To give my pet a human name

[Iliketoparrty]

Hi I have a hamster, I just got him. I have given him a human name like Kevin but not. My SIL thinks its 1stly weird I have a hamster (I'm in my thirties) and 2ndly given him a human name.

SIL isn't pregnant but says I have taken a name way from her. She doesn't like Kevin but now I've used it she can never use it

Apparently this is a common rule for names, I should have known this. I should have waited until I knew her baby names before choosing to use a name for anything other than a baby.

Aibu to have not known this was a thing and to have laughed.

My last two hamsters (both bought as an adult) were Fred and Dave. I don't see anything wrong with human names for them.

I wish our cat had a human name too, but he was a rescue and has the name he came with.

I had a hamster called Nicholas Ponsonby-Smythe when I was a teenager!

Our hamster is called Mike and my DB has a mouse called Simon. In fact, my parents' cat is called Vincent too. Oh and my brother's recently deceased cat was called Chris.

Fine names imo.

She's being silly. I used to have hamsters called Titania and Oberon (usually referred to as Tit and Nob)

Sometimes it's ok. Sometimes it comes across as a bit too "Trying Hard To Be Witty".

There are far too many dogs named Dave IMO.

DH is home. She is still complaiing that we have 'stolen' somebody's baby name. DH asked who. She didn't know just somebody's.

DH says I should just say it, its Foalan. It means little wolf. He bit the person before us who tried to buy him.

Take no notice of your SIL. All pets should have human names. To me it makes them seem like more part of the family.
Kevin's an adorable name for a hamster

Awwwwwww. Simon the mouse. That is just too cute.

Kevin is a fine name for a hamster. When current hammy crosses the bridge I will be getting another one and his name will either be Kevin or Neville.

Our late hamster was called David, the dogs are Charlie and Holly, previous pets were Lucy, Jasper and Gemma.

My two DC are Sheba and Rex.

I love Nigel for a dog!!!

Have a grip. For SIL.

I know of dogs
Martha
Mavis
Charlie
Billy

Cats
Colin
Amber
April
Montgomery (great name!)
Willow

There are enough names to go round.

I knew a hamster called Oscar!

iliketoparty Foalan is actually on my imaginary baby name list so YABU for wanting to use that

She is still complaiing that we have 'stolen' somebody's baby name. DH asked who. She didn't know just somebody's.

So she is upset that you are using a human name for a pet and this means that no one ever can use that name for a baby? So all the people in this thread who say that they have called their cats Clint or their dogs Aubrey means that those names can now never be used for people again?

I have a cat named after my Grandma

My childhood hamster was called Wordsworth.

In the past I have owned hamsters named Martin, Barry, and Thomasina.

Most of the dogs, past and present, have had human names.

Your SIL is being unreasonable.

Find out her baby names and then buy a fish.

All our dogs have human names, it wouldn't cross my mind to give them anything else!
SIL is obviously unreasonable!

My guinea pigs are Matilda and Mabel - far better than 'Pip' and 'Squeak' that the rescue place called them!
OP I have never actually heard that name, it must be quite unusual. Your SIL is quite loopy I think. Good name though :)

She sounds a strange one.

We have 4 cats, 3 rabbits, 2 guinea pigs and a dog and a goldfish and all but one rabbit and one cat have human names. The 2 that don't, they belong to my dd and have silly fluffy names! I dont even remember what the goldfish is called

I work in a rescue centre. I'm trying to think if any of the cats and dogs have typical."cat" or "dog" names...very few spring to mind.

A few favourites are:

Elvis - boxer dog
Steve - cat with 3 legs
Humphrey - ginger beast
Doris - beautiful Patterdale
Doreen - daughter of above

Suppose with the amount of animals coming through the doors "Tiddles" and "Rover" get old pretty quickly.

All my pets (dogs and cats) have had (female) human names.

My mother-out-law named one of her dogs with a diminutive of my name (think Liz and Elizabeth). I had been married to her DS for several years at this point.

Have to admit it irked me a bit but they all found it highly entertaining. It is rather different from your situation though.

My friend had a budgie called Reg - I thought that was great.

I like human names for pets. I had a lovely cat called Camilla.

If I got another cat now it would be named either Claude or Mabel.

Get another pet, name it after SIL and tell her she's got to change her name now.

Our dog is named Daisy, the dog before her was Max. Our cats are Sunny and Cher. I know people with dogs named Lucy, Parker, Sadie, Sophie, etc. I think it's more unusual to have a dog that doesn't have a "people" name.