We often hear about crazy names people give to their babies, or names they were gifted by their very creative parents. But it turns out that pets too can have names that lift eyebrows—if not of their fellow animals, then surely their vets’. Well, according to this viral Twitter thread, at least.
It all started when Brittany Means, a writer and editor from Albuquerque, NM, shared this tweet: “One of my greatest joys in life is when Jeff calls the vet to make an appointment and they ask for his name, and he says, Jeff. Then, they ask for our cat's name, and I watch him gather his strength before he tells them, Baby Jeff.”
This hit all too close to home to many pet owners out there who took the thread as an opportunity to share the ensued hilarity behind their furballs’ names. Especially when it’s time for a vet’s appointment.
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Bored Panda spoke with Molly DeVoss, a certified feline training and behavior specialist with a vision to reduce the number of cats euthanized in shelters, who runs the Cat Behavior Solutions agency. We asked Molly how important, in her opinion, the name we give to our cat is and she said that a cat’s name is more important to you than others.
“So pick something you love – or something that makes you giggle,” Molly suggested. She also added that the cat doesn’t speak English so he has no idea of the meaning behind his name. “Cats will learn their names fairly quickly and it is an opportunity for you to get their attention on cue.”
For those who are wondering if cats actually recognize their names, and Molly confirmed that cats indeed do recognize them. For that reason, “if you ever decide to change it, try to pick something that has the same number of syllables and ends in the same sound,” the cat behavior specialist explained.
Moreover, cat names, just like human names, have their trends. “I see cat names trending with popular movie characters, TV shows and heartthrobs. Timon and Pumba (the warthog and meerkat) from Lion King are cute for siblings,” Molly told us.
“Working with a lot of shelter cats, I see a lot of names – and have the opportunity to name a lot of cats. Food themes are popular; we have candy cats with names like Skittles, Jelly Bean, and Pez. I typically adopt red cats and name them in a spicy theme: Tabasco, Salsa, and Pico de Gato.”
When it comes to the names you don’t want to give your furball, Molly reminds everyone to not name their cat anything that might offend someone else. “Name your cat something that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside,” she concluded.
My son has a cat named Frank Sinatra. But he's Siamese with blue eyes and we call him old blue eyes!
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I approve of your boys. But I do not think that means what you think it means....
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I approve of your boys. But I do not think that means what you think it means....
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