The naming of cats

[OnTheBrink]

The death of our beloved Siamese has left a huge hole in our household, so this afternoon, a little black kitty, a boy, joined our family. He needs a name. Please vote on your favorite.

[SheilaZ]

I voted for Max because our black cat Max died last Christmas. He was an awesome cat.

We still talk about him almost every day. He had such a personality about him.

[elegantlion]

I like Nigel, it sounds very distinguished.

[Guest Alte Veste Academy]

The death of our beloved Siamese has left a huge hole in our household, so this afternoon, a little black kitty, a boy, joined our family. He needs a name. Please vote on your favorite.

 

Congratulations on your new kitty! Of the choices available, I would name him Obsidian but call him Sid (unless he's in trouble, of course, and you should use his full name then). :D

 

I'm sorry to hear about your dearly departed kitty. I know the kind of hole the passing of a pet can leave.

[KidsHappen]

When we went to collect the remains of our Ducky (orange Maine) we also adopted a black kitten. His name is Boo. I had no intention of getting another kitten but he was so cute and playful and there was a sign there saying that black cats are 2/3 less likely to be adopted than a Tabby and 1/2 as likely as a white cat or Calico, therefore, a lot a black cats get euthanized. That sold me. Plus it just seems that I have room in my heart for exactly 4 cats because everytime I lose one, I end up adopting another.

 

When I was looking at the kitten a lady walked by and said, "You are taking that cat home with you, aren't you?" I couldn't speak because I was already teared up so then she said, "You are. I can see it in your eyes."

 

He was just what the house needed as he gets along with the other kitten we got in June (they are the same age) and he seems to have hastened the integration of all the cats and dog.

 

ETA: I forgot to mention that we do own another black cat whose official name is Prince of Darkness but we call him baggie as short for Bagheera because he reminds us of him.

Edited December 8, 2009 by KidsHappen

[CalicoKat]

Pumba. :D

(poom bah)

[Sputterduck]

Obsidian! I really like that!

[athena1277]

If you asked my dd, she would name it "Blacky". She names everything by it's color with an "y" on the end! :)

[Dobela]

Our black cat is named Ashley. My son said she looked like the ashes in the fireplace... Ok, he was only 4 at the time but it is her name. When I was a child, my brother named our black cat Joey. I voted for Nigel because our black cats always seem kind of snobbish...

[Caitilin]

I am always in favor of any name that comes from T S Eliot's Practical Cats, so I voted for Mungojerrie--but what about Rumpleteaser??? Won't he be lonely?? ;)

[Hedgehogs4]

I like real names for cats, and i LOVE Nigel for a cat! Our new cats are named Jack and Oliver. :-)

[newbie]

I like Bagheera, Baggie for short.

 

Midnight was name of our old cat who died a couple of years ago. Great and loved.

 

We have a new black stray kitty in our yard, we named him Ember. But, oldest calls him Velvet.

 

Our black kitty in our home who is a girl is Shanti.

[LibraryLover]

All of our cats are named after characters in books, or authors. One was named Scout (good girl), another was named Colette (bad girl). There are others, but that's a start.

 

My next kitty will be named Anais after Anais Nin (Very Bad Girl).

[OnTheBrink]

We've tentatively settled on Nigel. I liked Bagheera, too, but I'm not sure if this cat will be sleek or fluffy, and a fluffy Bagheera is just silly. LOL I also liked Obsidian, but the other cats are Velvet (Velvy) and Muridan (Murray) so Nigel seemed to fit in better. I don't know why that even matters, but it does. LOL

[Jean in Newcastle]

Ds likes Bagheera, Midnight, Shadow and Obsidian. Dd likes Max and Shadow.

[RegGuheert]

I like Bagheera, Baggie for short.

:iagree:Me, too! Means "panther", right?

 

"Here, Baggie!"

[Bev in B'ville]

Our black cats are Spooky and Nala.

 

Our black horses are Midnight and Moose.

[Chris in VA]

My dd said

 

"Snowball."

 

Sense of humor, that one.

 

She says it's from Boxcar Children, when Benny names a black horse Snowball.

[elise1mds]

Well, hooray for Nigel, but I did have to throw in a vote for Obsidian. But I like weird cat names. I have one oversized black cat named Kuro (means 'black' in Japanese) and one black kitten named Hermes that has more to do with personality than looks. I love unique cat names.

[OnTheBrink]

My dd said

 

"Snowball."

 

Sense of humor, that one.

 

She says it's from Boxcar Children, when Benny names a black horse Snowball.

 

We did consider Snowball! LOL I thought it would be funny, but Dd nixed the idea.

[Murphy101]

What about:

onyx

Nicholas? (St nicks day was yesterday!)

ember (for December)

nine (2009 and lives)

Lucky or 13

[dirty ethel rackham]

I voted Bagheera. It just slides off the tongue with the sinuousness of a dark cat:). Max, Midnight and Shadow are really common kitty names. I kind of like Obsidian, but that is just too many syllables for me. I had a black cat when I was little. We named her Pearl because she had a white spot on her throat:).

