Name change for adopted a cat…

[Tinks15]

Is it wrong to change a cats name? I’m taking on my dads cat soon as his dog has really taking a disliking to the little cat but I really want to change his name. So not something entirely different still beginning with the same letter i’d just like a more human name.

Please give me your views on this? Thanks

Totally fine! He'll ignore both equally.

Totally fine. Play around with a few things and see if anything causes the flick of an ear or the ruffle of a whisker and go with that.

I disagree. You wouldn't change a child's name just because. Cats DO know their names. I think it's confusing for them especially as he's getting rehomed too.

Yes we changed our 6 year olds name. The new one suits her much better! And they get used to your voice and tone I think rather than the name and respond if it suits them to!

We changed our rescue cats names. They didn't care at all. Honestly it will be perfectly fine.

Go for it, I adopted one of mine and changed her name. She didn’t take long to get it and doesn’t respond at all to her old name now.

No experience myself but I follow a foster kitty carer on Instagram and their name almost always change when they’re adopted.

Thanks everyone I wasn’t expecting you all to say that. I will have a think of a few names now & see what suits him when he arrives.

I didn't change my cats names as they were 5 and I thought they'd know them. Turns out they were named by the rescue, as their vile previous 'owner' didn't give then names.

My cats each have their officiall names and several nicknames. They respond equally to all of them by either ignoring me completely or looking at me depending on if they want to ignore me or not.

You are lucky to have the chance to choose a name . I had a series of cats over a great many years and they all came with names that I was for some reason unwilling to change. Last cat turned up on the windowsill, starving, unloved ,not chipped and no name. At last! Having a name made no difference to him btw,he still loved me, but like most cats he would have responded better to a name that sounds the same as the noise a tin opener makes.........

Doesn't matter. They all answer to the shake of a Dreamies packet 😁

Try and pick a name that is similar sounding in tone and syllables so he recognises that he needs to ignore you.

I changed my cats names and they have never complained.

I would use his real name for a couple of weeks and maybe then gradually start changing it to something similar sounding beginning with the same letter. I have two cats and they have many similar sounding nicknames and definitely know all of them! A lot of it is your tone of voice too, when you're stroking your new cat say his/her new name in your 'pet voice' (we all know what I'm talking about!) He will soon learn to associate it with himself.

DCat we have now knows his name and actually comes running if you say it. Previous DCat also knew his name, but only responded if he could be bothered. I didn’t feel right changing either of them, but given that most cats ignore their names I don’t think it would be awful to change it.