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Conference misery::feline_v1

Title:Meower Power is Valuing Differences
Notice:FELINE_V1 is moving 1/11/94 5pm PST to MISERY
Moderator:MISERY::VANZUYLEN_RO
Created:Sun Feb 09 1986
Last Modified:Tue Jan 11 1994
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5089
Total number of notes:60366

12.0. "Name the cats contest" by ADVAX::C_WAY () Wed Jun 06 1984 16:06

My roommates and I will soon be getting two cute little kittens,
one black and one grey. We are having some trouble selecting names,
however.

Sleazy and Herpey didn't go over too well. And neither did Vax11/780 and
Zymate. The leading choices right now seem to be Pete and either Spike
or Jughead.

However, I would like to throw this open to the cat-lover world at large.
No name is too bizarre for consideration. Have at it!

Charlie "soon to be a two-cat family" Way
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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12.1RAVEN1::HOLLABAUGHWed Jun 06 1984 16:2614
  As you can teel from my kitties, (Sam , Merry, Pippin, and Gandalf) I'm 
a tolkien fan.  Gandalf is grey needless to say.  I swear that the first 
all black cat I get is going to be named Nazgul.  I breifly had a white cat 
named Arwen.  There is such a wealth of names in Tolkien that I doubt I will 
ever look elsewhere.  
   There is at least one book on cat names in the stores right now.  I can't
remember if I found it in the humor section or the pets section.  At any 
rate... There are ten zillion names in there including some great ones, some
cliche's and some unusual ones.(like naming your cat Spike or Fang)  The
book is broken down into categories of names and types of cats to be named.
ie. Macho cats, black cats, mythological names...
I see if I can find the book title and author.

tlh
12.2ROYAL::RAVANWed Jun 06 1984 17:3531
"The naming of cats is a difficult matter ..."

(I had to put that in here.)

My cats were named rather randomly. "Chiun" was the only oriental
name I could think of (it is the name of a master assassin in a
series of schlocky-but-fun books called "Destroyer"); don't ask
me why I felt it necessary to give my cat an oriental-sounding
name just because his breed is supposedly oriental. "Abigail"
is the second of my "old-fashioned-sounding girls' names" cats;
the first was a beautiful, sweet-tempered tabby-and-white
longhair named Amanda, who disappeared shortly before Abigail
turned up.

Maybe it's my perception of things, but most of the time the
cats turn out to behave more or less like their names would lead
you to think. Abigail pretends to be shy but is very cuddly.
Gunslinger, a bold grey tabby from my college days, wasn't afraid
of anything - dogs, people, horses, coyotes - and despite a
serious injury to his hip in a cat fight (made him walk with a
gunslinger's swagger), he was a mighty hunter. Just in case
this holds true, don't name your cats after devils, known
psychopaths, or undesirable personal traits. ("Here, Asmodeus ..."
br-r-r-r!) 

If you want to stick with short, plain names, you might give the
cat an official, "formal" name, a shortened form of which would
serve for everyday use. "Nickodemus" becomes "Nick", "Petrarch"
or "Petronius" for "Pete", etc.

-b
12.3ASYLUM::SIMONWed Jun 06 1984 17:5345
Well, here I go again proving just how strange I am:

I always thought "Gizmo" would be a good name for a cat.  I also like "Junior"
although more as a nickname than a real name.  My ex cat "Prunes" was named
in the midst of two parallel conversations taking place in a kitchen.  
If you are a republican, "Bonzo" might be appropriate.  "Lucky" would be fun.

There are names that could be used with themselves to form sentences:

1.  "Dinner"  -->  At Supper time you could say "Dinner, Dinner!"
2.  "Here"    -->  When you want him to come:   "Here, here!"
3.  "Out"     -->  At the door:                 "Out?, Out"
etc.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seriously, I try to name my cats according to their disposition or reputation.

Tigger was a bouncy ("Tiggers bounce best!" - quoted from Tigger in "Winnie
the Pooh and the blustery day.").  She is also tiger-striped so it fit.

