How Cat’s got Their Names – Cute Cat Name Stories

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

Mongo

I have a cat whos’ name is Mongo. Whenever she wants something her meow sounds just like she is saying mama. My neices and nephews heard her do this one day when she wanted to come outside with us. They were really suprised and said, ” Mongo is saying Mama.” She doesn’t do it right at first, but if she thinks you’re not paying attention she starts meowing mama. – Taffy

Spaz

My wife sat up in bed and exclaimed “Calm down, you spastic thing!” I instantly had a “light bulb over the head” moment and said “That’s it! Her name is ‘Spaz’!” My wife didn’t care for that idea, but I started using it the next day (“Hello, Spaz. How are you, Spaz? Here’s some more food, Spaz. Need your litter box cleaned, Spaz?”, etc.) Within 24 hours, she was responding to the name, so that settled it. As you can imagine, every vet she went to did a double-take when hearing her name!

Reiki

I think my cat has the coolest name, Her name is Reiki, which in Japanese means “spiritually guided life force energy” practiced by reiki masters who lay their hands upon the sick or injured to heal. I was working at a vet clinic when a lady brought in this pitiful sick little kitten with a broken jaw. We were going to euthanize her, but this woman said she practiced reiki and asked if she could try it with the kitten. She did, and I decided to take her home overnight to see if she would make it. Well, four years later, she is a beautiful, healthy cat who also practices reiki — every time she lays in my lap and purrs I feel healed too! – Michelle

Bertabie, Poupon, Kingaiu & Topsy Doodles

Bertabie – a HUGE Maine Coon, nick-named Big Berta.

Poupon – named after the mustard brand “Grey Poupon” as she is a little
grey stray with mustard colored splashes. Poupon also means “little one”
in French.

Kingaju – a Black Persian with Halloween Orange Eyes, named after the
Orange Eyed Tree Dwelling Marsupial of the same name. Used to call her
Jubees for short. She resides at RB.

Topsy Doodles – my “Special Needs” kitty, a Tuxedo cat with CH, Cerebellar Hypoplasia, who tends to topple over a lot as her balance skills aren’t so hot. Clumsy as can be, she is my sweet little snuggle bum and my favorite cat! – Tracy Present

Pogo

Our orange cat’s name is POGO. He came to us not quite six weeks old, not always k eeping his balance, while still learning to walk and run. He loved to hop around and go into a tumble, which reminded us of jumping on a pogp stick. He almost 9 months now, and still loves to hop while playing….- Linda Martindale

Hellmonkey

About ideas for names of cats, my cat is always getting into everything
and stays in trouble. His name is “Hellmonkey” and it describes him
perfectly! – Cheryl Garrett

Scarlet & Wheezy

Hi, just wanted to let you know that I have 2 cats( both of them black) and their names are Scarlet and Wheezy. Wheezy got her name because when I first brought her home(I rescued her from a park), she had a respiratory infection and wheezed a lot, hence the name, “Wheezy”. As far as how Scarlet got her name, I was having trouble deciding what to name her, when Scarlet crossed my mind, and thought that would make an interesting name for a kitty. Melissa

Dallas Names

Cat names – I have 15 cats and most of them are named for the characters from the Dallas TV show – Miss Ellie, Jock, JR, SueEllen, Bobby, Vanessa, Morgan, Jordan, Callie, Dallas, etc. Someone said if I concentrated on the names of the girl friends of JR, I could go on for a long time. – Dottie

Simon

This is how I got my black cats name. I was on the floor looking at one of the other cats that I have and the new one decided to jump up on this cabinet that we have in our living room and when I looked up at home he was looking down and he looked like one of those little monkeys so I named him Simon. But now he is the king of the jungle! He has the look of the Lion also, so he’s a monkey and a lion. The bridge of his nose is so wide like a lions I can’t help to kiss it from time to time. He was a stray but he has come along way, and I love him dearly. – Renee

Astrophe

I have an 8 year old Russian Blue with quite a personality. As a kitten he was a holy terror at times. When I called my vet to make an appointment to have him neutered they, of course, asked the cat’s name. I answered Astrophe, when the receptionist asked me to spell it I did adding that his first name is CAT. The poor girl dropped the phone she was laughing so hard. – Dennis Robbins

Pootinky

Pootinky. She came from a dairy barn and she stank so badly that the name just stuck. We happened to get Stinky Pootinky’s grand-kitty as well and thought she should have a stinky name too. Doodie is her name, she’s just a little terd!

M.Y.O.

My cat was named M.Y.O. because she was a therapy cat that worked at local nursing homes.

M for mine
Y for yours as I shared her with others
O for ours as she was loved by all.
Some of the residents couldn’t remember my name just her name so I was
always “MYOS MOM”

Lori Zaremski

MeToo

I have a cat whose name is – I kid you not – MeToo. His previous owner started calling him that because everything you do, he wants to do with you – eat, sleep, use the bathroom, read, anything. – Jeanie

Heidi

Cat Names. We called our little adopted calico-tabby cross Heidi, because she is always hiding. Every time there’s a knock at the door you can’t find her for hours.

