Renaming A Cat?

[CatCrazy777]

Hi guys, so I am in the process of rescuing a beautiful cat, who is currently known as Zoe. I am not sure if this was her name before she arrived at the rescue or whether it has always been her name.
I was planning to rename her however am unsure now as my partner is not sure whether this is a good idea as she already has a name that she may be fond of, and said he didn't feel quite right changing her name.
Do you guys have any thoughts on this? Would the cat mind her name being changed, and learn to recognise a new name? She is 2 years old, if that helps.
I am not sure if this is a silly question, for me it is a bit of a dilemma!

 

[Lari]

I changed my cat's name, but she was only 4.5 months old and had only had a name for a month and a half before that (she was trapped as a feral kitten). I did choose something that was a bit similar/started with the same letter.

I had considered adopting a six-ish year old cat before my bf and I moved in together and got our two cat limit (she's been adopted since). I probably would have kept her name because she'd had it a lot longer (also, she'd ended up in the group because her former owner had died and she'd been left alone) and it would have been more comforting and a link to her past.

Two is in between, so I'm not sure what direction to tell you to go in, but the cat will probably learn a new name if you change it.

 

[theyremine]

Ask at the shelter. It maybe she was just given that name when she arrived at the rescue and does not even recognize it as her name yet. Also, cats are quite adaptable. My cats recognize their given names as well as "pet" I've given them.

 

[Katie M]

Selene was Slate at the shelter. Sure, it describes her coloring, but I don't think it sounds very pretty. I believe that once the cat is yours, you can call him or her whatever you want.

 

[KarenKat]

I read that cats and dogs don’t necessarily recognize their name as an identity, but rather they see it as a sound made by a human when that human calls them. As a different human, it would not be too confusing to have a different sound.

We kept Olive’s name the same when we adopted her around 3 years old from the neighbor. I felt like you and was worried about confusion. I think if I did it again I would change it.

 

[RajaNMizu]

My poor baby Raja was on her third name at 5 months old (we did not know this) and while her shelter name suited her we wanted something different. In the beginning we called her both but she responded to Raja frequently so after about two weeks we stopped using her shelter name. You could try both names for a bit of an adjustment period to see if it helps.

 

[Tobermory]

I adopted Mocha last fall when she was about three from the animal sanctuary where I volunteer. They had named her Martha, and she’d been there about a year and a half and was semi feral. She didn’t recognize “Martha,” but it has taken her months to learn her new name. My experience is that they all eventually learn that the word you use when you’re talking to them is “theirs.” And they learn at different rates. I got Lily and Iris as kittens. Lily learned her name right away, but Iris took much longer. It may also have something to do with the actual sounds. I remember reading a long time ago that it’s harder for them to learn new names beginning with vowels and that hard sounds are easier for them than soft. Anyway, I don’t think it’s a problem for your new kitty if you want to change her name!

 

[CatCrazy777]

Hi guys, thank you all for your input, it made the decision a lot easier. - I am definitely leaning towards changing her name now - I especially like the idea suggested by KarenKat that cats recognise the sounds that humans make when they call them. Hopefully my partner will also warm up to the idea after reading these posts!

 

[rubysmama]

I don't know Ruby's history before she ended up at the shelter, but I assume her previous "family" named her, but there's no way to know what it was.

And I didn't care for the name the shelter gave her, so I immediately renamed her Ruby when I brought her home. It didn't take her very long to start recognizing/responding to her new name. She was estimated to be 2 or 3-ish, when I adopted her.

So I think Zoe will probably be ok if you decide to give her a new name. FWIW, I like the name Zoe.

 

[DreamerRose]

Good - Go ahead and change her name. Say her name to her repeatedly when you feed her, and she will learn her name in no time. Mingo was called "Eros," the Greek god of physical love by the Humane Society, which was hard to say and I hated. He learned his new name quickly. Lily was abandoned with kittens, so the rescue called her Lily Potter (and named all her kittens after characters in the book). She didn't know the name at all, but I loved it, so I kept it. It took her a few weeks to catch on. Both Mingo and Lily also know who the "kitties" are.

