Finding the Right Name For Your Cat: My Funny Kao K'o Kung
81In this hub
- Ah, cats (sigh)
- On naming your cats
- Excuse me?
- His Royal Highness wants to go by something else
- Our favorite cat mysteries
- Kao K'o Kung
- Mistaken Gender and embarassed cat
- Thomasito Vincenzo
Cats are finicky creatures. We've all heard that. We've all experienced that. Cats also feel and know more than many give them credit for. Any cat lover will tell you they are as bright as they are ornery.
It's the little things in life that they choose to notice. They are opinionated, so you can be sure that you will in one way or another find out what they think about the things that matter most to them.
One thing I've learned over the years, sometimes the hard way, is that one of the keys to getting a cat to respond to you properly is giving it the right name. That comes through trial and error.
If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. It's never too late, with a cat, to make amends. They have nine lives so to speak and they know this. While they may not have too much patience when it comes to their litter box, drinking water, food, or closed doors, they've got the time, and they're totally cool with giving you another chance. That is, if they've seen that you took the time and effort. They are smart and intuitive.
Some cats are perfectly fine with the special name you've given them, any ol' name, or even no name at all. Other's require a bit more attention being placed to their naming, as I have learned the hard way.
Each cat comes with its own personality and quirks; and so to tell you what to name your cat or kitten would be a futile task, that is if you are desiring to figure out what it wants you to call it. I do not have all the answers for this issue, but I do have some experience. This is going to have to be your very own, personal journey, a committed one at that. Between you and your cat. You will possibly fail many times. But with any luck, you will figure it out and in turn have a happy cat that feels you really know him or her.
There are a few places to turn to for cat names, and of course one must never rule out baby name books and websites. You can find some of these resources in this hub.
My First Cat
My first cat I ever owned was named Pussia. I didn't name her. Nor did I purchase her or rescue her. (Well, okay maybe I did rescue her, from a cat named Aweful, but not in the superhero, animal rescue, sort of way.)
What happened was this...
I called my boyfriend at the time (now my husband) on the phone. (It was one of those neutral colored "modern" kinds of phones, complete with answering machine. The ones that set on your wall or could set on a table, take your pick.)
His mother answered the phone. "Hello."
"Hi. Could I please speak with Dave?" (She and I had not met yet.)
"I think he's in the bath, hun."
"Okay. Well, if you could just tell him that Frieda called?"
"Sure hun."
"Thank you. Bye." Feoof! That was over. Dammit, what was he doing in the bath. I wanted him to come over NOW! I didn't want to have to wait.
Well, Dave ended up falling asleep in the bath. Yes, he is one of those few men that enjoy a nice luxurious soak every now and again. But what came from this discombobulated evening, was a story I will never forget, and a story that brought my very first cat and I together.
What's in a Name
Dave did eventually wake up. Pruned, cold, and robed, he went to the kitchen for some chocolate, (some things never change), where he ran into his mother who told him that a girl called and, "she sounded like pussy."
"Mom!" (Flabbergasted.) (Confused.) (Curious.)
"Well she sounded just like Pussia."
"What? Who was it?"
"Frieda."
He looked at the cat and understood. He also didn't waist any time in telling me that his mom thought I sounded like pussy.
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Love at first sight
It didn't take long before Pussia and I met. It was love at first sight, and a few weeks later, we moved in together.
She was a definite pussy cat and she knew it and she loved the sound of her name.
She brought dead mice to the foot of my bed (to show her love and devotion to me).
She sprayed my silk curtains with her eau de cologne while I was teaching piano in the living room. You know, just to remind me she was there and that she was thinking about me.
And when I went on vacation for four days without her, she had refused to bathe herself, had become hoarse voiced, and would not speak to me for days upon my return due to a cold shoulder and a broken heart.
Women!
My Second Cat, or, Once Upon A Coconut Tree
My second cat I dreamed about, and before I even saw him or knew he existed, I was in love and new I had to have him. The day after my dream, I looked in the newspaper classifieds and found an advertisement for a kitten seal point Himalayan(which by the way is a breed created from mixing Siamese cats and Persians). I called. I visited. I paid. I brought home. I loved. He loved. We both loved.
It took me two weeks to name him. And I used a baby name book to do so. One with unconventional exotic names from all over the world. I decided on a group of names that when strung together meant His Royal Highness the Good-looking Coconut King.
Unfortunately he was in love with being called Mr. Puss Puss; and I therefore suspected that he was really Pussia, aka Puss, reincarnate with male parts and characteristics. In particular, he loved to watch me clean. It was the only time he ever purred.
Men!
