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Naming Your Cat

Charlotte looks a lot like Caspurr.
aturkus (Alan Turkus) [Flickr]
Charlotte looks a lot like Caspurr.

Finding the right name for your new feline friend might be easy, or it could be a challenge.  You want something you like, something easy to remember - and nothing too embarrassing if you are calling for it in the unlikely (we hope) event it should it accidentally get out!

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When you get a new pet, one of the first things to do is decide on a name. It should be something short so the pet will get used to it. It's also a good idea to avoid names that sound like a command or a reprimand. For example, if you name your new pet "Beau" (B-E-A-U), that sounds a lot like "no". Your furry friend may not know whether you're calling him or scolding him. And although I have heard from so-called experts that dogs are more likely than cats to learn their names, I know my three cats not only know their own names but each other's names. When I address one, the other two look at the cat I just called.

June is Adopt-a-Cat Month, so you may be searching for theperfect name for your new feline companion. Vetstreet.compublished a list of the most popular names for cats. "Oliver" is again the most popular male cat name. "Milo" is number two, up four notches from last year; moving from eighth to third on the list is "Leo". Down in the number ten spot is "Kitty", which tenth on last year's list, as well. In fact, the top ten names for male cats are the same as last year; they just moved around a bit.

For female cats, the top name for maybe the eighth year in a row is "Bella". "Luna" and "Lucy" came in second and third, and "Kitty" was number four on the list for female cats. The big surprise was number five (which wasn't on anybody's list of popular cat names last year). Thanks to the popularity of the Disney movie, "Frozen", "Elsa" zoomed up from out of nowhere to land right in the middle of the top ten.

There are certain cat names I have really liked. I had a friend who named her white cat "Caspurr" - that's "Purr" with two Rs. Maybe my favorite was the name my cousin gave his cat: "Useless". When the cat died of old age, he got another cat and named it "Useless Two"; he called it "U-2".

Why not visit your local animal shelter and rescue a feline friend of your own? The fun of choosing its name is just the start of a great relationship, when you're speaking of pets.

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Mindy Norton has been “Speaking of Pets” on Alabama Public Radio since 1995.
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