The case of the 'Stolen Name'

[Igetknockeddownbutgetupagain]

I was going to change details to protect identities, but actually I hope the people concerned do read this and realise they are in the midst of what is a petty, ridiculous situation. FYI, these are not characters from a Jeremy Kyle episode, these are sane, educated beings who should know better.

My Mum got a kitten about 3 weeks ago, a while after the sudden death of her previous much loved feline friend.

She has called it Milly May. No reason, just liked it, but had a few other ideas.

My sister takes a photo (yawn, but whatever, different strokes) uploads it to #the root of all evil# / aka Facebook, and puts the kitten's name underneath.

My cousin, pregnant with her 1st baby, due in Feb, later comments 'Original name...!'

She sends my mum a message, the day after Christmas telling her that she had chosen Mollie May for the baby, as her Nans name was May, and she felt my Mum must have known (??!) and that she'd been very upset ever since. My Mum, sent a very nice message back saying she hadn't known, just liked the name and how was the pregnancy going now?

The next day, no reply, my cousin simply 'unfriended' her.

My cousin is 32.

Bloody mental. Or is it...? Should my Mum change the kittens name? Try and talk to my cousin over the phone? Or do what I've suggested, which is ignore the situation and carry on as normal?

Whaaaaaat????

Your mum should ignore. And then play with the kitten a bit.

Ignore the hormonal wreck cousin.
Really not worth it.

I may need to see a kitten picture

Ignore, ignore, ignore.

Pics or it didn't happen tho'.

Oh jeez just ignore the cousin and let her get on with acting like an idiot.

Hopefully when she has the baby, and hormones calm down, she will realise how ridiculous this is. Jeez.

I'd just ignore it too, and put it down to raging pregnancy hormones making cousin huffy. I'd tell sister not to post any more pictures of kitten up on FB, however, as that will be a red rag to a bull if your cousin has to spend the rest of her pregnancy being bombarded with images of 'Milly May in the garden' and 'Awww....so cute...Milly May asleep' etc. . Your Ma sent a nice message and your cousin ignored it. Her turn to make the next move IMO.

Not a cat person, but this little troublemaker is changing my mind. My Mum is boring the pants off of everyone sending photos of her squashing herself into vases etc...awwwww (boak)

Silly mare. She may be embarrassed about it later. If she isn't actually a tool.

That is ridiculous!

I would send her a message via text/Facebook and tell her how ridiculous she is being!

Had she told your mum of her intentions of using a similar sounding name? If not then how the F was your mum meant to have known? Through osmosis? Sounds like she is just using her hormones as a back up to a silly "that's my name" argument...

I agree...kitty pictures please

Ignore. Carry on posting lovely pics of Millie May on FB. And perhaps suggest that cousin considers something else for the baby. Tibbles perhaps. Or Sooty.

Tell your mother to stop squashing herself into vases, she'll get stuck (is she a Borrower?)

I would be tempted to tell the cousin 'OK I've renamed the cat, I've called it Spoilt Baby Diva Princess Loopy Brat, after you. Twit.' but then I can be terribly childish.....

EmmaNess and JustinMumsnot

My cat's name is Molly May. Molly is a very common pet's name! Your cousin should be thanking your mum for stopping her from making a big mistake and allowing her to choose a non-pet name for her child!

Milly, an abbreviation of Millicent, is an entirely different name from Mollie or Molly and sounds entirely different too,

Of course your dm shouldn't change Milly May's name but IME a moggy's official name often undergoes alteration on a daily basis. My feline friend's name is Piglet and she also answers to piggy, pigly, pigsy, piggywig, wiggy, wigly, wriggly, migly, sweetie, poppet, gorgeous, porgeous, scrumptious, and darling, to name but a few of her unoffiicial monikers.

Arf at your DM squashing into vases.

In a weird inversion of your scenario, an XBF of mine named his first daughter after my DSis's dead cat. :)

No one owns a name.

She can call her child the same name if she wants, it's no biggie.

The cat is not going to be a relative of this child anyway and the cat will probably never even learn the child's name!

Silly woman

I called my puppy after my Aunt. She was very honoured. Brigid is a great name for a Jack Russell and not too bad for an aunty either.
However I strongly disagree with the name your Mum picked for her kitten. Cats, as everyone knows are better than any other animal and as such should be titled. Both my cats names begin ... Her Royal Highness The Princess of Pussiness.......
I need help.....
..

Gather close and sing sad songs people...... for I am the victim of stolen name syndrome. Six months before I was born a relative chose to give their new baby the name my parents had chosen. Not even as a first name but as a middle name. Oh the indignation! Oh the consternation!! And so I have endured the rest of my life NOT being called.......... Janet.

Milly Molly Mandy or whatever trailer trash name the child was about to be saddled with will probably grow up to love that cat.

My cousin called his dog after my sister. She loves dogs & was a pleased child

My sister now has her own dog who happens to have the one girls' name DP & I can agree on

The cousin is feeling hormonal & behaving a bit silly. Let her realise she's being daft. Or not, then it's her loss..!

Belated apologies to anyone who is actually called Janet. It's a lovely name .... .... it's just so not me.

lolo at janet for some reason, Coggie

OP ignore cousin, play with kitteh

Silly woman, she's probably grumbling to all her mates about this really rude, sarcastic response from the cat-owning name-stealer, while all the sane ones are wondering how she managed to read that into a perfectly reasonable message, and being defriended for unsupportiveness if they dare say it aloud.

I can just imagine her posting here. "My aunt has called her new kitten a similar name to the one I'd picked out for my PFB. She says she didn't know but it's too similar to be a coincidence. I defriended her and now I'm sitting here in floods of tears. AIBU?" The responses would be almost overwhelmingly "YABU, and a loon".

Besides, what's wrong with naming the baby after a cat?

ps Convict224, you are wrong I'm afraid. Cats are so naturally regal that the title goes without saying. It would be like calling the Queen "Queen Queenie".

I'm just thinking of the poor child having to go through life with the name "Mollie May". From the sound of it, it WILL be both names used together as though they are hyphenated so sound like a down-market version of an american soap. Then ofc her "lovely" school "mates" will call her Mollie Moo, specifically to imply cow etc.