I thought we could use a lighthearted thread right now.
Our three cats are:
Milipio, called Mippy. I was playing Mad Libs with D when she was 6, and the game called for a nonsense word. She thought for a moment and then crowed, “Milipio!!” That had us in stitches to such an extent that she remembered it two years later when we got the cat.
Sabine. Also named by D, when she was in HS. We wanted a name with a French vibe, and she’d recently read a book with a character named Sabine. Of course, from Day One, she’s been every kind of Bean you could think of: Cocoa Bean, Pinto Bean, Jelly Bean, on and on. (DH’s only suggestion was “Tater,” which resulted in the loss of his voting rights.)
Josie. D was in college by the time we got this one, so I finally got to name her. I first considered Luna, but that sounds like an elegant cat, and this one is just a dork. Then I scoured nameberry, and when I hit “friendly, jaunty” Josie, it fit.
My dogs are Sophie (the gray one in my avatar) and Archie (ummmm – the other one). DH named them both. He likes names that remind him of his grandparents.
My dog’s name is Cassie. She was named Sassie as a pup so we changed it a little.
My maine coons are Chester and Annabelle. I wanted old fashioned names. Chester is big and regal and acts like an old man. Annabelle is silver - hence the belle - and spunky.
our first dog was Scrubs, named after both the TV show which was popular at the time and the fact that my husband spends 99% of his time wearing scrubs. our second (current) dog keeps the medical theme - his name is Stitches.
Toy poodle was Claude for Claude Debussy. Mom wanted something French sounding for the poodle and piano playing child named the dog. He was practicing Golliwog’s Cakewalk from Debussy’s Children’s Suite at the time.
I wanted to name another dog Tosca, but Hubby said that was Henry James’ dachshund’s name. If not original, at least I was in good company!
One cat is named TicTak, because that’s what my then five year old wanted to name him.
The other is Storm, because when we went in to pick her up the roads were fine, but when we came out two or so hours later the roads were terrible. I believe that time was the start of something like three storms in a row that dumped multiple feet of snow on the DC/Baltimore area.
My dog’s name is Lily , not after the beautiful flower, but after Lily Munster because she has elaborate black markings around her eyes that resemble Lily Munster’s make up.
Charlie. We wanted a name that had something to do with our favorite place in the world, our cottage on the shores of Lake Huron in Canada. Be thought of some “beachy” names, but landed on “Charlie” - the name of our favorite neighbor who had such history of the area who died several years ago.
Kids name the animals with what is current in the culture as well as our life with the times. Our first set of cats were Simba, named by my S back when the movie was current, and Poppyseed, after much deliberation, because he was a seal point Siamese. My pretty, pretty blue point kitten, later acquired, was Athena. Her name does not fit her personality, as I’m sure she’d be swearing like a truck driver if human, given her frequent negative opinions on all and sundry, though she and I are besties. My French student daughters named our latest, ChouChou. Little cabbage, a term of endearment in French. She remains a sweet little cabbage.
My dog’s name is also Charlie. It was his name when I adopted him so we kept it. It fits him well anyway. The only time I got to name a pet was when I had a hamster in college. He only had one eye and I named him Bandit. He was MEAN.
Sammy ~ We all just liked the name for our doxie. It fits him. Our boys call him “brother” because he’s another brother to them.
Missy ~ Just liked the name for a feminine little dog. Nickname: Miss Priss
Chloe ~ To me, she just looks like a Chloe; she’s only 4 lbs. She’s also girly and always wears a dress.
Cats
Mittens ~ I think it’s just a great name for a cat. My previous Mittens died 4 years ago and we were heartbroken. Our kids thought I was weird (probably am…lol) that I insisted that we immediately find a gray tabby kitten that would look just like our beloved Mittens. Son found one in an OOS shelter (online pics) and we literally dropped everything and drove to get him. So, this one is Mittens II and he’s grown up to look just like Mittens I. Strangely enough, personality-wise, they are also very similar. Both very loving, snugglers.
Princess ~ this name fits this cat. She’s typically on her throne and is particular about when others can interact with her. She lets us know when we can approach. lol
My little guy in my photo is named Rocky. We were in the car to pick him up from the breeder and hadn’t decided on a name. The breeder had been calling him that and it just stuck. He looks like a Rocky to me.
My old giant Golden Retriever is Charly. My son and a friend-girl got him 12 years ago without our permission- stole my checkbook and wrote a check to the breeder. Charly is my best friend and I’m glad we have him, but it was all quite traumatic at the time.
I had been naming cats after basketball figures (Bobby Knight, Scott May) until H said no more of that. We now have Willie Nelson (Waylon Jennings died young last summer) and Hawi. Both are Ragdolls. Hawi ( Ha-vee’)is named after the town on the Big Island 50 miles from Kona where the Ironman Triathlon bike course turns around. Our third cat we inherited from a co-worker and she was,uninspiringly, named Callie. We’ve renamed her Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Girlfriend for short).
