Cat Naming: Simple and Original Examples for Response
Veterinarians and a zoopsychologist provide insights on selecting cat names that pets will recognize and respond to.
Bringing a pet home is a joyful event. But while consultants at pet stores can help with choosing carriers, litter boxes, food, and bowls, deciding on a name for the animal can be difficult for many. NGS spoke with Novosibirsk veterinarians and a zoopsychologist about how to choose a name for a cat. See simple and original options.
Zoopsychologist Yelena Klyusovets in a conversation with NGS noted that there are no scientifically based recommendations for naming cats one way or another. It all depends on the owner«s discretion.
«Cats understand their name when they hear it quite often. And yes, an adult cat can get used to a new name if it is frequently addressed using it,» she noted.
According to Kristina Nikitina, director of the Novosibirsk «Veterinary Center for Sterilization and Surgery,» the most unusual names for cats are usually given by zoo volunteers.
«Once I met a cat named Sophonisba. It was from a shelter. Other unusual names in the collection: Yersinia, Clostridia, Morgenmuffel, Guamokolatokint… And domestic cats are usually called Musya, Murka, Pusha, Bonya, and Busya. My cat came to me already with a name, she is called Ketty, and she responds. Before her, I had Basya, who also understood her name,» she shared.
Dmitry Voronin, chief veterinarian of the veterinary clinic «VetNora,» told NGS that he has heard a theory that cats should be given names with hissing consonants (Zh, Sh, Ch, Shch).
«But I»m not sure if that works. Most cats I«ve met don»t respond to their name, more often to «pspsps»,« the veterinarian noted.
Among unusual names, Dmitry Voronin mentioned Whisky, Pepsi, Lexus, Anike-sheri, Tolik, Gelius, Navas, and Gumbold.
In 2024, NGS reported on what unusual names readers give their pets.
