In my opinion, naming cats is even more fun than naming human babies. After all, how many of us would name a baby "Oreo" or "SnowBalls" (who became 'SNo Balls after he was neutered.)
A few years ago, a number of the About.com Cats Forum regulars had an impromtu discussion on cat names, and how they were chosen. Cats were named after literary characters, movies, songs, for their looks or personality traits, after people - the list goes on and on. My Angel Kitty, Shannon, pictured here in the prime of his life, was named after Shannon Park, where my daughter found him late at night when she was a teenager (don't ask). Shannon also has (in my opinion) the distinction of being the only cat for whom a street was named. That story is related in the article, "Cat Names - What's in a Name?"
Image © Franny Syufy
How did you choose a name for your cat? From a real-life hero, a fictitious character from a book, movie or video game, perhaps a song title? Share your cat's name here in the comments, with a little information about your cat and the circumstances behind his or her name.
Comments
Newman was named by his rescue foster mother, The name came from a character in a popular TV show at the time. We just kept the name. He gained the appellation Brave after he was locked in the linen closet overnight as a kitten and was brave enough to keep from wetting the towels.
Hi Barry! I’m guessing Seinfeld. I’m sure glad you added the “Brave” to his name, ’cause the poor little tyke sure was brave during that experience!.
I have a Neko, Koshka, and Mau. Neko came first. I’m not very good with coming up with names (for example: I have had three newts named Mr. Newt [English, Spanish and French], and a Mr. Turtle, and the current turtle is just Turtle), so I ended up looking up words for cat in other languages. Neko (Japanese) was the best name sounding word I came across and it stuck. Sometimes we call her Neko-boo, or, rarely, just boo because she is almost all black.
(and Koshka is a nut).
Then I recently adopted a brother and sister pair of kittens, so I looked around and found an even better source of words for cat. Koshka (Russian) is the girl (also Koshkanut), and Mau (Chinese) is the boy. These fit, because they are most definitely all cats
My oldest cat is mostly white with brown markings, with an absolutely perfect mustache and soul patch that covers his entire maw. It looks exactly like he had his face buried in a bowl of butterscotch pudding – so, his name was easy: Butterscotch.
When I got my 2nd cat, she turned out to be white with black markings, and an oversized Groucho Marx-like mustache. It was obvious to me that I had to come up with something that would go along with Butterscotch, and I eventually settled on Pudding. (If I had to do it again, Mocha might have been a better name for her, but Pudding she remains.)
Hi, I have four boys, all from the same litter. Their mother was a stray whom we used to feed. One evening she decided to bring her kittens to our home and now they are MY boys. They are named Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin- after the hobbits from The Lord of the Rings. Having gotten four of them together, it was too cute to resist naming them like that!
I have three girls – Guinevere, Diana and Catherine, all shelter rescues. For some reason I have always had a thing for British royalty. I enjoy the Arthurian legend as well, so when I adopted my first cat I named her Guinevere. A few months later it was obvious Guinny needed a feline companion, so I adopted Diana, named for the late Princess of Wales who I idolized as a small child. A few months ago I adopted a senior cat and she became Catherine, after the Duchess of Cambridge. All three of my kitties are royalty in their own right!
My husband and I adopted a Maine Coon from a local rescue. We didn’t like his original name so we wanted to give him one better suited for him. Since he was a 6 month old kitten (weighing in at 15 lbs) and being a breed from Maine we settled on Moose. Moose has been with us since 05′ and is now 24 lbs and happy.
my husband brought home 6 week old Dusty in 1996. she was gray and white and looked liked she had dust on her coat. shr lloked as if she may be part persian as she was so fluffy. several people told us she was a pretty kitty and Dusty was the perfect name. she is now 16, and has slowed down quite a bit.
my cats name is sassy, i got her after losing patches after 18 years, i hears the naame after a ad on the radio using sassy instead of lassie. i fell in love with that name and when i got my cat i named her sassy. needless to say she has a lot of sassy in her.
Tatters was apparently the name of my mother’s favorite doll when she was young. When we were brought a dirty, injured kitten she thought the name would fit. I’m proud to say that our Tatters is now in great health and has the whitest fur you could imagine. Frodo, Pippin and Sam all came from The Lord of the Rings.
We’ve found names come from each cat, most of whom have been rescue kitties: Bob got his name for his stumpy tail — at some time in his life it’d been damaged. Ghost because you can see him in the dark, being all white. Socks, well his photo shows the inevitability of his name, with his white paws. Trouble I stopped my car for on the highway verge during morning city trafficjam and had in my office all day!