Maine Coon Cats are supposed to be very intelligent and with long wispy
hair, I had to go with Einstein.  This backfired as Einstein has to be the
dumbest cat ever born.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For the black cat:

"Midnight" (although this is grossly overused).
My landlords have a black cat named "Zambucca" which is good.
"Anasette" [sp?]
"Licorice"
"Blacky" (Also overused)
"Shadow" ( ""   "")
"Rohrshach" [sp?] (aren't those blots usually black?)
"Bach"
"Vesuvious" (Isn't lava black)
"DAC" (acronym for Dark As Coal)


For the gray cat:

"Smokey" (overused)
"Paddywack" (no special reason)
"Tarzan"  (In honor of "Grey-stoke")

I'm afraid as that that is all I can come up with.
12.4MIGHTY::HERBERTWed Jun 06 1984 18:036
Mythological names are nice.  My cats are Zeus and Hera.  These kind
of names really fit because there's a certain feeling of importance
that goes along with the name....and we all know how important cats
are!

I think your idea of "Jughead" is cute too.
12.5Vaxuum::DYERWed Jun 06 1984 20:366
	I understand that a woman in Connecticut named her cat "Fire."  Of
course, she ended up summoning the fire department!

	A friend of mine came up with a great name:  "Kat."  Kind of radical,
like the way they used to spell "amerika" in the '60's.
		<_Jym_>
12.6MIGHTY::WILLIAMSThu Jun 07 1984 01:057
When I lived at home, my cat was named "Le Pew", nick name "Pepe". I think
it's pretty obvious why:  before we could come up with a "good" name,
he had a week there where he, shall we say, "perfumed that air." Of
course, it got strange looks from the Vet..
I don't think you're wierd, Denise. I like those names. (or am I wierd
by default?)
					Bryan
12.7EXODUS::WINKLERThu Jun 07 1984 16:4831
As the owner and namer of Asmodeus, I feel I must defend myself from
note #2.  I also offer this to refute the claim that a cat's name can
shape its personality.

When we found Asmodeus (seal-point Siamese), it was the dead of winter.
He was obviously starving, in that you could see every rib in his body.
He was also covered with fleas and generally pretty ratty looking.  
Since we already had 3 cats, we didn't want another.  So we brought him
to the vet and advertised for the owner, while offering our garage to 
him as a home.  Of course, no one claimed him, and being a 
soft-touch....

Anyway, he was pretty freaked by whatever experiences he'd been through.
As soon as he got used to having shelter and food, he started to act
VERY mean (ACT is the operative word, here).  He has a terrifying cry,
and would lunge for any piece of flesh that came near him, human or 
otherwise.  Hence, the name ASMODEUS.

For a full year, we tried to avoid pissing off Asmodeus (nickname "Asmo").
One day, we failed.  It was then we discovered that the terrifying
cry and lunge for the flesh gets followed by a gentle placement of the
mouth against your skin, a slight wimper, and an ignominious exit from
the room.

So be it.

Regarding naming other cats:  We try to keep unique vowel sounds in
each name.  I don't know if it helps, but the idea is to help them
learn and identify their own names.

k
12.8ROYAL::RAVANThu Jun 07 1984 19:2920
(sigh) I knew I'd get in trouble. I thought about using an example
like "Dog Barf", but if anybody thought it was a great idea and
named a cat that, I'd never forgive myself.

We've had cats named: Spook (black tomcat), Sprite (grey Persian female),
Halftrack (for the way he walked when a kitten), Friday (born on F. the
13th), Little Black One (when you run out of ideas for names),
Magnificat (Maggie, for short), and Tuppence.

And then there were Melancholy, Catarinka, and Pussy-Purr-Mew;
Yum-Yum, our first Siamese; the word-game kittens, Polopony and
Verily (pronounced "po-LOP-ony" and "ver-ILL-ee" - if you've never
heard the related jokes, I'll provide them upon request);
and Gunslinger and Amanda, mentioned in another note.

I wonder if we could produce a paper on the psychology of naming
cats? I suspect it says more about the namer than the namee, in
the long run.

-b
12.9WOODIE::PRIGOTFri Jun 08 1984 00:0513
Well, here's my two cents' worth.

