Naming your new female cat is a serious matter, contrary to popular belief. It isn't something you can do at the last minute or emotionally, rather it's a complex exercise that should be embarked upon with the utmost diligence. To prevent your cat undue embarrassment and of course to shield yourself from the scorn of other cat owners, follow these five simple steps and you will be assured of a great cat name.
Tip 1 - Take a long term view. As is the case when naming a baby human, you need to consider the longevity of the name you give to your kitten. Granted, parents are becoming increasingly flippant with this long-term outlook naming their human children "Talitha" and "Lucifer" and the like, thinking it's funny or a salute to some sub-culture, but when it comes to cats the matter is much more serious. Cats are infinitely more social than humans, wandering around all night and meowing all the time, so think about how important their names must be to them!
Tip 2 - Look at your cat's color. Would you call your black cat something like "whitey"? No. Would you call your stripy cat "spot"? No. Don't even think about being ironic when naming your cat. It's much better to link her name with the way she looks, so that when she looks in the mirror she isn't going to feel cognitive dissonance or worse develop an eating disorder. For black cats, stick with a simple name like "Blacky" or "Dark One", don't deviate from this course too much and your cat will be fine.
Tip 3 - History matters. All too often people give a kitten a name that turns out to be rooted in more ways than one. The Latin and other ancient language roots of cat names are fundamental to a cat's development (they are, after all, at least as old as the Sphynx which is based on a cat, as you know). If you give your cat a name like "Phalluseus", your cat will instantly know what the Latin root is on about and you do not want to be around when she finds out.
Tip 4 - Be creative. In particular, I'm referring to all those people who name their cat "cat" and their dogs "dog". There have been numerous surveys all around the world that show year after year the most popular name for cats is "cat", and to my way of thinking this is completely unacceptable. If you can't be bothered creating an appropriate name that reflects something of the cat beyond its genus, you don't deserve to be a cat owner. Give your cat the compliment of caring about her by actually putting effort into her naming!
Tip 5 - Research, research, research! Feedback is critical but not just from anyone. You want to hear what the people who will actually be in your girl cat's life think about the names you have selected for the short-list. It will be pretty clear which ones are bad and which ones are good, but make sure you remember the tips above because it's easy to give in to peer pressure and if they're all telling you to name your female cat "cat", tell them where they can go.
Proper preparation prevents poor performance! Never forget this and put as much effort into naming your new cat as you would with naming a new human... this is a very serious activity and make sure you treat it that way. Your cat will thank you for it.
Tip 1 - Take a long term view. As is the case when naming a baby human, you need to consider the longevity of the name you give to your kitten. Granted, parents are becoming increasingly flippant with this long-term outlook naming their human children "Talitha" and "Lucifer" and the like, thinking it's funny or a salute to some sub-culture, but when it comes to cats the matter is much more serious. Cats are infinitely more social than humans, wandering around all night and meowing all the time, so think about how important their names must be to them!
Tip 2 - Look at your cat's color. Would you call your black cat something like "whitey"? No. Would you call your stripy cat "spot"? No. Don't even think about being ironic when naming your cat. It's much better to link her name with the way she looks, so that when she looks in the mirror she isn't going to feel cognitive dissonance or worse develop an eating disorder. For black cats, stick with a simple name like "Blacky" or "Dark One", don't deviate from this course too much and your cat will be fine.
Tip 3 - History matters. All too often people give a kitten a name that turns out to be rooted in more ways than one. The Latin and other ancient language roots of cat names are fundamental to a cat's development (they are, after all, at least as old as the Sphynx which is based on a cat, as you know). If you give your cat a name like "Phalluseus", your cat will instantly know what the Latin root is on about and you do not want to be around when she finds out.
Tip 4 - Be creative. In particular, I'm referring to all those people who name their cat "cat" and their dogs "dog". There have been numerous surveys all around the world that show year after year the most popular name for cats is "cat", and to my way of thinking this is completely unacceptable. If you can't be bothered creating an appropriate name that reflects something of the cat beyond its genus, you don't deserve to be a cat owner. Give your cat the compliment of caring about her by actually putting effort into her naming!
Tip 5 - Research, research, research! Feedback is critical but not just from anyone. You want to hear what the people who will actually be in your girl cat's life think about the names you have selected for the short-list. It will be pretty clear which ones are bad and which ones are good, but make sure you remember the tips above because it's easy to give in to peer pressure and if they're all telling you to name your female cat "cat", tell them where they can go.
Proper preparation prevents poor performance! Never forget this and put as much effort into naming your new cat as you would with naming a new human... this is a very serious activity and make sure you treat it that way. Your cat will thank you for it.
About the Author:
Get some great suggestions on girl cat names by visiting Felicity McGrath's site about how to choose the best girl and black cat names.
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