If you think naming a cat is a simple matter, guess what? You're wrong. Cats are sensitive and extremely intelligent creatures, so don't do them the dishonor of whacking an inappropriate name on them at birth and then watching them wriggle and squirm for the rest of their lives in the soul-destroying indignity of having a substandard name. Consider these steps and you should be ok and so should your cat!
Tip 1 - Think long term. Your cat is going to be stuck with the name you give her for a very long time hopefully. With the average lifespan of a cat being between 12 and 14 years, that's a long time to be hearing her name over and over again, with different emotions attached. What seems like a good name now may not be in ten years, so really think hard and try to predict future trends.
Tip 2 - Look at your cat's color. Would you call your black cat something like "whitey"? No. Would you call your stripy cat "spot"? No. Don't even think about being ironic when naming your cat. It's much better to link her name with the way she looks, so that when she looks in the mirror she isn't going to feel cognitive dissonance or worse develop an eating disorder. For black cats, stick with a simple name like "Blacky" or "Dark One", don't deviate from this course too much and your cat will be fine.
Tip 3 - Consider the history of the cat's name. Do this before you give your kitten her name in the traditional cat naming ceremony. You don't want your cat to find out later in life that you didn't do your research and named her something completely inappropriate. Another consideration along these lines is to make sure you look at what the cat name means in other languages. If your cat's name is literally translated into an expletive in another language, this can be a disaster particularly if the family moves overseas.
Tip 4 - Be creative. In particular, I'm referring to all those people who name their cat "cat" and their dogs "dog". There have been numerous surveys all around the world that show year after year the most popular name for cats is "cat", and to my way of thinking this is completely unacceptable. If you can't be bothered creating an appropriate name that reflects something of the cat beyond its genus, you don't deserve to be a cat owner. Give your cat the compliment of caring about her by actually putting effort into her naming!
Tip 5 - Market research is fundamental. Your cat will become part of your family and circle of friends (if you have any and of course it's fine if you don't because not everyone does and being alone is cool, that's what cats are for) so you want to make sure your cat's name is appropriate for your group. Compile a short list of names and run it by your contacts first and get some feedback. The terrible names will be quickly tossed into the litter tray and the best ones will shine. I love cats.
So in summary, follow these five great tips on cat naming and you will be assured of a positive relationship with your cat for 12 - 14 years at least.
Tip 1 - Think long term. Your cat is going to be stuck with the name you give her for a very long time hopefully. With the average lifespan of a cat being between 12 and 14 years, that's a long time to be hearing her name over and over again, with different emotions attached. What seems like a good name now may not be in ten years, so really think hard and try to predict future trends.
Tip 2 - Look at your cat's color. Would you call your black cat something like "whitey"? No. Would you call your stripy cat "spot"? No. Don't even think about being ironic when naming your cat. It's much better to link her name with the way she looks, so that when she looks in the mirror she isn't going to feel cognitive dissonance or worse develop an eating disorder. For black cats, stick with a simple name like "Blacky" or "Dark One", don't deviate from this course too much and your cat will be fine.
Tip 3 - Consider the history of the cat's name. Do this before you give your kitten her name in the traditional cat naming ceremony. You don't want your cat to find out later in life that you didn't do your research and named her something completely inappropriate. Another consideration along these lines is to make sure you look at what the cat name means in other languages. If your cat's name is literally translated into an expletive in another language, this can be a disaster particularly if the family moves overseas.
Tip 4 - Be creative. In particular, I'm referring to all those people who name their cat "cat" and their dogs "dog". There have been numerous surveys all around the world that show year after year the most popular name for cats is "cat", and to my way of thinking this is completely unacceptable. If you can't be bothered creating an appropriate name that reflects something of the cat beyond its genus, you don't deserve to be a cat owner. Give your cat the compliment of caring about her by actually putting effort into her naming!
Tip 5 - Market research is fundamental. Your cat will become part of your family and circle of friends (if you have any and of course it's fine if you don't because not everyone does and being alone is cool, that's what cats are for) so you want to make sure your cat's name is appropriate for your group. Compile a short list of names and run it by your contacts first and get some feedback. The terrible names will be quickly tossed into the litter tray and the best ones will shine. I love cats.
So in summary, follow these five great tips on cat naming and you will be assured of a positive relationship with your cat for 12 - 14 years at least.
About the Author:
If you want to find out more about girl cat names, then visit Felicity McGrath's site on how to choose the best girl and black cat names for your needs.
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