Remembering Thier Names...why Did You Name Them What You Did?

[meelasmom]

In honor of those lost, I thought it might be nice to have us explain how our babies got the names that they did. I have seen interesting names and wasn't sure how to ask how they got their names.

Meela was (what my daughter called) the female Meeka (Meela's dad). My Noni was the daughter of Tony and Natalie. Neeni, just came out of my mouth one day and stuck.. My Buddy (16.5 years) was namedthat because he was fed with a syringe when he was almost a month old. I called him my little Buddy and it stuck.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

My first dog was BoopieDoop. I named him when I was about 3 years old, so don't ask me why!
Kimberly Ann came to us already named at almost a year old. Her mama was a grand champion chow, and her daddy was a sweet-talking traveling man who could climb fences in the dark. The only thing we really knew about him was that he had VERY short legs!

My Russian Blue that we got when I was about 7 was called Gray. My dad did that one, after I named the poor tom "Andrew Thomson KittyCat Elliott, Jr." Again, I was 7. Don't ask. Gray ruled every neighborhood we ever lived in. Mind you, this was back in the time before spay/neuter was considered the "norm." Females MIGHT be spayed, but males were almost never neutered. Late 50s, early 60s. Different time and thinking entirely.

Firefox was a dog named by my son, who adored him. A workman left the front door open, Firefox got out and was killed by a car. My son has never wanted another animal in his life.

Primus was a big orange tom whose purr was so loud and so deep that no other name seemed to fit. We got him neutered, and he took off on us. Oddest thing...before he was neutered (we got him as an adult), he never left the block. Three months later I had saved the cost of neutering, brought him home, let him out after he was fully recovered, and we never saw him again. I spent WEEKS searching for him.

Berry's actual name was "Belladonna," which is known also as "Witchberry." She was such a tiny scrap when I rescued her that she needed a little, sweet name. Had to rehome her due to my grandbaby's mother, who wouldn't come home with the baby while there was a cat in the house. Having to choose between the cat I so loved and my son and granddaughter was one of the hardest things I've ever done, second only to losing my parents. She went to a dear friend who adored her, lived to the ripe old age of 20, and was eased into her new life at home, surrounded by those who loved her.

 

[maggiedemi]

Childhood Kitties:
Kitter- a Calico or Torti, a cute name that I made up as a kid
Mally- short for Marshmallow, black & white tuxedo boy, looked like a marshmallow (my soul kitty)
Caramel- another Calico or Torti, because of her color
Oreo- because he was black and white
Butterscotch- because he was an orange and white tabby
Current Kitties:
Demi- because I love the name and thought he was a girl! orange & white tabby
Maggie- because I love the name and the song Maggie May, long haired tuxedo

 

[margd]

Barkie the dog - because she sounded like the Hound from the Baskervlles when she let loose.
Pete (New Zealand white rabbit) - because little girls think all rabbits are named Peter even if they are female.

Poppy (tabby) - came named that way from some friends.

Lucy (tabby) - named by my daughter because her shelter name (Vulcan) did not fit a sweet little tabby. At all.
Wesley (black)- kept his shelter name because it fit and we couldn't think of another one better.

Milo (ginger) - named by my daughter after my choice (Fred) lost out.
Daphne (calico) - named by my daughter.

Polly (torbie) - was named Pali by the rescue but somehow this turned into Polly, which fit.
Sears (black) - his awful shelter name that the rescue kept that we kept in turn because by then he knew it.
Emma (black) - named for a family member by the person who rescued her so we kept it.

 

[maggiedemi]

OOPs, was this supposed to be only for cats that have passed away? I put my current cats too. Sorry!

 

[Katie M]

Childhood cats-

Pepper was solid grey.

Sophie was named by my mother. She was a calico, and I think my mother wanted to avoid "typical" calico names. A pretty name for a pretty cat.

Lucky was a grey tabby who had been abandoned in our yard by his mother one rainy day. I looked out the window at some point and happened to see him.

Peanut was an orange tabby named for his color and his size when we got him. The name later became ironic because he became overweight.

We were a military family, so we were living in the French-speaking part of Belgium when we got Belle and Beau, grey and white tabby littermates. Belle means "beautiful" and Beau means "handsome".

Also had one hamster, four dogs, and numerous fish.

Current cat-

I love classic film, so I named my current cat after Charlie Chaplin. The name works for several reasons. He's pretty monochrome-black fur, nose, and whiskers, white skin, grey paw pads. He's funny and a bit strange. Charlie was also discovered wandering around outside as a kitten, so he was a Little Tramp.

 

[meuzettesmom]

My name sake. Meuzette is from the movie, Gay Purree. She was pretty cat but her face was long and messed up from someone kicking her face. I found her in a parking lot at work. I took her and gave her the respect she deserved. I called her mommy kitty for reason. She ruled our place.

