Throughout history, humans have regarded the whole process of naming as one which holds special power. We like having a special version of our name being known only to those close to us. Because we feel names are important ways to reflect the “real us.”
Cats are the same way.
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
There are cat naming books and websites which offer up lists of alphabetized possibilities. But we must remember they are only suggestions. Any name must match the cat.
Why is this so important? It shows we care who our cat is, and that we wish to reach them.
This is why cats gather an array of name variations and nicknames and funny titles, like She Who Must Be Obeyed. There are many different aspects to our cats, and they love knowing that we recognize that.
Sometimes they are dignified. Sometimes, not.
This recognition creates closeness and understanding between us. So feel free to bestow a nickname as soon as we know this is the cat for us. We can get to know them better before choosing their official name. The more we play with the sound of their name, the more cats will like it.
Why choose a dull name we don’t have fun with? Would we enjoy a movie starring such a carelessly handled character? What cat would want to step into this role?
That is the appeal of choosing a beautiful, rugged, or evocative name for our cat. This is the first gift we give them.
This is how we make friends for life.
Got here from a Link or Search?
There’s more ways to get our cat to be affectionate in The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See all of my CAT AFFECTION posts.
totally agree and it’s funny how a cat’s personality can be drawn out by a name. I call mine ninja kitty all the time and ever since I have he’s only gotten sneaker
I’m baffled here. Sure, I named my first cat Kill Kill. It’s a constant source of amusement to idiots, like the fat family of dog owners who decided to scream her name in unison at the vet (earning them a truly emphatic “YOU! ALL! WILL DIE NOW!” hiss from Herself). And even the vet can be baffled, until I explain the joke, and then add “She’s so laid back, I should’ve called her Chill Chill.” I’m usually then asked “What’s her nickname?” and respond “Killsy, Kays, Peanut, she has dozens. She knows her name’s Kill Kill, but she may think her name is Honey, as she hears it the most.”
My polydactyl bigfoot boy is Byron, but people sometimes think he’s named “Myron” (what? That’s like the name of a 75-year-old New York deli owner), and not after the Romantic Era poet, George Gordon, Lord Byron, and the inventor of the “Byronic Man of Action,” which is very fitting. DJ is short for Don Juan, an epic poem by Lord Byron, and also perfect, as he is both a Man of Action and quite the lover boy. If I adopted another girl, she’d be named Tura (click link above for clarification).
While cats respond to the “-y” sound at the end of their name, as they like the upward pitch, I honestly don’t think that you can give a pet a bad name. They don’t understand words, just the sound of your voice. Well, okay, what Steve Martin named his dog in “The Jerk,” yeah, that wouldn’t be good.
It sound like both of you have a good time with their names. And that’s the basic rule; we must smile when we say it, no matter what it is.
Our kitten’s name is Olwyn, but I don’t believe we have ever really called her that; within ten minutes of cuddling her, she was Punkin. And Punkin she remains.
That is so true! Our cats have earned themselves dozens of nicknames over the years, and they always recognize them if they’re used enough. We rarely call any of them by their original name, and they seem to be OK with that.
My grandparents gave my cat, Toto, plenty of nicknames. Here are some:
Stupid (I hate that one)
Furball (I gave her that one cuz she is basically a ball of fur)
Bugga-Boo
Bobbyz (I call her that for some reason)
Baby gils
Fluff Monkey (I like that one!)
creeper (It’s true, she is a creeper)
Tuffy (She has no front claws, got in a cat fight with a cat who had front claws and nearly killed it!)
There are many more but theres a few