 

[CatCrazy777]

Here she is guys! We brought her home today, and she is full of non stop purrs!
Currently toying with the names North and Nando, or maybe still sticking to Zoe.
I've called Zoe and she didn't look my way, which suggests she hasn't learnt it yet which I was grateful for because it gives me freedom to chose any name!

 

[rubysmama]

Congrats! She's beautiful.

 

[Tobermory]

Here she is guys! We brought her home today, and she is full of non stop purrs!
Currently toying with the names North and Nando, or maybe still sticking to Zoe.
I've called Zoe and she didn't look my way, which suggests she hasn't learnt it yet which I was grateful for because it gives me freedom to chose any name!

Love those torties! My first cat was a tortie. She was the smartest cat I ever had (with apologies to all the cats who followed, including my current cats whom I love beyond words).

 

[misty8723]

We have not renamed any of the cats who have come to live with us, but a lot of people do. The rescue where I volunteer names them when they come into the program (unless they come to them from a source where they already have a name), it's not like they've always been called that name. And I honestly don't know how often they hear that name in the rescue.

 

[Elphaba09]

There is some evidence that suggests that cats do recognize their names and seem to have self-other matching with orientating behaviors. Dogs have similar behaviors but have more differentiation between human and dog than human and cat. As we all know, cats tend to ignore their names as they choose. It is because they do not associate their names with recall clues, meaning they know that you are saying their name but do not assume you want them to come to them or pay attention to you. (I cannot recall exactly where I read it, but I remember it being about human neuroscience.)

Having said that, the situation surrounding your cat's name is important, as others have stated. If a cat had been called Fluffy by an owner for 5 years and then a new owner wants to call him Jasper, it could be difficult on the cat. Still, eventually, it will learn its new name. (I just do not agree with changing a name that late in its life.) Now, if it was just assigned a name by a shelter, a name change might come easier to it.

We have a 13-year-old named Simon who came to us as a stray when he was 8. Who knows what his name was, but he knows his name now! Recently, we got a cat and named him Silas. It took Simon a couple of days to know that "Silas" was not him.

Have you decided on what you are calling her yet?

 

[GreyLady]

I wouldnt worry about it at all. She will get used to what you call her at the same time as everything else- it's part of the process.

 

[CatCrazy777]

There is some evidence that suggests that cats do recognize their names and seem to have self-other matching with orientating behaviors. Dogs have similar behaviors but have more differentiation between human and dog than human and cat. As we all know, cats tend to ignore their names as they choose. It is because they do not associate their names with recall clues, meaning they know that you are saying their name but do not assume you want them to come to them or pay attention to you. (I cannot recall exactly where I read it, but I remember it being about human neuroscience.)

Having said that, the situation surrounding your cat's name is important, as others have stated. If a cat had been called Fluffy by an owner for 5 years and then a new owner wants to call him Jasper, it could be difficult on the cat. Still, eventually, it will learn its new name. (I just do not agree with changing a name that late in its life.) Now, if it was just assigned a name by a shelter, a name change might come easier to it.

We have a 13-year-old named Simon who came to us as a stray when he was 8. Who knows what his name was, but he knows his name now! Recently, we got a cat and named him Silas. It took Simon a couple of days to know that "Silas" was not him.

Have you decided on what you are calling her yet?

That is really interesting. We decided to call her Nando in the end. Hopefully she can acclimatise! She seems to be settling in okay, she likes to come for cuddles, although I don't think the trust is 100% there yet - not that I expected it to be!

 

[Elphaba09]

Nando reminds me of peri peri chicken! Mmm. Now I am hungry.I am glad that she is settling in and giving some cuddles! Trust will come. Keep up the wonderful job!

 

[MonaLyssa33]

I renamed both of my cats. Remy was Sammie and Maisie was Magnolia "Maggie" and they both learned their names pretty quickly. Maisie is 3 to 5 years old, so I chose a name I liked that was similar to Maggie. Remy is about 2 years old now and he learned his name quicker.

 

[veganeh]

Anakin was 3 when we adopted him, and his previous name was Oreo Sweety. It didn’t take very long for him to answer to his new name. We’ve had him for 11 months and comes when he’s called.