Stormy Weather

I have a very sweet, cute, fat calico girl. She came to us during a rainy day storm. Half of her face is black, the other tabby, she has a tear shaped dark spot on the black side of her face..so her name is Stormy Weather. – Angie

Simon

Simon Peter, Simone Bonee and Sydney Belle. Simon Peter is such a naughty but very sweet boy, that we had to give him a biblical name to see if it would help out his naughtiness. Sydney Belle is very beautiful, Simone Bonee is just like Simon Peter, but she has a long coat vs. a short coat, tuxy. Simone is the runt, and she was the smallest boniest of the 3 in that litter. Such is her name. – Angie

Rainbow

I got my beautiful calico when she was only 5 wks old because she had no mother. I stepped in the door and there she was, she just walked up to me and looked at me with an expression that said, “here I am, take me or leave me.” The sun was shining on her and my first thought was that she looked like a beautiful soft Rainbow, so that had to be her name. I would have done better to have named her Hurricane or something like that. Rainbow is not mean, she borders on being psychotic. She has sent me to the emergency room three times from bite infections. Her name may not fit but she is the love of my life and I wouldn’t trade her for all the lap cats in the world. – Carol Buiza

Tennessee Tuxedo

On funny cat names…my black and white kitty is named “Tennessee Tuxedo,” after the cartoon character from the 1960’s. It’s a name that divides the generations–people younger than 40 generally have never heard of the cartoon. The first time I took Tux to the vet, the 20-something tech said, “That’s some name you have for your cat” (which really meant, “your cat really has a weird name!). However, the vet, who is in his late 40’s, started singing the “Tennessee Tuxedo” theme song as he entered the room (“Come on and see see see Tennessee Tuxedo…”). Tuxie’s name really brings back childhood memories of watching cartoons after school for a lot of people. – Maureen Frei

Ninja

One of my favorite cats was my pewter gray shorthair. He was beautiful and very playful… He loved to hide in dark corners and pounce on you as you walked by… He got the name of ‘Ninja’ due to his ability to get us at every corner. He was a real memory-maker… and I miss him dearly! – Colleen

Boo

Now my cats that I have now are both edited from the orignal name that they came with when we adopted them from rescue shelters. The first is Boo which is actuallyshort for Peekaboo, which I reinvented as Ms. Boo as she just carries herself like that. You know the attitude.. ” and that’s MS BOO to you!!!” Jane Rue

Mr. Clancy Fancy Pants

Now we have the feisty 2 year old we adopted just a few months ago. His name is Clancy. However, due to his boisterous nature, he is now lovingly referred to as Mr. Clancy Fancy Pants. This cat has a problem with stealing anything that is on my nightstand. Due to the fact that I suffer from severe migraines I used to keep my “In case of Emergency” meds on my night stand along with a bottle of water, just in case my normal preventative meds failed me and I woke up feeling like my brains were shooting out of my ears. Well, That didn’t last long, as Mr Clancy soon learned how much fun it was to knock the pill bottles around on the floor and listen to them rattle with joy. He then moved on to pencils, pens, tissues, bottle caps (if you open a bottle of water, soda, tea, anything to take a drink in this house, you Must hold the cover in our hand, or it will disappear right before your very eyes!!! Mr. Clancy Fancy Pants is
a very affectionate and loving cat however. As soon as you carwl into bed, he is right there next to you to snuggle…. Yeah RIght… he is right there for you to pet him. With
Ms Boo you can pet her and she will nod off to sleep, with MR Clancy, he will tap you on the arm to wake you up if you nod off to sleep. He does take very good care of his toys however. He on almost a daily basis gives at least one of his mouse toys (the plush ones with the bells and catnip inside) a bath in his water dish. Depending how dirty he feels they are, he will either leave them their to soak (and expect me to hang them to dry) or lay them out sporadically around the bedroom so you only find them when you step on a soggy stuffed mouse when you are half awake in the middle of the night. And, if you make so even much as a sound when you step on them, it wakes him up and it is time for feeding or the petting routine again. All in all I wouldn’t give up my pets for anything. My 17-year-old one day looked at me as I was warming the cats moist food as they don’t like it cold once its be refrigerated. He looks at me and says ” Jeez mom, I think you love those cats more than you love me…” My response was.. Well, Patrick… most days, they bring me more joy than you do!!! But you wont be a teenager for ever so hopefully that will all change someday!!! – Jane

Rifraff

Rif Raf – especially if you have an expensive pedigreed cat who wants you go play with the stray RifRaf. – Bill Hopkins

Oepus or Eddie Puss

Oeipus or Eddie Puss he was still nursing his mom at age 2 years! – Peggy

Peekaboo

My cat’s name is Peekaboo. There are 2 reasons I named her Peekaboo. When she was a tiny kitten, she would hide behind things and peek out. I would poke at her and say “Peekaboo! I see you!” Sandy Duvall

Cirrus & Nimbus

I have 2 white cats that I found on the road-side when they were so tiny, they both fit in the palm of one hand. They were so dirty that I originally thought they were grey! I named them Cirrus and Nimbus after clouds, and they turned 15 this year. They have been 2 of the best companions I have ever had! Most of my critters have been named based on a combination of color and personality. I have a black and white long hair cat with a perfect black spot on each nostril which I named “Stray Boogers” because she was a stray that found me and she looks like she has boogers on her nose 🙂 Another one of my cats is orange and has golden rings for eyes, so I named him Tolkien after the author of Lord of the Rings. – Bambi Ferree

Bregis

One cat name that I came up with was “Brigis”. About seven years, my cat “Precious” gave birth to her first liter. One of the Kittens was a breech baby, which I helped deliver @ 2:18 am. I knew that she would be outgoing and verbal. At the time, the only person who came to mind was Regis Philman. So I put Breech and Regis together and got ‘Brigis’. – Theresa