Naming A Cat Is Serious Business

When we got our first cat, Dixie, I can remember pondering what her name was going to be for several weeks before we even got her. She was born out in the country and stayed with her mama until she was big enough to come and live with us, so I had a little time to come up with a name for her.

She was born in a town about 1/2 hour south of where we lived. I thought maybe a cute southern name might be in order. Hmmm... now what would be a cute name for a li'l southern belle?

I came across the name Dixie, and Dixie it was! What I didn't expect were all of the little "pet" names that would eventually follow! She became Dixie Doodlebug, Dixie Doo-bug, Dixie Doo-Muffin. Is it just me or do cats just have the faces and personalities that call for more than one name?

I know there is a famous poem by T.S. Eliot about the naming of cats, and in it he states that a proper cat must have THREE names. I think they're fine with just two names, a proper name and a "pet" name used in moments of affection. Ok, so there might be some cat owners who also have a **naughty** third name for the cat when it gets in trouble... ehem. We won't go there.

Our other cat, Misty, came to us on a gray, rainy, drizzly, nasty weather day. Our son and his fiancée had heard her meowing outside of their apartment window near a college campus and they took her in from the cold drizzly day. We got a phone call asking us if Dixie needed a little sister... so I went down to meet her. She had been abandoned at the end of the school year and she was cold and wet and needed a good home, how could I resist?

She is a little gray, white and brown tabby mix and I was in love almost from the first sight. We took her to a veterinarian to be checked over before I was going to take her home. The vet asked "what is her name?" I had to come up with one QUICK! I had NO name for this beautiful little tabby mix. I looked out the window in the vets office and chose the name Misty Blue because of the drizzly dreary weather! So, Misty it was.

Who knew that months later she would end up being known as Mitty, Mitty-bug, and my personal favorite, Mitty Muffin Cake! I can only imagine if our two cats were to be let outdoors. I can see myself calling out to them "Dixie Doodlebug and Mitty Muffin Cake!"

They would most likely tuck their tails in under them and CRINGE in cat embarrassment as the other cats point their paws and giggle at them. But since they are indoor only cats, they don't seem to mind the silly names that I give them.

It's important to remember that your cat's name will stay with him or her for life, and it's always best to choose wisely. If possible, live with your kitty for a little while before giving him or her a name. You can take things into consideration like personality quirks, or the cat's looks. Popular names for a black cat are midnight or shadow, an orange tabby might be named ginger or cinnamon, a black and white cat could end up with a name like tuxedo or oreo.

It might seem silly, but it's best to give your cat a name that you won't be embarrassed to call him or her if you ever needed to yell out to the cat! A name like "dragon breath" might seem like a hilarious choice at the time, but it's not quite so funny when you're yelling it out the back door. Well, okay, so maybe it IS still funny! Try to choose one that won't make you blush when you yell it out!

Who knows, there might just come a time when you're yelling that name, and loudly. If fluffy or mittens tears your couch apart or rips the curtains, ... well, that's when the **naughty** names come into play I guess. That's a time when you may forget your kitties name is a cute name like fluffy or mittens!

I was looking into good cat names recently on the Internet and I came across some pretty funny and cute names. We had cats when I was growing up. There was one especially that I remember that I had named "Morris." Now for those older folks who might remember this, there used to be a cat that advertised cat food on television named "Morris" and that was where I got the name from. The name at the time was SO un-original, it seemed as if there was a "Morris" on every block. I don't even think there is a cat named "Morris" doing TV advertisements any more! Our other cat was named "Frisky." Another very un-original cat-food inspired name.

I know, those are not very original names at all. I actually came across a website that gave a number of "stars" to each cat name, and was quite pleased with myself when I found out that Dixie and Misty each had four stars! Even their middle ... or "pet" names had three stars, so I thought I did pretty well. I didn't know anyone else out there called their cats "Doodle Bug" or "Muffin Cake!" Pretty cute!

Here are a few of the very creative names I came across recently!

~ Mickey Meowse

~ Miss Chiff

~ Muffin Cake

~ Sneakers

~ Snickers

~ Bartholameow - could also be Bartholomew I guess

~ C. Diddy

~ Fluffington Spencer III (that's "the third)

~ Sparkles

~Chewie or Chewbacca

~ A.C. (short for "Another Cat")

~Purrminator

~ Hey You

~Chairman Meow

I don't think I could have made up some of these names, these are actual names that have been used by cat owners!

Some cute names for cat "pairs" include:

~ Bert And Ernie

~ Bonnie And Clyde

~ Itchy And Scratchy

~ Thelma And Louise

~ Askim And Asker

~ Thing One And Thing Two (for you Dr. Seuss fans)

And I had to save my very FAVORITE name for last! This one made me crack up laughing when I saw it. Drumroll please...............

~ Li'l Fleazy

I've always had a slightly cracked sense of humor, so I believe that if we ever DO get a boy cat, especially if he looks like he could be a little bit on the "tough" side, his name just might end up being Li'l Fleazy. And actually, the other cats in the neighborhood might just think it's a pretty cool cat name as well.