How do you go about naming your cat? Let me count the ways. Surely you fit into one of these slots. If not, I’d love to hear from you. (Heck, I’d like to hear from you anyway.)
If you’re like me—and probably most cat people—there’s a different naming technique for each cat or kitten you adopt. See if you can find some of your methods (or lack of) here.
- You have a name in mind before you adopt. Maybe you hear a name or read it in a story
and fall in love with it. You can’t get the name out of your mind, so when you find a stray and decide to keep him, you know immediately his name will be Mortimer (or Homer Homeboy or Fleabag…) - You are good with words and often give a title to friends, incidents, activities, special gatherings, people you don’t know, etc. So when you adopt an adult orange tabby from a shelter in Orange County, you name her The Big Squeeze. A cat someone picked up from a busy thoroughfare becomes Freeway or Gridlock.
- You are a fan of Harry Potter, Star Wars, Frozen, or maybe the Klepto Cat Mysteries, so you name your pick of the litter accordingly: Harry, Elsa, Kylo, Savannah, Colbi, or Iris, for example.
- There are those who choose Biblical names, names of artists, gangsters, celebrities, politicians… Those with a lot of cats might use the alphabet—Alfred, Babette, Clara, Daphne, Edgar, etc.
- Many people wait to name a cat they acquire until they get a clue from the cat’s personality and demeanor. We once adopted a teen-aged calico from the Humane Society who came with a name already belonging to one of our resident cats. We needed to give her a new name, so we observed her behavior, mannerisms, habits. One day I mentioned that the cat sure spends a lot of time in the kitchen. Whenever anyone stepped into the kitchen, this kitty was right there with them. Once, when I noticed this, I broke into song, singing, “Someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah…” Thus, her name became Dinah.
Naming a cat is fun for some, unimportant to others (any moniker will do), or they struggle to choose just the right name. If you’re having trouble naming a cat or the name you gave just isn’t sticking, there’s plenty of help on the Internet. There are numerous sites listing traditional, nontraditional, strange, and popular names. Maybe one will work for your kitty.
Probably our most unusual naming ritual occurred when my daughters were small. We adopted a kitten from the animal shelter and couldn’t agree upon a name. Everyone had an idea, but there was no meeting of the minds. So I wrote all of our ideas on small pieces of paper and tossed them across the floor. We agreed that whichever paper wad the kitten attacked, that would be her name. So I tossed the wads and the kitten just sat there looking at them.
So we went to plan B. I dipped the little paper wads in gravy and tossed them again. This time, she rushed after the wads. Before we could get the paper from her, however, she swallowed it.
Now we’re ready for plan C. This time, I grabbed the paper from her before she could devour it and that was the moment we learned her name. PomPom. (My five-year-old daughter’s name choice.)
How did you name your last cat?