[astrid]

I voted for Nigel, but we have two black cat brothers whom dd named "Jellicle" and "Eliot" after TS Eliot and his poem "Song of the Jellicle Cats."

 

We usually call "Jellicle" "Jelly" though. Or we just call them "The Crazy Czech Brothers" after the old SNL skit because they are really a couple of hams!

 

Congrats on your new kitten! What fun!

 

astrid

[hornblower]

I like real names for cats, and i LOVE Nigel for a cat!

 

:iagree: Our cat is called Rachel. Our dogs have people names too.

 

Nigel is a fab name.

 

Congrats on your new kitty, & condolences on your loss. Black cats are great (guess what color Rachel is ;))

[mom2jjka]

I named my black cat Fergus, but I think Nigel is cute, too.

[OnTheBrink]

Thanks for all the suggestions! It was hard to come up with the perfect name. I liked so many (hence 10 options in the poll)!

[OnTheBrink]

Here he is, Nigel:

[newbie]

he looks like he owns the world. And, I love the claws.

 

Congrats on new fam. member.

[Jenny in Atl]

This is too funny, all my large animals (cats/dogs/etc) have the last name Jones! Small world. :D

[gingersmom]

Our little black kitty (with white socks) was named Pickles. We got her when my kids were young and addicted to pickles.

[Scarlett]

I always wanted a cat named Moses.

 

I heard it in a song once and I love it. I wish I could remember that song.....anyone?

[mammaruss]

Ds voted for Shadow.

He is our exclusive farm cat namer: Boots, Buns, Tiger, White Tiger, Fluff Ball, American Flag, Hulkster, Socks, Snickers, Fluffo and Fluffy.:D

[LibrarianMom]

Our little black kitty who isn't so little anymore is called Inky. Growing up on a farm though I have previously had a Midnight and a Shadow. Our Shadow though was a gray cat.

[Hedgehogs4]

YAY! NIGEL! I love him. I am a cat love in the extreme, and I approve heartily.

[OnTheBrink]

I always wanted a cat named Moses.

 

I heard it in a song once and I love it. I wish I could remember that song.....anyone?

 

Joshua Kadison. The song is called "Jessie".

 

From a phone booth in Vegas, Jessie calls at 5 A.M.

to tell me how she's tired of all of them.

She says, "Baby, I've been thinking 'bout a trailer by the sea.

We could go to Mexico... you, the cat and me.

We'll drink tequila and look for sea shells.

Now, doesn't that sound sweet?"

Oh, Jessie, you always do this every time I get back on my feet.

 

Jessie paint your pictures 'bout how it's gonna be.

By now I should know better, your dreams are never free.

But tell me all about our little trailer by the sea;

Jessie you can always sell any dream to me.

Oh, Jessie, you can always sell any dream to me.

 

 

She asks me how the cat's been. I say, "Moses he's just fine

but he used to think about you all the time.

We finally took your pictures down off the wall.

Oh, Jessie, how do you always seem to know just when to call?"

She says, "Get your stuff together. Bring mose and drive real fast."

And I listen to her promise, "I swear to God this time it's gonna last."

 

 

Jessie paint your pictures 'bout how it's gonna be.

By now I should know better, your dreams are never free.

But tell me all about our little trailer by the sea;

Jessie you can always sell any dream to me.

 

 

I'll love you in the sunshine, lay you down in the warm white sand.

And who knows, maybe this time things'll turn out just the way you planned.

 

 

Jessie paint your pictures 'bout how it's gonna be.

By now I should know better, your dreams are never free.

But tell me all about our little trailer by the sea;

Jessie you can always sell any dream to me.

Oh, Jessie, you can always sell any dream to me.

[swimmermom3]

I always wanted a cat named Moses.

 

I heard it in a song once and I love it. I wish I could remember that song.....anyone?

 

Isn't there a lovely James Herriot story about Moses the kitten? Anway, when my dh and I were first out of college, 2 stray kittens showed up on our doorstep. We named them Ernest and Julia after our favorite, cheap, red, ...umm, er, beverage. That's probably not a process that would work in this case, eh? I am sorry to hear about the loss of your Siamese and wish you many years of joy with your new friend and companion.

[Scarlett]

Joshua Kadison. The song is called "Jessie".

 

From a phone booth in Vegas, Jessie calls at 5 A.M.

to tell me how she's tired of all of them.

She says, "Baby, I've been thinking 'bout a trailer by the sea.

We could go to Mexico... you, the cat and me.

We'll drink tequila and look for sea shells.

Now, doesn't that sound sweet?"

Oh, Jessie, you always do this every time I get back on my feet.

 

Jessie paint your pictures 'bout how it's gonna be.

By now I should know better, your dreams are never free.

But tell me all about our little trailer by the sea;

Jessie you can always sell any dream to me.

