I ran across these sobering statistics from the Humane Society of the United States:
Number of cats and dogs reclaimed by owners from shelters each year:
Between 600,000 and 750,000—30 percent of dogs and 2-5 percent of cats entering shelters (HSUS estimate)
That’s right. Almost a third of dogs get back to their owner through the shelter. And, tops, 5% of cats.
What creates this raging retrieval disparity?
I found a clue in an article about the registered pet names in Tacoma, Washington. Remember, these are cats that the owners took the trouble to license:
No name – 202 : Tigger – 75 : Smokey – 72 : Max – 66 : Shadow – 63 : Tiger – 62 : Baby – 60 : Kitty – 58
By far the most popular option is not giving the cat a name at all. And that’s kinda pathetic.
One of the misconceptions that drives me to action is the fact that too many people see cats as interchangeable and disposable. People think cats are not affectionate or responsive.
Don’t they know how loving and interactive cats can be? Sadly, no. Yet the only reason they don’t enjoy optimal cat closeness is because… they don’t know how.
So I see a lot of unrealized potential out there.
more cat pictures
I’m sure most of my readers do name their cats. Their cats might have a name that is more than one word long. Their cats probably have at least a few nicknames, too.
How many of us had a childhood toy or stuffed animal… with a name? What about our first car? Corporations of all sizes spend millions of dollars to figure out the right name, because it can mean a great deal to the success of the final product.
Because when we care about something, we name it with care.
To bloom and become interactive, all cats require the confidence to feel their overtures will be reciprocated, and the atmosphere that will give them the proper feedback to expand those first gestures.
To recognize that there is a unique and interesting personality lurking in our cat; we need a real name. They need a real name.
It seems like a small thing, but it’s really the first step.
Because without it; nothing happens.
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very thought provoking blog….
when in a grocery line… seeing carts with cat food . i always ask what their cats names are….. i feel sad when they say Kitty
I agree with the nick names, mine has easily a dozen (and what’s hilarious is he responds to them all, especially demon ninja)
Ditto on the “more names the merrier” idea. My cats also have middle names (Byron Bigfoot, DJ Loverboy, and Kill Kill Kamushka, ) and rapper names (Toemaster B, DJ Maximus, and, while you can’t get much more hardcore than “Kill Kill,” Ghostface Kill-Killah).
Seriously, “No Name”? In The Road Warrior, Mad Max named his dog “Dog,” but that was to show part of how much of a “burnt-out, shell of a man” he’d become. What’s those losers’ excuse? I wonder how much the statistics are skewed by that–if you don’t name your cat, are you that much more likely to let them escape, and that much less to try and find them?
Cats are super smart, but like men, they just can’t take directions. Our cat got lost a block away for over 3 months.
Amazing statistics. I don’t think they would be the same here in the UK where people seem to love cats more. My son and I spent a whole evening over dinner in our favourite restaurant trying to decide on a name for our kitten – before we even got him! Then I drew up a shortlist and all three of us in the household got to vote. After that I chose the cat’s name
Forgot to say that he is Humphrey aka Humpleby aka Humps aka Boy aka (on certain stinky occasions) Fishfart
Stevie Ray (after SRV) aka Girlcat aka Angel Kitty aka Baby Girl aka Tiger Princess aka Teevi aka Stevie Girl.
And her brother was Starcat aka Bobo aka Triple B (Big Bad Bo) aka Starbo.
My cats always end up with at least three names…
Sorry, but I bet most of the “no name” cats are barn cats.
Why would anyone license a barn cat?
I love naming cats. I’ve named cats I haven’t met yet (browsing petfinder) and helped a friend name her cat recently. I’m currently deydreaming about names for a cat I’m tempted to adopt (Eko’s littermate brother, still needs a home at 1 1/2 yrs old.) Mine were named as follows…
Emily – named after the author’s sweet girl cat that I read about in “Good Owners, Great Cats”…a cat care book I read before adopting. It turns out both Emilys have a similar backstory and somewhat shy personality.
Eko – my black cat, named after a big, dark Nigerian character on Lost. He was mysterious and kind hearted. Eko had some mystery, I guess, since nobody knows his story before he ended up in a box at the vet’s doorstep with his littermates.
Leo – his foster mom had named him “Christian” after the famous lion becuase of his tawny coloring. We liked the ring of Leo better and liked that it sort of honored the name the foster mom chose. (Actually I also liked Miles for the tabby M and because we drove so far to get him…but I let the kids make the final choice since they didn’t have much say in the first cats’ names.) We did make sure he had the boldness required for the name Leo. That question was settled as soon as we brought him home and opened the carrier door.
One of these days we’ll get the right sort of orange boy to name Onslow, after the brother-in-law from Keeping Up Appearances.
Brigid, aka LittleBit, aka B, aka Miss B, aka Aspurrgers Kittie, aka Damcat
Morrigan, aka M, aka Miss M, aka Panther Kittie, aka LittleM, aka Purrbaby, aka Demoncat
Olwyn, aka Little O, aka O, aka Miss O, aka Lilshitski (I have a feeling that when she is grown, she will become She Who Must Be Obeyed)
Sky, aka Sky Cat, Beastly, Pudang, Dude, Dudely, Sweetness, Buddy, Monster; and Henry, aka Mr. Henry White, Whitey, Little Brother, Hen-Ri-Aie, Pajama Cat, and Marshmallow Toes to list a couple of their many aliases.
OMG! I love “Marshmallow Toes”!
I have 4 cat’s three of which are brother’s but they have at least 3 name’s each O.o why would anyone forgo the fun of giving their cat’s stupid little name’s? such as Mr Chubby Cheek’s? Or His Cattesty even?
Hey Pam,
What’s your policy on re-naming a cat that you adopt from a shelter?
Cheers.
Oh, forgot to say that my cat was called Eli, and he knew and responded to that, but also had a constantly evolving range of nicknames: i.e what started as Cheeky became Cheeky Boy, Cheeker, Cheekerwitz, Cheekerwitzen, Cheekerwitzerhousen, Cheekerwitzenhousenhuzenstan… otherwise he was called Baby, Little Man, Little One, Littleface, Little Black Naked Man… haha. I think Cheeker or Cheekerwitz were the most common., although the full form of that was made into a song haha.
I do not hesitate to rename a cat; as you demonstrate, they can remember ALL their names. How we feel about a name is more important than what it is.