Tips For Choosing a Name For Your Kitten

By Catherine Conway

It can be a challenge to choose the right name for your kitten. You can stumble across a ton of ideas, but sometimes looking at a long list of names for kittens can lead to more indecision. To help you stay on track, here are some tips to help you choose a name that fits perfectly.

• Make doubly sure you know the kitten's sex. It would be a little embarrassing to have a girl cat named Bob or a boy cat named Lizzie.
• Take your time. Spend a few days observing your kitten and becoming familiar with his personality before you pick a name.
• Avoid picking a name you'd be embarrassed to use in front of other people. If you don't think you could handle shouting "Mouse Breath, get back in the house," you might want to rethink it.
• Pick a nice, short name. Ideally it should be no more than two syllables. A short name is easier for your cat to learn, and it will be easier for you use.
• If you do decide to give your kitten a long name, make sure the shortened version sounds good. You will inevitably give your cat a nickname if his full name is Aristotle Meezer.
• If you want to make it really easy for your cat to learn his name, consider one that ends with an "ee" sound. For example, Bucky or Willy.
• Remember that people will form judgments about both you and your cat based on what you name him. People may be somewhat afraid of your cat if you name him Vampire or Scratch.
• Choose a name that will grow with your cat. A name like Teeny Weeny might be perfect for a little kitten, but it will be positively ironic for a large ten-year-old cat.
• Perhaps most importantly, don't stress over picking a name. Choosing names for kittens isn't like choosing names for children. If you want to name your cat Fluffy, you don't have to worry that the other pets in the neighborhood will make fun of him.

Catherine L. Conway is a writer who loves cats. If you need more tips and ideas for choosing the perfect name for your kitten, she has a site that can help: http://kittykittennames.com.