Oh, Jessie, you can always sell any dream to me.

 

 

She asks me how the cat's been. I say, "Moses he's just fine

but he used to think about you all the time.

We finally took your pictures down off the wall.

Oh, Jessie, how do you always seem to know just when to call?"

She says, "Get your stuff together. Bring mose and drive real fast."

And I listen to her promise, "I swear to God this time it's gonna last."

 

 

Jessie paint your pictures 'bout how it's gonna be.

By now I should know better, your dreams are never free.

But tell me all about our little trailer by the sea;

Jessie you can always sell any dream to me.

 

 

I'll love you in the sunshine, lay you down in the warm white sand.

And who knows, maybe this time things'll turn out just the way you planned.

 

 

Jessie paint your pictures 'bout how it's gonna be.

By now I should know better, your dreams are never free.

But tell me all about our little trailer by the sea;

Jessie you can always sell any dream to me.

Oh, Jessie, you can always sell any dream to me.

 

 

I could KISS YOU!!!!! Thank you soooo much! Off to find it on ITunes so I can hear it again. I can almost remember the tune.

 

So is Moses even a possibility? I'm getting a cat and I'm naming him Moses.

[Scarlett]

Joshua Kadison. The song is called "Jessie".

 

Got it from ITunes. I'm so happy. And yes I realize I am easy to please! Thank you!

[sheryl]

I voted for Max because our black cat Max died last Christmas. He was an awesome cat.

We still talk about him almost every day. He had such a personality about him.

 

I voted for Max...of all that "sounds" most like a cat name. We adopted a cat last January and we named her Mocha as that's her color and it fits well. Sheryl <><

[KrissiK]

I voted for Max because impo, I think cats need names that you can add "...ie" on the end of it when you're calling it. That's just me, though. Every cat I've had has had a name ending in "...ie". It just calls right. Anyhow, you can call "Maxie" if you want. Our current cats are Nikki and Socks, which we call "Socksie" when we're looking for her.

[Scarlett]

I voted for Max because impo, I think cats need names that you can add "...ie" on the end of it when you're calling it. That's just me, though. Every cat I've had has had a name ending in "...ie". It just calls right. Anyhow, you can call "Maxie" if you want. Our current cats are Nikki and Socks, which we call "Socksie" when we're looking for her.

 

I guess Moses wouldn't work very well for that would it? LOL Moses eeeee

[LadyAberlin]

I had a black cat once. We named him Ichabod. We found out later that that meant the glory has departed. He fit te name. He was always beat up from the fights he would pick LOL

[OnTheBrink]

Got it from ITunes. I'm so happy. And yes I realize I am easy to please! Thank you!

 

I loved that CD. I wonder whatever happened to mine? I may have to download it. :D

[LadyAberlin]

I guess Moses wouldn't work very well for that would it? LOL Moses eeeee

 

 

You could say Mosey!!! My cat wendall I say Wendy and clovis I say Clovie. But I've had a Bonkers, Patches, Pickles, Summer, Scout and Tasha and I didn't do the eee sound on them.

 

My cat Ichabod, I called Ick for short, which was just lovely, but with all the abscesses he would get it really was appropriate.

[Janet in WA]

The death of our beloved Siamese has left a huge hole in our household, so this afternoon, a little black kitty, a boy, joined our family. He needs a name. Please vote on your favorite.

I voted for Mungojerrie. It just spoke to me.

We had a black cat named Fred. That's what you get when you let your 4yo son name your cat.

 

Since you asked, I'm admit that I'm not a fan of naming animals after their appearance. Kind of predictable. But that's just me. The exception was a brother/sister pair of apricot poodles I once knew named Rusty and Rosie.

Edited December 9, 2009 by Janet in WA

[OhM]

Nigel is very cute. Our black kitty was a runt, and never got very big. She was so tiny when we got her, we called her Raisin.

[plimsoll]

We have two black and white cats, mostly black. The giant 24-pounder (might be Maine coon) is Moonbeam. The tiny one is Dakini. Deal is, I get to name the cats, my wife names the kids.

[Brigitte]

Awww. I had three black cats at one time, I am down to my last one, though. My first one was Simon. First named Simone - he was so tiny when I got him we couldn't tell if he was a boy or girl, so I guessed girl. By the time I found out he was a boy, Simone had already stuck. He was a momma's boy. When dh came along, he said Simone's bad attitude was because he suffered mentally from being called a girl's name, so we started calling him Simon. I think Simon hated dh because he forced him to change his name.

 

My second black kitty was name Sammi techinically short for Samantha, but I figured since I was calling my male cat a female name, I might as well call my female by a male name. This was all prior to dh arriving on the scene. Those cats were only about 15 months apart in age.

 

THe third black kitty came along after dh. Since dh was working on his PhD in Classics and this kitten was "his" he picked the name. Horace was his choice. Horace lives today and is an ornery 13 year old. Despite being much younger than the other two, he ruled the roost.