First let me say that I apologize for getting this too you so late in the day. My computer monitor crashed and it took longer than it should have to replace it because my 97-year old mother needed some help. So for what it’s worth, here’s today’s post:
Some would say it doesn’t matter what you name your cat; he won’t come when you call him, anyway. The fact is, many cats go through their entire life without a name. But names matter to us. Humans name their cats, dogs, horses, goats, goldfish, and even that big old spider that builds his intricate web in the old oak out back each year. Heck, some of
us name our cars. I haven’t heard of anyone naming their cell phone, but I imagine it happens. I mean this society is extremely dependent on personal cell phones. There surely are people who’ve named their constant phone-companion.
How do you name your cat? Do you dig up a name you’ve held in reserve for years? You know, the name that if you’d had another child you’d have used it—the one you’ve saved for just the right pet. Do you use the name the cat came with? Or do you get to know the cat before naming her—is she rowdy, graceful, shy, impish, funny, sweet, gentle…? Are you the type who labels cat based on her purr-sonality?
I usually choose names I’ve had on the back burner for a while—if it applies to the cat. Sometimes that name doesn’t fit the cat, so I choose one that fits him or her. Currently, we have a short-hair tortie. When she came to us at 10-weeks-old from the streets, I immediately thought she had a rather old-fashioned, classic look to her and a sort of elegance that went along with it. I chose the name Sophie to fit that impression. (Now I realize I wasn’t all that original in my naming of her because Sophie/Sophia is one of the top names these days for baby girls.)
It took me longer to come up with a name for our second kitty. She was only about seven weeks old when she came to us. She’s a dilute tabby with soft smudges of orange and her fur is medium length—she’s actually quite fluffy now. Her demeanor, to me, seemed soft and gentle—a sweet spirit. Most of the names I had in reserve or came up with seemed too strong for her. Eventually, it came to me—Lily. (One of the top names used for cats today.)
Well, Lily really does seem to know her name. But then, she doesn’t want to miss out on 
anything—food, a treat, extra petting… It just occurred to me that maybe she doesn’t know her name all that well because she comes even when I call Sophie.
Other names I’ve used for my various cats have also appeared on the top 10 or 20 lists for popular cat names, so I guess I’m not all that original: Molly, Mandy, Crystal, Rosie, Carly, Callie, Daisy, Max, Gus…and some were not on any list—Winfield, Dinah, Snowflake, Braveheart, and PomPom.
Here’s a fun site featuring how to name your cat. https://www.catster.com/cats-101/cat-names-and-how-to-name-your-cat
These two sites feature rather unusual cat names. Enjoy: https://www.catnamesmeow.com/unusual-cat-names.htm
Since most of my cats come to me through the shelter, they already have names and rarely do I change them. There have been a few exceptions however. Sometimes when I get a cat into my care, I have a strong sense of a different name. I can’t even call them by their given name without first thinking of the other name first. Those end up with a name change. But it’s up to the cat.