How to Name Your Cat

Ideas for Naming the New Male or Female Kitty Cat in Your Life

© Naomi Rockler-Gladen

May 22, 2007
A kitten named Phoenix., Naomi Rockler-Gladen
Need a name for your fabulous feline friend? Do you want a name that is descriptive, exotic,or just plain cute? Here are some suggestions.

When a new cat or kitten comes into your life, one of your first tasks is to pick out a name. Pet names can be fun because you can be as creative or as ordinary as you like. Unlike with babies, you don't have to worry about whether to give your cat an uncommon or a popular name. As long as you set out food, the cat could care less what name is engraved on the bowl! Here are some suggestions to help give your sweet new feline friend a terrific moniker.

1) Descriptive Names. A traditional and truly adorable way to name a cat is to find a name that describes your kitty's physical or personality characteristics. These kinds of names are always popular. Here are some examples:

  • Alley (or Allie)
  • Angel
  • Boots
  • Calico (or Callie)
  • Fluffy
  • Frisky
  • Ginger
  • Midnight
  • Patches
  • Paws
  • Shadow
  • Smokey
  • Snowball
  • Socks
  • Tabby (or Tabitha)
  • Tiger

2) A Cat in Any Language. Another way to name your feline friend is to use the word for "cat" in another language, like these:

  • Besseh (Arabic)
  • Catua (Basque)
  • Chat (French-- "chaton" is kitten)
  • Chatul (Yiddish)
  • Gato (Spanish and Portuguese) or Gatto (Italian and Polish)
  • Katze (German)
  • Kissa (Finnish)
  • Koshka (Russian)
  • Mah-oh (Thai)
  • Miu (Chinese)
  • Neko (Japanese)
  • Paka (Swahili)
  • Pisica (Romanian)
  • Popoki (Hawaiian)
  • Pussi (Eskimo)

3) Old Lady & Old Man Names. There's something really cute about giving a cat a cat an "old" name. Try these out:

  • Arthur
  • Bertha
  • Delores
  • Doris
  • Frederick
  • Gertrude
  • Leonard
  • Mabel
  • Max
  • Norton
  • Phyllis
  • Sam
  • Seymour
  • Sheldon
  • Sherman
  • Shirley
  • Silas
  • Stewart
  • Walter
  • Wallace
  • Wilmar

4) Famous Kitty Names. People name their babies after famous people, so why not name your kitty after a celebrity cat? Famous tigers, lions, and other big cats make good namesakes too. Here are some suggestions:

  • Cat (the cat in Breakfast at Tiffany's)
  • Cheshire
  • Felix
  • Fritz
  • Garfield
  • Heathcliff
  • Hobbes
  • Hot Dog (Dennis the Menace's cat)
  • Morris
  • Orion (the cat from Men in Black)
  • Puss N Boots
  • Salem (Sabrina the Teenage Witch's cat)
  • Shiimsa (the cat in For Better or For Worse)
  • Simba (or Nala, Mufasa, Sarabi, or other Lion King names)
  • Socks (the Clintons' cat)
  • Sylvester
  • Tom
  • Tony

5) Exotic Names. Celebrate the beauty of the cat with an exotic, mythological, or otherwise fabulous name. Here are some uncommon girl's names and uncommon boy's names to choose from, or try out one of these:

  • Apollo
  • Athena
  • Calliope
  • Calypso
  • Daphne
  • Electra
  • Felicity
  • Fiona
  • Guinevere
  • Lilith
  • Merlin
  • Nyssa
  • Pandora
  • Persephone
  • Phaedra
  • Phoenix
  • Tatiana
  • Ursula

6) Cute Character Names. If you don't want to name your cat after a famous feline, why not choose the name of an adorable cartoon character or Muppet for your little buddy? Try these out:

  • Ariel (from The Little Mermaid)
  • Blossom, Bubbles, or Buttercup (the Powerpuff Girls)
  • Boots (or Tico, Benny, Isa, Swiper, or other Dora the Explorer character)
  • Elmo (or Zoe, Ernie, Bert, Kermit, Grover or any other Sesame Street name)
  • Gidget (the Taco Bell chihuahua)
  • Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, or Michelangelo (the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
  • Opus (from Bloom County)
  • Papa Smurf (or other favorite Smurf)
  • Pebbles (or Bamm Bamm)
  • Snoopy (or Woodstock or Linus)
  • Sponge Bob
  • Tinky Winky (or Dipsy, Laa Laa, or Po)

The copyright of the article How to Name Your Cat in Cats is owned by Naomi Rockler-Gladen. Permission to republish How to Name Your Cat in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.


A kitten named Phoenix., Naomi Rockler-Gladen
       


Post this Article to facebook Add this Article to del.icio.us! Digg this Article furl this Article Add this Article to Reddit Add this Article to Technorati Add this Article to Newsvine Add this Article to Windows Live Add this Article to Yahoo Add this Article to StumbleUpon Add this Article to BlinkLists Add this Article to Spurl Add this Article to Google Add this Article to Ask Add this Article to Squidoo

Comments
Apr 23, 2009 11:03 AM
Guest :
my cats name is RJ
Jun 15, 2009 7:30 PM
Guest :
my cat just had kittens and we r going to keep them and their nameds r smoke; tiger; angel; bobo;strips; and we dont know what to name the rest
Jul 14, 2009 3:07 PM
Guest :
my kitten is named Kissa and she is way cute although she will brush your hair with her claws which btw hurts and randomly attack your hand
3 Comments