Naming Your Cat

                With all apologies to T.S. Eliot, the naming of cats is not all that delicate a matter.

But some thought should certainly be given to it. Giving the cat a foolish or ugly name on

the spur of the moment because it sounds funny is no way to start a relationship. It

encourages a careless and disrespectful attitude toward the cat not only in yourself, but in

other people as well. A bad name encourages a bad attitude toward the cat. Fortunately,

coming up with a good name can be fun and there are endless possibilities for ideas.

                One very popular way for finding a good name is to look up the names of stars,

galaxies or constellations. You don't have to stick with just the major ones. Look up

some of the minor constellations and stars as well. You could find just the perfect name

in a constellation you had previously never heard of. You too may find you have a

Dorado or Indus on your hands. Another popular means of naming cats is using human

names. Matilda, Annie, Pete and Bobby are all quite popular. Some people name their

cats after movie stars or characters in a favorite film or book. I'm certain that at this very

moment, there are a large number of Frodos purring contentedly on their favorite

windowsill right now.

                Another good way to name a cat is by using something in their appearance to

name them. Many calico colored cats have been simply named Calico. Spotted cats of

any color frequently have the name of Patch. One cat was named Shadow because her

black and tan tiger stripes seemed to melt into the late afternoon shadows the first time

her new owner saw her. A gray kitten was quite suitably named Ash.

      Sometimes it is something the cat did that suggested their name. One kitten had a

habit of scaring himself silly. When he and his siblings first learned to climb trees, he

became over excited and rushed up higher than he was brave enough to climb down from.

The poor little gay clung to a branch crying at the top of his lungs while the adult cats

rushed around trying figure out a way to get him down. It only required a stool to retrieve

the little guy, but he was sure he was stuck halfway to the moon. Another time he

managed to get his head stuck between the slats on an old corn crib. He was safely

rescued after considerable effort. Due to this undeniable talent for scaring himself, he was

named Spook.

     

      Sometimes it is the cats' personality that suggests a name. A bold little explorer

who was the first kitten in his litter to explore the world outside their nest was named

Boone. A handsome brown kitten was so very fastidious in everything he did (one never

puts ones' paws in the food dish, that's dirty!) that he was eventually named Thomas.

     

      Naming a cat can be a pleasant and entertaining task. It's often the very first thing

a person does when he or she picks out a new companion. Take a little time to select just

the right name for your new friend. A good name will set your new relationship off on

just the right foot.