I have a Siamise cat named Chloe. I got her from a shelter 2 years ago. Her name was Chloe.I was going to change it but as she grew, I realized that she has the perfect name that was just for her. She truly is the Chloe-patra of our neighborhood. She walks like a queen and she demands like the queen she is. We love her so much!!
My kitty, Comfort, was named because I got him just before my mean ex-husband & I split up. He was a comfort and a distraction to me when things in my life were very unsettling. He was a cute all black puff ball who was very loving & sweet and a wonderful reason to come back home after my split.
I also saw the word ‘comfort’ on a calendar for the month of July when I found him that had cats and scripture. The scripture read ‘Blessed be the God of all comfort…’ and so I decided that Comfort would be a great name for him.
By the way, the founder of Tiffany’s was named Louis Comfort Tiffany. I hear that Comfort and Consider were popular men’s names many years ago (according to what I heard on Antiques Roadshow). All of this together let me know that I had chosen the right name for this wonderful cat that I love so much.
We had an American Short Hair Tabby named Jethro who was named after Jethro TULL the singer/songwriter by our teenage son. Jethro was a large boy, 23 pounds, and not an ounce of fat on him. He came to live with my wife and I when he was 3 years old. Our son moved and asked us if Jethro could stay with us for a couple of months because the apartment he rented didn’t allow pets. That 2 months ended up being 15 years that we were blessed with Jethro’s companionship. He died at home of old age a year ago. He was a good cat and is missed dearly.
I had an Alien a few years back. He was a Devon Rex rescue: overweight, bald, orange, and no teeth. First time my mother saw him, she said “Oh my god! What is that? It looks like ET!” so he became the Alien. He was the sweetest cat, though – a real snuggle bunny. He was elderly, and had medical issues, so I didn’t get to live with him long = but I loved him dearly.
I have two cats, one calico and the other marmalade. The calico, who had her left hind leg amputated at the knee, is Rachel, both a Biblical name and in honor of a friend.
The marmalade is Archie. He’s named for a cat my friend Marian had, and who died. He has had several names – originally “Honey” (which wasn’t so great for a male), then Oliver, and now Archie. Both came from a friend who does cat rescue.
I rescued my all- black cat out of a parking lot over 2 years ago. She was about 6 months old, and although I never considered a kitty, she won my heart. I named her Ebony, but usually call her Ebby. When we are being silly, I say “Ebbykin”– and her ears will still perk up at the sound of her name. Ebby rescued me as much as I did her. She is happy, much loved and gives love in return. Ebby is an inside cat and wants to be close to her “mama” at all times, which is fine by me. Ebby enjoys being groomed and licking water from the bathroom tap. What a blessing to have her!
my cat , evie,was a feral cat who was born in a cemetery. i delivered auto parts and other equipment parts to the caretakers there, and i had mentioned i wanted a new kitten to one of the men. he told me i was in luck, one of the feral cats who hung out there (the men fed them and let them live in their equipment barn) had just had kittens. a couple weeks later he brought me this sweet little furball that i named evie, after the cemetery, evergreen cemetery.
Two of my guys have somewhat unusual names. Uncle E started out as Echo, because he “echoed” his sister’s trouble-making ways. A while later, another cat came inside to have kittens (sigh), and he turned into a wonderful uncle cat. But Uncle Echo just didn’t sound right, so he’s now Uncle E. Those kittens went to good homes, BTW. Then there’s Stinkerbelly. She’s a small(ish) calico who showed up on my doorstep one night. Like Uncle E’s sister, she turned out to be a little trouble-maker. Her original name of Tinkerbelle changed into Stinkerbelle at first — and then she figured out she could get out of any trouble merely by rolling over on her back and displaying her pretty white tummy. Hence … Stinkerbelly. It’s nice that we can better reflect our cats’ personalities with slightly altered names!
The maintenance man found her under a bush with 6 newborn kittens. First thing in the morning he was to take them to a high-kill animal shelter. I refused to get involved, again! I had already ‘adopted’ the feistiest cat on the planet from this Apt. complex. But later that night I couldn’t stop thinking of the new mom and her babes and decided to at least give her a warm blanket and some food and water. It was dark, damp and cold and when I seen this pathetic skinny creature- a kitten herself I gathered them all up and hid her on the back porch for 3 months. All the kittens got homes and her name is Misty – she was found in the mist of bushes. She is the most beautiful light gray and white Tuxedo cat I’d ever seen. And it’s a match made by heaven and I love her dearly.
