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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

MIL names her cat after our son

261 replies

JKT007 · 01/05/2022 02:05

Am I being unreasonable thinking it's very odd that my MIL named her kitten the same name as our son, her grandson?

OP posts:
KatherineJaneway · 01/05/2022 06:38

XenoBitch · 01/05/2022 02:13

What bad thing will happen as a result of this? Nothing, I bet. I bet your DS will grow up thinking it is cool he shares a name with his gran's cat.

Agree with this.

PurrBox · 01/05/2022 06:38

I think I would be pretty excited if someone named their cat after me. Is your son old enough to have an opinion?
My parents adopted a stray kitten and I named him after my father (a nickname version of his name though). He seemed very pleased with this.

AllIgotforitwascankles · 01/05/2022 06:39

@DeeCeeCherry

In the real world people will say something - but a lot of people will just chuckle and find it cute, not be bothered by it. It’s only really those without humour or who already have a complex about their MIL who would be bothered.

Personally I’d be entertained by it.

Fridafever · 01/05/2022 06:40

It's a bit odd. You should get a chinchilla and name it after her. After all, she doesn't own the name.

is this meant to be revenge? She’d probably think it was a nice thing to do!

AllIgotforitwascankles · 01/05/2022 06:41

@PurrBox

Exactly, the son will love it when he understands. I find it adorable and like the MIL more without knowing her. She sounds like a hoot.

DaffodilsandCoffee · 01/05/2022 06:42

It’s obviously very weird, but if you have an otherwise good relationship I wouldn’t worry about sinister motives.

SleepPleaseee · 01/05/2022 06:42

RobertaFirmino · 01/05/2022 02:11

Maybe she'd been looking for a kitten for yonks and had his name already picked out. Then you come along and not only steal her son from her but also her KITTEN NAME! MIL took to AIBU, what with it being such a supportive, encouraging community and was advised that nobody owns a name.

Grin
Turtletotem · 01/05/2022 06:42

My mum had a cat with the same name as my daughter but the cat already had it's name so it was never an issue we used to call it Maisy-cat but I think it's a bit odd giving it the same name as your son.

EachandEveryone · 01/05/2022 06:45

The cat wont be bothered.

piratehugs · 01/05/2022 06:52

What gets my goat is when MIL talks about her horrible bitey dog as her "baby", as if it's an equal with her grandchildren. Perhaps if she had called it by the same name as my kids, I'd have felt the same way.

But my first thought was remembering an elderly man I met once who said he had been named after his aunt's cat. He seemed quite proud of it - "By all accounts he was a very good cat."

I hope your MIL's kitten grows into a good cat too.

Somuddled · 01/05/2022 06:53

Cat won't care. Son will probably think it is great. Worst case scenario is you call out Eric! and both appear. Would be a hilarious party trick actually.

CheeseBoard2022 · 01/05/2022 06:54

My cat has the same name as my cousin. It's not strange it's just a name. 😂 mind you I see my cousin once every 2-4 years so. 🙈

FiddlefigOnTheRoof · 01/05/2022 06:55

You shouldn’t have named your son Socks! Completely your fault!

Seriously, grandparenthood can send some people over the line. My previously borderline overbearing MIL tipped over completely into the region of madness. Right after our baby was born she got a new puppy and (with no sense of humour, I promise) send a text to everyone she knew announcing the puppy exactly like a baby (‘We are pleased to welcome a new addition to our family, ‘XYZ Surname’, born XYZ, weight XYZ. He is doing very well’). Held a ‘meet the baby’ party for all her friends but didn’t tell them that we weren’t going to be there so they came expecting to meet our baby and apparently were greeted with a photo collage of it. All sorts of loopy stuff.

2pinkginsplease · 01/05/2022 06:57

I would reply on her Facebook post with. That’s weird calling the cat the same name as your grandson!

Billandben444 · 01/05/2022 06:57

Yes, it's a bit odd but in an amusing way. I'd say - good name but I'm going to call it Cat so my son doesn't get confused. I think it's quite funny and would giggle about it tbh.

DaffodilsandCoffee · 01/05/2022 06:58

Turtletotem · 01/05/2022 06:42

My mum had a cat with the same name as my daughter but the cat already had it's name so it was never an issue we used to call it Maisy-cat but I think it's a bit odd giving it the same name as your son.

Did it feel weird naming your daughter “after” the cat? I ask because my parents‘ dog has a great name I’d consider for a little boy, but I feel like I couldn’t really use it now. (I have two girls so it’s only been hypothetical so far.)

dudsville · 01/05/2022 07:03

I know the example I'm about to give is significantly different, but my DGM once had a dog that she told me she'd named after me. The reality is that we only shared a second name, I.e. if I'm Lisa Marie, the dog was Anna Marie, and it's not common for dogs to have or be referred to by a middle name so no one really experienced the dog and I getting confused as to who she was speaking to or about. I was about 12. I thought it was quirky, she was very eccentric. It didn't scar me.

Luculentus · 01/05/2022 07:07

What does your partner think about it? Did she discuss it with him?

AllIgotforitwascankles · 01/05/2022 07:08

@Billandben444

Its lucky little kids never share names in school or playgroup, how would they handle the confusion?

redfairy · 01/05/2022 07:13

I bet you stole her kitten name. You're lucky she's still talking to you.

trollopolis · 01/05/2022 07:18

Gosh, that's really an honour and high praise indeed.

Having the name for the higher being (the overlord cat) is a big deal, in a good sort of way

LagunaBubbles · 01/05/2022 07:19

The simplest way to solve this would be to ask her why!

Ikeptgoing · 01/05/2022 07:21

Call her kitten
"(name)cat" or just ask after kittycat all the time rather than use his names . If she corrects say "no that's our sons name and we don't want anyone to be confused who we mean"

pollyglot · 01/05/2022 07:21

DM, who didn't like being a GM, could never remember DD's name (she didn't have dementia). She used to say "Your daughter with a name like a salad vegetable". Perhaps we should have named DD after DM's cat...

Ikeptgoing · 01/05/2022 07:24

Henceforth all your pets should have MILs name...

Carol the gerbil..
Carol II the rabbit..
Carol III the goldfish ..
Carol IV the rescue cat ...

I'd do it as a family in-joke Grin could keep it up for decades

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