 

[di and bob]

Chrissy, my soulmate, and who got me started on this site, was well,.... just a Chrissy! My husband named her, she was so tiny, but so spunky. Her attitude ruled my universe.
Hobo was named because he just showed up one day, a hobo. He had mouth cancer and drooled constantly, we gave him a year of love and care. '
Little Burt. named because he looked exactly like our house cat, Burt. He was killed by a racoon.
Mouse, showed up last year, hair almost completely gone, bones and starving. An elderly gentleman put out by some one who was stupid or evil. We gave him dignity, a heated bed and all he could eat.
Jerry, a long haired red boy, the friendliest, best natured little guy, another stray who showed up with his brother Tommy, who we still have. Died of distemper despite our and the vets care.
Tortie, a spunky, absolutely gorgeous little tortoiseshell, a feral born across the road, who died (I presume) from complications of giving birth. She never let us within 20 feet of her, but I loved her all the same.
Old Timey, a neighborhood stray that was a miniature panther. Neighbors said he was at least 15 years old, came to us in the last month of his life to enjoy pampering and a heated bed. Held and loved him the day he died, the first time I had ever held him.
All the others who I have picked up off the street, the distemper victims, the kittens and adults who deserved so much better, but I did what I could. They all rest on my property and I hold each and every one in my heart.

 

[les26]

All of our cats names start with the letter "S", even the two girls who passed that we got from shelters who were named already, Sassy and Serenity, isn't Serenity a beautiful name? So the boys who have passed also were with an "S", Simon whom I almost named Sylvester because he was a short haired tuxedo but I stuck with Simon, and Sebastian, dunno, must've heard that name somewhere and liked it! They just seem to come to us, the names....

We also named one of the outdoor stray kitties Sydney and I think one WAS Sylvester, but the latter wandered off and poor Sydney died after someone we think feed them antifreeze....we even had him cremated and spread his ashes outside. That was years ago....

And now I DO have Sylvester for real, and he does surely look like a Sylvester as you can see!

 

[BijouBlackCat]

Honeybee
I was only two years old when my family adopted Honeybee, so I didn't contribute to her naming, but I know that my mom named her that due to her honey-colored coat as a flame-point Siamese mix.

Bijou
My grandmother adopted Bijou as a stray when I was 11 years old, and I was given the duty of naming her! As silly as this sounds, I was a big fan at the time of a cartoon about hamsters...the cute girly hamster character was named Bijou. Also, I thought it was so sophisticated to give a cat a French name! So that's how Bijou came be.

Both of these babies have passed away, and I miss them with all my heart.

 

[donutte]

Kinda going in backwards order here. I might lose the order along the way and I'll probably stop before I get through all of them.

Sara - She had her name when she came to us. A coworker had adopted her but Sara got out of the apartment and into someone else's and peed on a pillow, and coworker was told she had to get rid of her. (died in 2016)

Lucky - Someone had tied him to a car when he was about 4 months old. My father was out walking the dog and there was a car at the stoplight, and he saw the kitten. Made the driver aware (who was horrified). Dad cut the wire, took him to the vet, called my mom asking "What do I do?" and the rest is history. He was named Lucky because, well.... And while he was the one saved, I always say he really saved me. He was my feline soul mate. (died in 2015)

Ali Cat - He was a wee kitten when we got him. Not sure how we ended up getting him to be honest. One of three orange tabbies that we had at one time. He was the middle, in terms of when he was born. Mom named him saying he reminded her of an alley cat (which is how it's pronounced). He passed away peacefully in his own home at the age of 18. (died in 2008)

Roberta - We got her around the same time as Ali Cat, and they were pretty much raised together. However, spent most of their adult lives apart as she lived with my sister most of her adult life. She moved in with us in 2005 due to my sister's husband's allergies. Anyway, my sister originally wanted to call her Bobbi because she looked so much like a bobcat (she was a tabby). However, she decided she was too sophisticated for that, and she was Roberta after that. (died in 2007)

Sammy - He came from my sister's also the same day as Roberta. Poor guy, got shuffled around quite a bit. He was originally my sister-in-law's cat, and when my brother moved in with her, his cats didn't get along with hers at all. So, he moved in with us (and shortly after, my sister took him when she moved out). This was back in 1992. His name was Mystery when he was with my sister-in-law, before she found out that this was a boy cat. So she changed the name to Mister E. Mom said his name made her think of an old boss of her that she called Mister E. So when we got him, she called him Sammy (Mister E's first name). And that's what he was for the rest of his days. (died in 2006)

Tenny - She was a black cat, the second one we got in 1991. Someone doing work on our house brought her to us. At the time, she was the 10th cat we had, hence the name Tenny. She moved with my sister, so most of her adult life I didn't get to know her, and I don't really know for sure what she died from (I do know she was sick but not sure why). (died ~2005)

Thumber - Long before we ever heard the term "polydactyl", my one nephew found him and did what everyone in the neighborhood did - brought him to our house. And he had thumbs. He was the third one we got that year, and he was covered in oil (some kids were dunking him in motor oil. Took him to the vet who bathed him three times and he still had oil on him, but it eventually came off after some gentle washing with a cloth. Anyway, he developed kidney disease. In hindsight, I wonder if it was acute or chronic (now that I know more about it). We took him to the vet to get fluids overnight and didn't get better. A huge snowstorm hit, so we had to make the decision to have him euthanized without us there. I still feel bad about that. He was the last one to die while we were still at the old house. (died in 2004)