Last year at the end of April, my kitten was given to me. He was just born on March 20, 2011 and he was a tiny little thing- adorable and cute. White and light tan coat and hazel eyes.
I wanted to name him with a Z name. Zeena was a girl’s name and Zeno would be the boy’s name. I didn’t like Zeno, so I called him a nickname of Zeno – it would be Zeenie.
Crockett and Tasha are brother and sister Maine Coon brown tabbies with white markings. Born at Christmastime, we gave them seasonal names. Crockett references his bushy tail (think Davey Crockett’s coonskin cap) and the shepherd’s crook. Tasha is from Natasha which refers to the nativity.
Younger half brother Jaspurr is a red and white Maine Coon. He is named for the red mineral (Jasper) and the engine company since his motor never quits! His sister Callie (named for a Calla lilly) is black, brown and white. Both came home at Easter.
We want our pet names to have meaning and work very hard at coming up with just the right moniker.
Brambles is not what he sounds like! He is one of my 2 Spanish cats, inherited by me when my son moved back to UK last year. His name comes from the time when my son’s wife had rescued them from the “campo” as wild feral tiny kittens, she had tamed them so as they grew she naturally had them neutered. Well, Pepper (as he was then called) sported a magnificent set of brown b….s, so when they went, she decided to honour him by giving him a new name, ie Brownballs, which of course became Brambles, as by then she had a new little baby human boy, my first grandson! I now have adopted Brambles and his sister, Sassy (was Salt as a kitten!) back in UK as my dear Spanish cats. They hate the cold and snuggle on (and in) my bed nowadays. They have adapted very well and play with my own cat, Henry. But when I call them in I still have to shout “Gattos”!!!
My cat’s name is “LUCKY”–I was on my way out of town and saw what I thought was a turtle in the middle of a major highway. I made a “U” turn and pulled up by the critter–I always stop and get turtles off the highway.
I was just in time to save it from a semi truck–needless, to say what would have happened!! When I got close I then thought it was a stuffed animal in the highway. I walked over and then saw it was a kitten. I still do not know how it got there? I scooped it up off of the highway. Now I had a problem?? I decided “GOD” must have placed me there at the right time to save this kitten. I was trying to decide on a name–highway or semi–I said to my self this cat is really “LUCKY” that I showed up so that was the end of the story. LUCKY is now about 7 to 8 pounds!
We have a lovely gray/brown mackerel tabby DMH named Cricket. I think mostly we just liked the sound of it, but it suits her perfectly as she is very bouncy and talkative with a high, squeaky voice. She has also mastered the silent meow, which I suspect is actually a meow pitched above our hearing range. It’s accompanied by a hysterical little head bob that totally reads as “S’up?” She is so cute
We also had a kitten named Kusa–the Japanese word for “grass,” and the nickname for a ninja in “sleeper” status in a community. And before her was Bean, who just…was (a bean…and therefore was sometimes called “Isabean”).
Funny story about my cats’ names. I was told that Louie was a female so I name him “Lucy” after Lucille Ball because of his orange/red coat. When I took her/him, the vet told me she was a he; so, I had to change Lucy to Louie. The same happened to Olivia, her original name was Oscar and after his/her check up I was inform he was a she and so I changed it to Olivia.
I brought Jingles home last December 19, from a rescue for which I volunteer. I wanted a holiday name, given the timing, and was tossing around other names such as Holly, Noel and Merry. She was so timid and shy while at the shelter. But the name Jingles fits her perfectly. The world is her toy. She is always amusing herself and is a bundle of energy. I telll her that she’s my little purring machine. She is a constant source of amusement for me, and I can’t stop taking pictures of her cute little self.
After bringing my boy home from the shelter and he had tired himself and me out exploring his new home he climbed up on my lap and went to sleep purring his little heart out and then I fell asleep as well and when I woke up the first word that I thought of was Scamp. So that is how he got his name.
Our boy was originally named Tinkle Mouse- after a brand of biscuits- when he joined our family he was a few weeks old and teeny tiny. BUT that soon changed and he grew to be a tall 6 kg baby- we had no choice but to drop the Tinkle and now he is called Mouse.
Our cat, Prince William was named after the real Prince of England… he is also named after my Mom”s maiden name.. And there’s no doubt about it, he looks the part as regal and royal he sshoud be!!! He is 9 years old!
