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
my cat has many names. a few are:
1. midnight(Most of the time)
2. todd (yes, from the musical sweeney todd)
3. phantom (from the opera, ik)
4. inky (he is black, as you’ve realized)
5. albert (don’t ask)
6. princeton (from avenue q)
he responds well to all of these, though he does hate me.
June 13th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Oh and my brother has cats with interesting names… Chubagis and Kittywompus. :]
June 16th, 2008 at 7:23 am
My cat’s name is Traveler because heralways travels around the house. He is a Domestic Shorthair. He is the friendliest cat I have met so far in my life.
July 11th, 2008 at 9:43 am
I have a cat that I’ve had for about 11 years. He’s so old! I named him Shadow because he follows me around so much, I feel like he is my shadow. He’s a black and brown kitty. Most of the time, We call him Shae because it’s short for Shadow.
I’m getting a new kitten tomorrow, and are trying to figure out a name for it. You guys didn’t really help!
July 25th, 2008 at 11:17 am
I have Peanut, Snuggles (Snuggs) and Ruffian (Ruffy). I half jokingly gave all of them middle names after family members/a former cat. Peanut Marie, Snuggles Gloria and Ruffian Riley. I agree, though, that you tend to call them by nicknames instead of by the name you took a painstakingly long time to think of.
September 1st, 2008 at 11:25 am
My cats are called Olly, Maisy, Ringo, and Mia