	I'd try to hold off for as long as possible in naming your new 
masters/mistresses until their personality suggests something. (Kind of like 
an earlier reply, but from an opposite side).
	C'mell got her name before I ever acquired her, because I so liked the
character, I said that the first female I got would get the name. However, if
you've ever read the story (or get to read the story), she is not the bouncy,
vivacious "girly-girl" of the story. She has turned out to be more of a
Margaret, as in Margret Dumont of Marx Brothers fame, with a stuffy/dignified
personality. 
	Apollo, however, has turned out to be more of a handsome, golden
"Californian" type, so maybe the name does sometime make the cat! 
12.10KATIE::WHEELERFri Jun 08 1984 17:3419
My first kitten named himself, he was always kinda 
unperdictable, and a nut, so I named him Spazz,
which everyone laughed at until they had the 
chance to watch him in action, He loved terrorizing
an old beau, Spazz would run up behind him and scale
up the back of his legs, then jump down and book 
off (all in about 5 seconds flat!)   He loved 
riding in cars, taking baths (he tried to help fix
my car one time, and ended up looking like a 
grease-monkey, I filled up the sink, stuffed him
in and scrubbed him up, he didn't put up any type
of fuss at all!!  
Spazz has since gone to kitty-heaven (I hope),
he committed suicide after our dog got hit,
he casually walked out in front of a car on
Rt 62 in Stow, and ended it all.  

				Robin
12.11ORPHAN::LIONELSat Jun 09 1984 00:165
We named our two cats after their physical characteristics.  As I mentioned
earlier, Wellington was so named because his paws looked like they had large
white boots (Wellingtons).  Tabitha's name comes from the fact that she's
a tabby cat.
			Steve
12.12VAX4::GARDNERSat Jun 09 1984 02:5116
first an idle query due to YOUR name ringing a distant bell--you're not
from Ohio, are you?  (you share my high school English teacher's son's
name, but that would be too coincidental. . .)  now down to business.
I agree with note #9; you should really wait to see who they are before
you name them.  Mine all came from the animal shelter (that's why I had
8 at one point) and as such came equipped with names.  If I could, I 
would now call Buttercup "Miss Priss" because she is such a prigg; Cali
(can you guess what that's short for?) would be "Butch" because she is
such a tomboy and a pain in the a-- to the other felines who have to
share her home; Wally would be "Freak", short for Freaked Out--his 
constant state of being; Cory would be "Blimp" which she is anyway,
weighing in at ~15 pounds (so she's frustrated and takes it out on her
food dish--what can I say?), and Melissa would remain Melissa--a sweet
but touchy bitch.  You really have to know 'em to name 'em.

-cathy
12.13RAVEN1::HOLLABAUGHMon Jun 11 1984 11:528
Just thought I'd throw a couple of interesting names into the ring.  My
sister has three cats. (It runs in the family!)  The first is named Baby kitty.
(she was the smaller of two when they got her.)  The other two have very 
descropitive names.  Gooberhead and Rat-face.  I kid you not.  They call
Gooberhead, Goob for short.  Needless to say they get strange looks at the 
vet's office.  

tlh
12.14ADVAX::C_WAYTue Jun 12 1984 17:329
re .12 : I drove through Ohio once. Or maybe twice. Don't have any relatives
from that side of the family there that I know of.

re all : thanks for the suggestions. Keep 'em coming, we haven't made a 
decision yet. Leading choices right now are Smokey and the Bandit. Smokey
is sort of boring, but I like Bandit. It fits, too, as this kitten is all
black and very rambunctious (sp?).

Charlie
12.15ASYLUM::SIMONWed Jun 13 1984 12:5118
More cruel things to call a cat:

aclysm
acombs
alog
alist
amaran
amount
apult
aract
astrophe
atonic

All of these for the basic value that, when used with the word "cat", give
the critter new meaning.  For instance:

"...and this is my cat, Astrophe."

12.16ADVAX::C_WAYSun Jul 01 1984 02:2818
Well, we decided on Smokey and the Bandit. The names even seem to fit. 
Bandit is hyper, and is always playing (he was the runt of the litter).
Smokey is really mellow. He spends most of his time sleeping, and pretending
that he really doesn't want to play with that ball you are rolling in front
of him. At least while you are watching him, anyway. We already have them
going outside, and they are learning their way around the back yard.

They are sort of weird, though. When I'm trying to go to sleep, they will
jump up onto my bed, stick their faces under my chin, and start licking
away. It's my sweet skin, I guess. Or maybe they like my beard. Rolling
over doesn't help because then they just walk over your face to get back
to the chin. Bandit likes to nibble on ears and noses, too. They will take
as much petting as I care to give them. They especially like have their
stomachs and ers scratched

Charlie

THanks for all the suggestion for names.
12.17This may sound silly.....butLOOKUP::DAVISFri Oct 10 1986 12:393
    I have an idea, although it may sound a little silly. I had a cat
    before that we named boufetta, it is a French name for clown, it
    is prounounced boofetta. Just an idea.
12.18Nice name, but a little lateDSSDEV::WALSHSitting 'round the shanty, mama...Mon Oct 13 1986 18:2015
re .17

Well, two years ago, Charlie named them Smokey and the Bandit.

