How To Pick The Perfect Name For Your New Cat Or Kitten
So you have just adopted a kitten. Hopefully you have followed all the steps in my 7 Helpful Tips for Adopting a New Kitten, or that’s next on your list.
But now you have an important dilemma to solve, how to name your cat and find the perfect name for your new little fur-baby.
For me, the sheer number of options to choose from was completely overwhelming.
However, there are many factors to consider that will make the cat name you pick something you’ll both like, and names that cats tend to “understand” easier than others.
Let’s deep dive into how to purrrfectly (see what I did there?) pick out a name for your kitten.
Consider Your New Kitten’s Personality
Chances are this new kitten is new to your family so you may not completely know their true personality.
However, their name, coupled with their personality really make their identity.
Some people like to factor in their kitty’s unique traits when selecting a name makes their quirks even more endearing.
One example I like to use is with my kittens. We have a ginger cat, and a tortoiseshell cat. My mom has suggested Laverne and Shirley, from the TV show, since they came in a pair.
If your cat is shy, those traits may be something to keep in mind. If they need extremely social, or friendly that could be something to keep in mind.
Not necessarily her personality trait, but when I found Phoebe she was have some digestive issues, and she was a very smelly cat. And I loved Phoebe from Friends and her song Smelly Cat!
>> You May Also Like: How To Introduce Your New Kitten To Your Cat
Choose Your Cat’s Name Based on Their Appearance
I know a lot of people will based their cats names based on the look of their cats. Ghost of white cats, shadow for black cats.
Their original names were Creamsicle and Fudgesicle, based on their coloring Pumpkin or Sunny might be good orange cat names, while Patches would make more sense for a calico cat.
I love use my kittens as an example for basing their names off their appearance. Their original names were Creamsicle and Fudgesicle, based on their coloring. One is orange with while markings and the other is a tortoiseshell.
The people who found our babies were creative! And they used their coloring as a factor in creating those names.
Color isn’t the only appearance factor though—your cat’s breed, hair length, and gender should also be acknowledged. Long-haired cat breeds like a Persians or Siberians have a regal appearance to them, choosing names like Princess, or Elizabeth could be nice fits.
Another thing to use as a good option is anything distinctive about their appearances. Wobbles was injured by other animal when her foster mom found her. They were afraid she wouldn’t be able to keep her leg, and she names her Wobbles.
She was able to keep her leg, but I loved the name and the back story that we kept her name as it is.
Make Sure It is Easy To Say
I had read somewhere a while back that animals are more likely to come when their names are called if it ends in an E, or IE sound. Like Phoebe, Kitty, Katie.
The reason behind was with those sounds, people’s voices naturally go up higher which to animals, sounds like a positive interaction. Therefore, they are more likely to associate positive things with their name.
That was part of the reason we renamed our kittens the Chloe and Zoe. We wanted that E sound at the end and happen to like those names.
Also, cats don’t come when called as easily as dogs, so its important to make sure sure your cat’s name is easy to pronounce. That will help any young kids or adults from stumbling over their name and confusing them.
Also, even with kids, and extremely long name doesn’t naturally roll off the tongue.
According to Dot Baisly, certified behaviorist at Northeast Animal Shelter in Salem, Mass., people often call their cats by many different nicknames, but you should teach your cat recall off of one name.
We often call our Chloe, Kiki. (I have no idea where it originated….honestly it was probably the ‘In My Feelings’ from Drake which will age her as this post gets older). We were able to train Chloe to come when we called based off her personality, but if we wanted her to come, we made sure to always call her ‘Chloe’.
And now, she will almost always come to Chloe, sometimes when we say Kiki, and usually ignores us when we call someone else’s name.
> Hey Cat Momma! You Need Some Gear!
(Yes, I am obsessed with this shirt and want everyone in the world to have it and for us to all wear it together…it’s fine.)
Use Your Life to Influence Your Cat’s Name
Consider influences in your life that bring you joy—do you have a favorite Netflix binge, celebrity, TV show, Disney movie, or season? Sometimes incorporating things that you love into your cats name creates a really special bond initially. And a fun story to tell.
I also get a laugh when people asked why we picked Phoebe from Friends as our cat’s name.
My parents also love Big Bang Theory. When they found their cat, she was named Penny after the Big Bang Theory, and it fits her purrrfectly! (Two cat puns in one post!)
Family Names
I know there are some people who also like to use cultural influences or family names of loved ones.
My aunt and uncle found a dog that they rescued, and named it similarly to my Nana who had passed away. I also know some people will name their cats after a friend or a family member.
If you are multilingual, I know some instances where people will name their pets different words in differently languages, like ‘Pretty’ or ‘Lady’ in French.
There Are No Wrong Names
The absolute best thing to remember when choosing a name for your pet is there are really no wrong names.
Whether you use their coloring, their personality, or really just like a name and think it fits them…there is no right name.
No matter what, your cat’s name will become one of your favorite words, so choose something you love and you can’t go wrong!