We have many stories on Petplace.com on how to name your cat, the meaning behind cat names, common names and even uncommon names. This has inspired many cat lovers to send us stories about HOW their cat got their names. We liked the stories so much that we wanted to share them with you.

Here are some of our favorites:

Mystery

For many years I had two female black cats, Lucy and Mystery. Lucy's name had nothing to do with her hair color, so I won't explain why I chose it. Mystery, though, was a stray kitten who showed up unexpectedly one Saturday morning on our patio. My husband let her in, thinking she was Lucy, and she stayed with us another 18 years. I was trying to think of what to name her and said "you're just a little mystery kitty," and I knew I had it. I'll never know where she came from, so she was a mystery. Plus, the gorgeous black coat helped. I might not have given her that name if she had been another color. Black cats are more mysterious than others, at least in popular culture, so it fit. – Nancy Groves

Manure

French-Canadians call their kitties Minew, not Kitty. I had a tortie named Minew and a cat-hating friend named her Manure. The name was appropriate for her coloring and it stuck for 18 years. I have since had another Manure who lasted 12 years. One of these days I will get another tortie and name her Manure also. - Linda

Simberella

I was given a little cat they called Simba, but when I checked it was a female so I named her Simberella. - Sharon

Eightball

I had a black and white cat we called Eightball - just like the pool ball. – Mary Dunne

55

Newest member in daughter's family is named "55". She was found near death as a tiny kitten in someone's barn and RUSHED to the nearest vet. She weighed two ounces and was given a shot of warm fluid for dehydration, antibiotics, eye drops and formula. The vet said she had a 50% chance of surviving. My daughter said I won't accept that. She has a 55% chance and from that came her name. That was July 3rd. 55 is now a bouncing bundle of energy, strength and spirit. She has put on quite a show for the family since her arrival. Derek came home from work one night, sat on the couch. 55 came down the stairs and jumped up on the couch where he was, bit his nose and jumped back down and ran back upstairs. She also harasses the two male boxers who seem to adore her for some reason. I guess she's proof you don't have to be big to be the ruler! - Karen Youngs

Rookie

Being lovers of Black Kitty's we already had a Sammie.........so when our new little boy came to us.....he was just a Rookie at being like Sammie....so his name is Rokkie! Linda Mendez & Phil Midiri

Stucker

I named one of our kittens "Stucker" after he got stuck up a tree, then stuck in my car, then stuck in the neighbor's garage overnight. The name just fit! – Molly Reese

Oven Mitt

Oven Mitt was so named after the infamous Arby's Oven Mitt character on their commercials. True to his character, my little girl is ALWAYS on the tail end of a large, loud, unfamiliar noise or bang which ALWAYS results in a huge cleanup of the disaster. - Colleen

Little Nubbie

I have a black kitten (about 3 and a half months old) that we named Nubbie. We came up with this name because when he was only a couple days we noticed that 3/4 of his tail was missing (perhaps his mama chewed it off during birth, we don't know) - Teri

Hallalu

I have two cats one name hallalu when we picked him up to take him home he was laying on his back all four legs where in the air like he was singing in church. - Leslie

Sparky, Raswcal & Peek-a-Boo

I always named my cats based upon their personality. I have an orange and white cat who - as a kitten - had to be kept away from electrical cords. Hence the name, "Sparky". I also had a "Rascal" who loved to paw at the phone until he speed-dialed
911, and a "Peek-a-Boo" who loved to hid under the bed covers. We also
had a "Widget" because we just couldn't agree on a name for the little
thing. Observing your kitten for the little quirks of his/her personality will soon tell you the most appropriate name to give the little one. - Sharon French

Draino

This is my wonderful black cat Draino.His original name was Draven.
I changed it to Draino because he sucked up food,just like a big drain.His full name is Draino Max the First.- Nancy-Anne

Seven

Seven is named because she is my 7th cat.

SeeMe & Hearme

We named them according to personality. Our first girl, Seemee
(long-haired gray, white and brown calico) only wants to be seen. She is a lover but only on her terms. Our other girl, Hearmee (long-haired calico) is a talker and wants to be heard. - Fran