Popular and unusual cat names

Buddy and Max are not popular names for cats

Most of you know that I have two cats, Max and Buddy. According to Petfinder, Max and Buddy are not popular names for cats. For dogs, they were the two most popular names in 2008. I couldn’t find a 2009 list of popular pet names, so I’m using Petfinder’s 2008 list. Their list is based on the names of the cats listed for adoption on their site, and is not scientific in any manner.

Petfinder’s Top 10 Most Popular Cat Names

• Lucy
• Molly
• Oreo
• Kittens
• Smokey
• Princess
• Shadow
• Tigger
• Angel
• Missy

These are all pretty much cutesy names.  I’m not a big fan of cutesy names for animals.  I prefer ‘human’ names, for lack of a better term, but that’s just me.  Although sometimes, a cute name reflects the cat’s personality, or coloring, or demeanor.  I have named animals cute names before based on this, such as the black cat I had named Midnight.

Sometimes I name my cats after celebrities, other names just seem to fit.  Buddy is named for Buddy Holly.  When we got Max, my ex-husband wanted to name him Holly, but I put my foot down.  I was not naming my little boy cat Holly.  I liked the name Max, so Max it was.

Growing up my cats were Sylvester, Tabitha (after the little girl on the TV show Bewitched), and Midnight.  After I moved out on my own, I had a cat named George, after Kansas City Royals 3rd baseman George Brett, my favorite baseball player.  While I was married to my ex-husband, we got Buddy.  We also picked up a stray cat we found in a dumpster at a nearby car lot, and named him Otto (Auto.)

If you are looking for a good name for your new furry addition, you may want to wait several days before settling on one.  Observe your new kitty’s behavior.  When my brother’s family got a new cat, my niece proclaimed the kitten to be a little rascal, so they named the cat Rascal.  Maybe you want to name your cat after a celebrity, or base the name on your cat’s colorings or markings, such as the all-black Midnight.

However, if you’ve adopted your cat from a shelter, try and keep the name he or she had there.  This will prevent confusion on your pet’s part, as they will most likely be used to hearing that name when they are called or talked to.

What are some of the unusual or clever names you’ve named your pets?

Photo credit: Beth VanHoose

August 10th, 2009 by Beth VanHoose | Posted in Cat Stories | (0)