Can you rename a rescue?

[Winterfellismyhome]

Hello!

We're about to adopt an 18 month old cat and just wondered if she would get used to a new name or should we stick with her name now?

Thanks!

Course you can.

Call her the new name when offering a treat, fuss and interact. They will pick it up quickly

Definitely rename. They'll get used to it in no time.

Rename.
My cats barely come to 'their' names anyway 😁

Thank you! Any name suggestions for this beauty? I want Wednesday but DP not sure 😁

Oh I like Wednesday

Aw she’s gorgeous. Definitely rename. We’ve got lots of cats and I tend to get their attention with a little noise (can’t think how to sound it out!). They definitely don’t respond to their names, as we’ve never used that to call them really. To be honest, as a slave to many cats, they tend to call me by meowing rather than me calling them 😹.

I like Wednesday too!

We rescued a beautiful cat years ago. She was called Olga but my son renamed her Sophie because he loved the BFG. She very quickly adapted to her new name although, she rarely needed calling in, when she heard my car she came dashing over to greet me!

Of course you can rename them. But Wednesday? If you call your cat you'll get people yelling back 'No, it's Thursday' lol.

Another vote for Wednesday, she's cute 🥰

Yes you can. Many rescues end up there as a stray and nobody knows their name from birth 😉

Btw are you aware that cats answer to many many names. Some with titles (Miss winter, Princess of all she surveys) some with middle and surnames (miss winter home!!) some descriptive names (stinkbag)... as long as all are said with love in the voice se will respond. Mine had about twenty, with pumpkin or sweetie as the usual despite having a human name 😂

Love the kitty tax, she's beautiful 😍

I did!! At the same age too 😊 he totally knows his name now, and they're totally different. Love Wednesday for the name! So cute 🥰

We renamed our 3 year old rescue, who came with the very unimaginative name of Smudge (she has a tiny white tuft on her front - she's all black apart from that).

We named her after a very well known celebrity who had the surname Black.

But her name is a bit wasted, as she is usually referred to /called for as Beast (she's quite a killer), Squeak (for her pathetic, but very cute meow), mog (obvious) and derivatives of all of these.

I like Wednesday. We've had Pugsley, Gomez and Fester before.

I foster for a rescue and I'd say about half rename and half keep the name we give them, which is just a name for the website and vets when they have their vaccinations really.

I think they respond more to your voice than their actual name. So she'll come because she knows that if you make a noise at her, she's likely get a treat or food, rather than she knows her name is Wednesday, or whatever the rescue or her previous owner has called her.

She's gorgeous!

My cats all have about 20 names. They respond to tone of voice more than the actual word.

Though there is a documentary on Netflix showing a cat responding only to his name (Carl) and not similar words (like girl). It doesn't match up with my experience of cats.

I think it depends on how attached the cat is to their name. We have a blind cat, who relies a little more on sound I guess, and will come running when you call her name. Shr also seems to understand some other words (ie she's more relaxed when I tell her I'm about to give her, her regular medication, rather than just doing it, or saying something else).

So the name us important to a few cats, but most dont care.

I think so, especially as might associate old name with old owners and perhaps unpleasant experiences. We renamed our 18m old collie cross and feel like the old name wasn't given by people who loved him or used in a friendly way (we knew the horrible owners).

I love Wednesday!

Our previous 2 rescues had nice girls names and we didn’t change them, our current 2 had odd names when we picked them up and my DC spent the hour journey home deciding on their new names. They adapted very quickly, although they answer to most things and have many nick names.

We had a cat who refused to have a new name. You can try.

We rehomed our girl direct from her previous family (she was stressed by boisterous children, but they had her from a tiny kitten before babies came along) and changed her name to something that had similar sounds in it. Think O’Malley becoming Sally type thing. She was fine with it but we did train her to come in with Dreamies when we started letting her out, just in case.

Thanks everyone!

Midnight?

Yes we always re name - the shelters gave them temporary names anyway

One was a Christmas name, so had to go, and the last one came with the rather startling name of Titan! None of us could cope with that

@ItsJustTheOneSwanActually haha i quite like Titan