Help me think of names for cats to keep to hand for when I'm short of inspiration

[thecatneuterer]

I have to name dozens of cats a month. Any cat I bring in to the rescue that is for homing (as opposed to neuter and return) needs a name. I'm really running out of ideas.

I'm looking for names that aren't actual people names - and preferably that are normal nouns with a nice sound and no awkward connotations.

For example, Puddle and Truffle. They don't need to end in 'le' of course - although that does give a particularly appealing sound I feel.

Any suggestions?

Nature names you can’t call humans (in my opinion):
Acorn
Conker
Sapling
Sable
Antler

I quite like the names of other animals … Jaguar, Panther, Giraffe, Buffalo, Wolf, Bear, Fox, Hare, etc.

Yeah that cat with the mane is Catkin.
Magenta is a black cat.

@Haus1234

Nature names you can’t call humans (in my opinion): Acorn Conker Sapling Sable Antler

I quite like the names of other animals … Jaguar, Panther, Giraffe, Buffalo, Wolf, Bear, Fox, Hare, etc.

Other nice tree names;

Aspen
Alder
Buckthorn (he's a chunky male cat who has been round the block a bit)
Chestnut
Juniper
Linden
Corpus
Medlar (the cats bum fruit!)
Larch
Hemlock (utter bustard, obvs)
Hornbeam
Rowan

@thecatneuterer she's a beaut! I think she's a Peridot.

Why don't you make a big list and rotate through it? I'd add real and fictional place names too, e.g. tobermory, Skye, hogsmead, terabitha

Cheddar
Wenslydale
Brie
Mouse
Biscuit
Polo
Squeak
Calliope
Pearl
Silver
Sausage
Mabli
Tiffin
Treacle
Echo

@thecatneuterer -- I vote Anise or Taffeta (on 15:31 fluffy tabby).

Don't know where this came from -- but what about Flame?

My turn! Has anyone suggested dances/moves? You'll have used some, I'm sure.

Polka
Tarantella
Waltz
Smoothie (American!)
Pas de chat (maybe not)
Charleston
Twist
Lindyhop
Grapevine
Arabesque
Tippy-Tap
Tip-toe
Jive
Jitterbug
Boogie
Groover
Foxtrot
Bopper
Rumba
Tango
Mamba
Salsa
Samba
Sashay
Slinky (wish I'd called my cat this. She is)
Jiggy
Slider
Saunter
Shimmy
Shaky
Slipper
Moonwalk
Quickstep
Pasodoble
Bolero
Cha Cha

We had Pickle and Lily
Bumble and Snuggle

@Benvolio

My turn! Has anyone suggested dances/moves? You'll have used some, I'm sure.

Polka
Tarantella
Waltz
Smoothie (American!)
Pas de chat (maybe not)
Charleston
Twist
Lindyhop
Grapevine
Arabesque
Tippy-Tap
Tip-toe
Jive
Jitterbug
Boogie
Groover
Foxtrot
Bopper
Rumba
Tango
Mamba
Salsa
Samba
Sashay
Slinky (wish I'd called my cat this. She is)
Jiggy
Slider
Saunter
Shimmy
Shaky
Slipper
Moonwalk
Quickstep
Pasodoble
Bolero
Cha Cha

Wins the thread!

Personally, I'd start here.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_theological_demons

Have you considered double names with normal human ones too so the names stretch a bit more? For example, Buffalo Jean and Buffalo Percy are both clearly distinct names but you could also have Pirouette Percy and Percy the Jive.

[quote thecatneuterer]@lljkk OK then, let's give this a go. This is the cat I need to name today. She is around 8 months old and friendly. She turned up as a stray in someone's garden. We spayed and returned her as they wanted to keep her, but she's not getting on with their existing cat so we need to find her a home.

I'm drawn to Anise, Pawpaw, Catkin or Magenta.

Over to you ...[/quote]
She looks like a Celia to me.

[quote YetAnotherSpartacus]Personally, I'd start here.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_theological_demons[/quote]
This is an amazing list and a fantastic idea (though you might want to avoid Antichrist if you are hoping to get the cat adopted...)

I’d also do characters from Pratchett, Greek gods, Greek philosophers (and others), military ranks, famous authors (last names) and major cities and rivers. I’d also do the Wombles and then maybe borrow GUB’s idea re the atlas and picking a place name for a name.

What about naming them after the NATO alphabet?

Alfa
Bravo
Charlie
Delta
Echo
Foxtrot
Golf
Hotel
India
Juliet
Kilo
Lima
Mike
November
Oscar
Papa
Quebec
Romeo
Sierra
Tango
Uniform
Victor
Whiskey
X-ray
Yankee
Zulu

Are place names aceptable?

Vienna, Paris, Lisbon, Rome (or Roma perhaps for a female), Venice, Palma, Dublin, Granada, Genoa, Lausanne

Or islands:

Wight, Arran, Islay, Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, Crete, Corfu, Lundy, Jamaica, Guadelupe, Nevis, Fiji

Or what about typefaces?

Garamond: I see this as the name of a rather debonair male, perhaps a Siamese
Helvetica
Arial
Trebuchet
Baskerville - suitable for the dog-friendly cat, presumably :)
Calibri
Cambria
Gabriola
Lucida
Tahoma
Verdana
Wingdings - for the complete nutter of a kitten
Candara
Courier - for the rare cat that plays fetch

Some more great ideas here. I'm going to update the list in a bit.

@Ellmau I didn't particularly want that sort of word, as ideally, at the moment, I'm looking for normal English nouns (not proper nouns),and maybe adjectives, that refer to normal, English things. However ... I love Garamond and Helvetica, and I'm definitely going to be calling a kitten Wingdings someday soon. That's inspired!

And Catkins, the fluffy tabby, will be on the website soon.

@toppkatz I really couldn't use Celia as a name. It's Celia Hammonds and Celia herself is still very much involved in the Canning Town branch. If we start talking about Celia having the squits, or boxing her up or whatever it's going to lead to confusion/sniggers :)

@lljkk Flame is a lovely name. That's going on the list.

@TheSpottedZebra We've used trees a lot, but never Buckthorn (I'm not sure I've ever heard of it). I love it as a name for a big bruiser of a tom.

@MitheredAndFrazzled Demerera is a lovely girl's name for the list.

WingDings - best suggestion so far

You could have WingDings, Webdings and Dingbats?