A.J. - This was the youngest of the three orange tabbies we had. He came to us in 1991, when my one nephew (younger brother of the aforementioned one) found him and brought him to us. He looked so much like Ali Cat when he was a wee boy, so he became A.J. (Ali Junior). He had such a strange meow, so much so that we used to question whether he was a cat - kiddingly of course. We don't really know what happened, but he died in his sleep, most likely a stroke or a heart attack. He was just in his normal sleeping spot - sprawled out across the floor. I hoped whatever it was, that it was quick. (died in 2003)

Tiger - He was one of "my" cats, and the third of the three orange tabbies we had (he was the oldest). On a hot summer day in 1988, I saw this kitty underneath a van in the morning. I was an 11 year old kid, so begged mom to let me keep him. She said no, so I asked if we could keep him in the hallway that day. Of course by the end of the day, he was welcomed into our home. I wasn't very imaginative when it came to names, so Tiger it was. He lived to the age of 14, and died after a series of strokes. (died in 2002)

Buffy - The one and only pure-bred we ever had - a Blue Point Siamese. Mom said she was a buff color, so that was how she got her name. She used to sleep in my bed with me as a kid, under the covers. She was a typical Siamese, loud and boisterous and full of personality. She got congestive heart failure when she was 14 and we had her put to sleep not long after. This was the first time I'd been there while one of our pets was put to sleep (Mom and my sister were always there before). With the exception of Thumber and our one dog Brandy, I've been there for all of the rest. (died in 2000)

Black Cat - Black cat was, well, a black cat. I still have a hard time talking about him. He only lived a short three years. He got out of the house when my sister was cleaning up the dog runs in the back, and one of the Akitas saw him. Thought Black Cat was a toy. He was not vicious, just a big dumb dog. He died of his injuries before we could get him to the vet. He was such a sweet little boy, and we often said that Lucky was the reincarnation of Black Cat. We got Lucky the year after he died, and he had more black than white. In fact, one of his nicknames was "AB-Cat" for Almost Black Cat. (died 1998)

Buttons - She was my nephews' cat downstairs. She had big eyes that looked like buttons. When they moved, the apartment couldn't take cats so... you guessed it, we took Buttons. We had no idea she was sick at the time (as we were already taking care of another very sick cat and that had our focus), but she had renal failure, and very quickly succumbed to it (just weeks after losing the other one). (died in 1996)

Yoda - He came to us the same day as Tiger. Someone saw us take Tiger in so figured what's another one to add to the bunch, and brought him to us. I think people thought we were the neighborhood shelter sometimes! Anyway, this kitten was very young - so much so his eyes weren't completely open yet. He had these HUGE ears though, and was such an ugly looking thing. I wanted to name him Ugly, but my father said he looked like Yoda, and so he was. He was a really fat cat, and when he started losing weight, we thought he wasn't eating as much, and took it as a good thing. Oh man, how naive we were then. He kept losing over the months and got very gaunt. Took him to the vet finally and he was in renal failure. He lasted a few more months, and lost his battle in December. He was only 8 years old. (died in 1996)

There were so many others, but I was a lot younger and was not involved in the naming process, so won't go into those ones for the purpose of this thread. But yep, one thing's for sure - we've had a LOT of cats.

 

[zed xyzed]

So many beautiful stories about absent friends. Lovely thread idea.

 

[maggiedemi]

Bijou- I love that you posted a picture of your first cat. I'll have to try to find some pictures of my childhood cats and post them. It's been so many years since I looked at them...

 

[Katie M]

Bijou- I love that you posted a picture of your first cat. I'll have to try to find some pictures of my childhood cats and post them. It's been so many years since I looked at them...

I've taken many photos of Charlie to make up for the fact that I have so few for my other cats.

 

[maggiedemi]

Katie- I think it's a little easier when we have our own cats as adults. The time seemed to fly by so fast when I was a kid. I don't even know what age my childhood cats were when they died. You always think there will be more time to take pictures, etc., when you are a kid...

 

[destinyz12]

Very first cat, when I was 8 years old- named Tucker by my mom (after picking names out of a hat from everyone) because he used to get all tuckered out after playing all day and just looked so damn cute (he was only 8 weeks old when we got him) He came from a litter that my moms co-workers cat had, and was white with brown and black patches. He died from kidney disease at age 10.

Childhood dog- named Boots by previous owner. We got him from another co-worker of my mom who rescued him from death row at the animal shelter as a puppy a year prior, but they already had 3 dogs and couldn't keep him. We kept the name since he had cute white paws. He was a Border Collie/Aussie Shepherd mix and lived to be almost 16.

Most recent loss- our cat Feeny, a tuxedo girl who was my moms Boyfriends cat and we all adopted her as our own when he moved in with us. Apparently he named her after some scientist I never heard of, lol. She died this past August from kidney disease at 11 years old.