Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Baby names

Find baby name inspiration and advice on the Mumsnet Baby Names forum.

Original poster

Can we give baby same name as cat?

147 replies

Mammanat222 · 16/07/2014 08:51

We don't know gender yet so this may be a moot point but the only girls name we both like is what we called or cat (she is 6 and we've had her since she was 9 weeks old, so she is a proper part of the family)

Part of me thinks "well if it was good enough for Indiana Jones" but another part of me thinks it's silly.

Everyone that knows us semi well - family, friends, even some of my work colleagues - will know baby and cat have same name.

What to do?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
Beautifulmonster · 16/07/2014 13:55

There are so many girls' names you could choose from. Surely you could find one that is different from the cat?

IndiansInTheLobby · 16/07/2014 13:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

educatingarti · 16/07/2014 13:56

"Sorry, cat not car. I don't think you're naming dd after a car!"

I did know parents who really liked the name Marina, but decided not to call their daughter this as thier surname was Morris!

halfdoneharris · 16/07/2014 14:00

Do it. No one will really notice as I have no idea what most of my friend's cats are called. You parents may think it is amusing for a few minutes but then soon the pfb will forever be that name.
Start calling the cat 'Bibi' now (so not too confusing for the cat but definitely still a cat name), and if you have a girl call her Amber.

We are considering naming our baby, if a DS, George after my mums lovely old cat.
It's a name you love and it is if daft to do otherwise.

halfdoneharris · 16/07/2014 14:01

My cat is called pickle, and when DD is naughty she is also referred to as Pickle!

SweetsForMySweet · 16/07/2014 14:06

I wouldn't call my dc the same name as a pet It's kinda wierd!

Corygal · 16/07/2014 14:07

It's fine and lovely. Neither will care.

ditsygal · 16/07/2014 14:14

I wouldn't. Infact I vetoed a name based on my sisters cat having that name. It depends how much people know about your cats - how much they are mentioned I guess as to whether people would notice.
But if it is the only name you love it is a tough one. I quite like the idea of making the cat bambi if you use amber for the baby. You could even try to pass it off to friends and colleagues as having always been Bambi!

Uptheairymountain · 16/07/2014 14:39

Oh no - they'll both be sitting on the sofa, and you'll say "Amber GET DOWN," and child and cat will nudge each other and both say "She means you, you know."

Lots of "ands" but you get the gist! No one will know who's being naughty and stuff.

weatherall · 16/07/2014 14:44

Change the cats name.

ShineSmile · 16/07/2014 15:13

Change cats name

dancingwithmyselfandthecat · 16/07/2014 15:40

A beloved elderly relative was named after her older sister's horse! I once asked her if she minded. "Oh no" she said. "They all loved the horse very much and were so glad when she passed that I reminded them of her".

splendide · 16/07/2014 15:42

Ha! I really wanted to use the cat's name but DH vetoed it and then we found out we were having a boy anyway so crisis averted. I was going to opt for hairy-[cat name] and just [cat name] for my daughter.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 16/07/2014 15:54

My neighbour's dog shares a name with DH, we get the "Get down Fred" confusion over the fence. It was even funnier when Fred the dog got loose and ran into our house the other day with his owner trapped on her side of the fence yelling his name for all she was worth and DH wondering what on earth he'd done.

Even more confusing one of our cats shares a name with neighbour's DD.

I'd still do it if you really love the name though.

trufflesnout · 16/07/2014 15:55

Personally I think it's no weirder than naming a child after a relative the baby would be taking the name of something you love dearly and surely that can only be a positive connection.

I'd go for it, personally I think it's quite sweet and it'd be lovely for you daughter and current-Amber to have a connection because of it, like dancing's relative and the horse.

Maryz · 16/07/2014 16:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

zoemaguire · 16/07/2014 16:13

I know somebody who got the family cat's name (cat was rechristened something else). It's a lovely name, child in question is now grown up, very definitely not scarred for life (and the cat is obviously long gone), and in fact we used the same name for our DD1. Go for it!

SacreBlue · 16/07/2014 16:22

My DS & her hubby choose a different name for their DS, despite preferring the one they had used for their dog at the time. A friend & her bf called their DC the same name as their dog at the time.

Sometimes it is nice to have a 'story' behind a name, whether that is from family, friends or beloved pets.

Goodness knows I've had to take part in so many of those 'icebreakers' at events to think being named after something innocuous can be as welcome/unwelcome as something more 'interesting'.

smokeandglitter · 16/07/2014 16:22

I wouldn't but only because I associate it with the cat who is a special part of my family in their own right, but I am a soft spot and...

my cats are called 'Actually Whimsical' and 'Eloquence' Grin So not sure a daughter would be too thrilled. (I had to let out my outlandish naming on the animals before children.)

Jux · 16/07/2014 17:12

The cat has her own real name by which she is known in the cat world, and which all other cats use. As far as she is concerned you just make a stupid noise and expect her to come running (which of course she doesn't as she is a cat).

Call your child whatever you like. The cat already knows she takes precedence over all of you, as she is a cat.

TheVipperofVipp · 16/07/2014 17:17

When pregnant with DS1, we had a boys name we loved and had always wanted to call our PFB, let's say it was 'James' (it wasn't).

Foolishly told family our name choice. Vile (now ex-)sis-in-law only went and bought a dog when I was 8 months pregnant and called it 'James'! We debated at length whether to change our name but we loved it too much and stuck with it.

For a while both dog and DS1 answered to 'James'. Once DS1 got old enough to express himself, he stated he really disliked being called the same name as the dog, in particular he found it really confusing when anyone said 'James' who they were talking to. So everyone started calling the dog 'J-Dog' and that has mostly stuck, but it still makes DS1 sad if people forget and slip back to 'James'.

Amber is a lovely name for a daughter but probably best to change the cat's name to something clearly different (more different than Ambi) and start using that now so it has stuck before the birth.

spence24 · 16/07/2014 17:23

Mammanat222 I feel your pain on this one as were have the same problem. OH has a 9-year old cat called Max, which he named with his ex-wife, and is now our cat. Max is one of my top boys names list....so kind of hoping for a girl to avoid this problem too!!!

Artandco · 16/07/2014 17:26

Rename the cat. Cats are great as you can call them any ridiculous name you prob wouldn't call a child.

We have cats Hippocrates and Aristotle plus Medusa the fish for this reason!

Change to Aspen, Annabel, Bambi-the-first .. Or whatever takes your fancy

Marcipex · 16/07/2014 18:19

I was going to suggest renaming the cat Bambi, artandco beat me to it.

Rhubarbgarden · 16/07/2014 18:31

I suggested that first

My cousin named her dd after her horse.

Swipe left for the next trending thread