Despite some minor problems with one of them (Bandit?) getting run over by a
car, both kitties are still doing fine.  They've grown to be quite large,
affectionate monsters. 
    
It's still a nice name - but I don't think he'll be changing names now.
'Specially since he no longer works at DEC and doesn't access this file much
any more. 

;-)

- Chris
12.19Looking for "J" namesPUZZLE::CORDESJAFri Oct 24 1986 16:4215
    To any of you that may still be keeping an eye on this file, I need
    help naming a purebred Birman female that I will be picking up in
    November.  Birman breeders have a tradition of naming their cats
    with a name starting with the letter that corresponds to the year
    in which they were born.  This year's kittens should be named with
    a "J" name such as Juliana, Justin etc.  I usually name my cats
    after famous people (Winston Churchill,{Pres.} James Monroe, Jesse
    James, Ralph Waldo Emerson to name a few.)  I have been thinking
    about naming this little girl "Jackie O."  Any other suggestions?
    The kitten is a sealpoint.  If you need more info about this breed,
    just ask.
    
    Jo Ann
    
    
12.20A Few SuggestionsINK::KALLISSupport Hallowe'enFri Oct 24 1986 19:107
    Re .19:
    
    Juanita, Joannie, Joelle, Jocasta, Jollie, Jill, Jeannie, Juliet,
    Joan-d'-Arc for starters ...
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.
    
12.21two more suggestionsNZOV01::PARKINSONHrothgarTue Oct 28 1986 06:332
    Juno, the Roman goddess?
    Jacinta (just a nice name)
12.22Which name do you like best?PUZZLE::CORDESJAWed Nov 12 1986 17:417
    We've been thinking about Judy Blue Eyes, Jackie O., Jellylorum,
    and last but not least Joie de Vivre.
    
    Care to cast a vote?
    
    Jo Ann
    
12.23Judy, Judy, JudyCLUSTA::TAMIRThu Nov 13 1986 16:073
    Judy Blue Eyes...definitely!  Buffalo Springfield would be proud...
    
    Mary
12.24And the name is.....PUZZLE::CORDESJAWed Nov 26 1986 16:4912
    Well it turns out that Judy Blue Eyes is too many letters.  You
    are limited to 35 letters (and spaces) when registering a name.
    
    We ended up registering Sacrechat's Jouissance de MySinhs as the
    first choice of name.  Our second choice was Sacrechat's Jeune Fille
    de MySinhs.  Hopefully we will get our first choice.
    
    Jouissance means delight or enjoyment in french.  We've been calling
    her Jou Jou (plaything in french) and it seems to suit her just
    fine.
    
    JoAnn
12.25memoriamBTO::BRYCE_CFri Sep 23 1988 17:548
    
    
    The best cat names seem to be those that the cat adopts for themselves.
    My Burmese beauty (recently deceased) would only ever answer to
    one name, so for eighteen years we owned a "Kitty". RIP, baby.
    
    
    
12.26Worst names candidatesSUBURB::ODONNELLJFri Nov 03 1989 18:319
    I HAD to enter the two worst names I have ever heard for a cat.
    The unfortunate felines in question are both Toms.
    The first is my Aunt's neighbours' cat - COOKING FAT (reverse the
    initial letters to get a much less polite way of referring to him!)
    The second lives at one of the Unversity Halls of Residence at Reading.
    His owner named him after her brand of tranquillizers - MOGADON
    Moggie for short.
    
    I like names that are used as Christian names for humans myself.
12.27A Few Other Suggestions...PCOJCT::LEADSWed Nov 14 1990 16:405
    
    A few other suggestions  for a cat name is "Velvet" or what one of my 
    friends calls his cats "Tucker" and "Manhattan".  I have two cats named
    "P.j." and "Caramello"(but he is sometimes called "Cinnamon").
    
12.28SPCTRM::SECURITYACT POLICE AND STATE YOUR CODEThu Feb 21 1991 11:132
    I named my little baby FLIRTAYSHA and that is just what she is...
    a big flirt!  You should hear the vet try to say that ;).