On Easter Sunday, April 4, 1999, I was picking up a relative to drive her to our family dinner when I met a friendly little gray tabby that had been hanging around her house. She was still there when we got back and tried to follow my elderly relative into the house. I picked her up, she started purring, I fed her some ham, and ended up taking her to my vet that night for a combo test and exam as I had another cat at home. Thirteen years later she’s still sitting next to me on the couch while I type. Her name? Bunny, of course! I get a few quizzical looks at the vet’s office but it was a natural for my Easter bunny.
We are guardians to five cats: the patriarch of the clowder is Sam–short for Sam-Singh, a beautiful long-hair oriental, seal-point we adopted from our local Humane Society shelter; they had named him Sammie, which I felt lacked dignity, so instead, I named him after the late Yam Sing, a cat we had some years before. Next are the two silver tabbies we felt looked like the original Egyptian cats, so we called them Isis and Ramses (Rammie or Ramster are the most used nicknames? Last but not least are the two Maine Coons adopted (like the tabbies) from our vet, who has a sort of informal shelter on her farm–she spays or neuters, gives them their shots, and looks for guardians she feels are trustworthy. Anyway, the Coons are (like the tabbies) brother and sister, and as Wulf was rather wolffish looking,mew named him Wulfgang Amadeus Meowzart, and his sister, we called Constanza–but she’s always called Connie (after our vet’s tech of the same name!) we also have two grandkitties–Sushi, so called because of his tail–or rather, what’s left of it. When the Humane Society got him, his tail was so badly injured, they had to amputate all but the last two inches of it. He’s a lilac-point meezer. His brother is Indy, who is always speeding wherever he goes, so the name is a perfect fit–he’s a caramel-colored long-hair tabby. So, there you have it!
I adopted a beautiful black and white female.Her name was given to her. I love the name. Oreo Cookie,cause of the black with white markings on her. She is very sweet.
Our latest addition was near death when my neighbor came to tell me about the little kitten who hadn’t moved for three days in her yard. I went over and knew this little one had to get to a vet but in reality thought there was little hope for him. When I went to pick him up to place him in one of our cat carriers for the trip, with the last of his energy, he put up a fight to protect himself from the strangers who were, in his mind, attacking his space. It was then I knew that he was a fighter and would be all right. It was also then he got his name….Sugar Ray!
I ALWAYS name my cats after the sounds they make, since I think it would be hard to have a name I couldn’t pronounce. Past cat names of mine were Reerow, Waa, Aerr-Aerr, Miyu and Miri, Aow and now my current adored one, Urrow.
I have a Spook, Sparkle, Bitsy, Bandit and Bear now.
Prior I have had Squeak, Bob, Jinx, Yankee, Murphy, Rescue and Charlie.
Every single one of them….LOVED, LOVED, LOVED!!
In my “herd” you will find Yoda (who was the tinest kitten with huge ears that he eventually grew into), Ziggy (the DLH B/W tuxedo with a Ziggy Stardust marking on face), Amelia Bearheart (who was a tiny totally black kitten who was the first out of “the nest ” as she wanted to explore as soon as her yeys were open). The other members include Penny (a torti whose copper color gleams in the sunlight), Newy (short for Newhart since he is so laid back), Grumpy Grace (who swings a mean paw!), Alex, Cleo (who I adopted after her owner died), Thomas and Uno.
I like to let my cats name themselves. My first cat was Cleo, because I always thought that was a good name for a cat. Second cat was Tillie because I called her “silly girl” in baby talk and it sounded like “tillie girl”. Third cat was Baby because she was small and always laid in the baby stuff in the spare bedroom. I kept referring to the fourth cat as “new cat”, and when I said it fast, sounded like “nougat” (plus he was orange), so Nougat stuck. Fifth cat (Toby) came that way and I liked it. Plus all my fosters…
I have two cherished gray cats–a sister and brother who were rescues because they were probably rejected by a Russian Blue breeder in my area who didn’t want to keep any kittens that didn’t have “show” potential. I first saw just the little girl and fell in love because she pushed her paw out of her cage to touch my nose. Then, I became aware of her little brother whom she coaxed from the back of the cage to meet me. I had just lost my much-loved black Halloween beauty after many months of surviving a cancer that finally took her from me, and wasn’t really ready to adopt another cat, let alone two, but somehow I couldn’t leave them behind. The little sister became Dusa (pronounced doo’ sha), which means “soulmate,” and her brother became Milos (pronounced mee’ losh), which means “beloved.” They were about six or seven months old when I found them, and we have been inseparable for over fifteen years.