How to Pick a Name for your Kitten


How to Pick a Name for your Kitten

Picking a name for a kitten, or any pet for that matter, is rather like choosing a name for a baby. Everyone’s got an opinion, and everyone has a favorite. The difference with naming the kitty however is that often there are more valid opinions to be acknowledged! So how do you go about naming your new kitten?

Well the first thing to consider is the physical appearance of the kitten, it may very well be “cute” to call your ginger cat “Sooty” but eventually the joke will wear a bit thin and you’ll be wishing you’d went with something more fitting with his color. So take a good look at your new kitten. Is there a name associated with the color of his fur that comes to mind? Watch him for a couple of days before you name him. What kind of personality does he have? Is he feisty and up to mischief already? Or is he more shy and scared looking? Think of a name that sums up his personality.

Do you have other pets in the home? What names could you choose for the latest addition that would complement the existing pet(s)? If you don’t want to choose names that are similar, how about names that are opposites? Are there pet names that seem to be “historical” within your family – as in “There’s always been a cat called Smudge in our family. Gran used to have one, but it died.” – And so you name your cat Smudge to fit the family pattern.

Do you prefer traditional kitten names, or are you more biased on choosing a name that you could call a child? Increasingly people are opting for real names rather than pet names when naming their four-legged friends. Do you have a preference either way?

The most important thing to consider when choosing a name for your kitten is what you’re going to be comfortable yelling out of the window at 2 am when kitty hasn’t returned home yet! Make a list of all the names you can live with. Put each name on a separate piece of paper. Scrunch it up and place all the papers into a container. Whoever is going to be mainly responsible for the welfare of the kitty should be the person to draw one piece of paper out. Whatever name is lifted out of the container, that’s kitty’s name!