For the love of a good cat mystery
Dave and I always enjoyed a good book on tape. They are fabulous, especially on road trips. Of course now it's books on CD, but back then they were on tape, and we were obsessed. We were obsessed with mysteries, we were obsessed with Lilian Jackson Braun, we were obsessed with Lilian's "The Cat Who.." series, we were obsessed with Qwilleran. We were also obsessed with George Guidall, fantasizing that if we had a million dollars, we would hire him to read us to sleep.
Most of all, we were obsessed with Koko and Yum Yum, the two Siamese cats in the stories. We vowed to each other that one day we would have two Siamese cats, with the same characteristics described in "The Cat Who..." series, and we would name them Kao K'o Kung and Yum Yum.
When we first met
One day the opportunity arose for the possibility of getting our very own Kao K'o Kung and Yum Yum. We found an add in the paper for seal point Siamese ready for a home, and we were on it like a cat to catnip.
There they were, The cutest little boy with big round blue eyes, and the cutest little girl with big round blue eyes slightly crossed. We had our Koko and Yum Yum! They were so tiny and soft and sweet. It was raining so we kept them under out coats on the way to the car. And the best thing was, we had them named. We had them pegged too. We knew just what they were going to be like.
Hmmm.
Over the next few months, Koko and Yum Yum grew. They went from curling up in a shoe to sticking their heads in a shoe. We made manly remarks to Koko, and sweet kitty sounds to Yum Yum, so sweet and so pretty she was.
Yum Yum was not happy, however. When we cooed at her she scoffed and showed us her butt. When we pet her and told her how much we loved our sweet little girl, she seemed to get disgusted and ran off.
Well, it was soon time for another vet visit. We packed up the cats in their carrier, drove to the vet's office, got sniffed by dogs in the waiting room, and finally got a room of our own. By this time they really weren't so sure they wanted to get out of their carrier. But they did. And each got checked. And then.... the news.
Let me just say we were shocked. We were, understandably, devastated. Yum Yum was... a he!
Our dreams were dashed, our expectations tarnished. How could this be? He was so pretty, so dainty, so sleek. What about The Cat Who? What about the mysteries they were going to solve? What about...
So that explained it. Somehow or other Yum Yum knew gender differences and he was not going to be taken for a female. Well, didn't that take the cake.
We looked at him and all we could do was guffaw.
He looked at us and thought, "Dummies."
Aha!
Needless to say, there were some changes around the house. Yum Yum walked around with pride. He was more talkative and in all around better humor.
But there was still one small little issue. It became apparent that Yum Yum did not appreciate his name. He vocalized this with nasty mews. And so the search began for a name that would please him. A name he could identify with.
He knew what I was doing when I tried on names. He enjoyed this very much and was more than willing to give me his honest opinion.
Here are some names that did not work for him;:
- Buddy
- King Kong
- Hercules
- Banter
- Fred
- Cosmo
- Kramer
- Cleotus
- Fang
- Bushwhack
- Manly
I tried French names, Chinese names, Greek names, Indian names, Russian names... All to no avail.
And then one day, I thought to myself, "You know Yum Yum, you are very Italian."
His ears perked.
I took this as my que and started slowly naming off any Italian name I could think of. Luigi, Carmichael, Fabio, Lorenzo, Gino, Roberto.
"Oh Yum Yum, you're such a Tom."
His ears perked again. Was I onto something?
"Tom... Thomas... Thomasito." Aha! Not only did his ears perk, but he walked closer and licked his lips.
"Are you my little Thomasito?" Oh he was liking it.
"Thomasito Vincenzo?"
BINGO! I'd hit the jackpot. My legs were rubbed, he begged me to pet him, he mewed; he was, in a word, elated. I, myself, was impressed. Very impressed. What an odd name. What a fine name. Thomasito Vincenzo. Twin Conqueror. Who knew?
Awaiting the Mothership
Tom Vinny, bandit catcher extraordinaire!
Now Tom Vinny felt free to show us the side of him he had been holding back for so long. He became quite the hunter, conquering beetles, spiders, mice, and snakes, just for us, out of respect and appreciation of the fact that "we finally got it". He proved to be lively and quick, and extraordinarily beautiful, in a Tom cat sort of way, of course.
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Cat Name Sites
- Great Cat Names
This is a fun site I highly recommend. You can even submit your own cat name! "An easy to use, creative list of great cat names. Not just an endless list of every name in the book, but a list you can truly use. Includes many stories about cat names. - Cat Names
Note for this site: remember my words, the name you chose does not have to last a lifetime! --F.B. "Cat names free searchable database and list of over 5000 unique cat names with meanings including categories..." - 2000 CAT NAMES: Naming your kitten
2000 suggestions for naming your kitten. There is a nice explination about the name choice and what it says to the world about your cat. This is true; but don't get too excited. Your cat may have other ideas. =D
Other cat hubs
- How My Rescue Cat Rescued My Marriage
My husband is that seemingly rare breed of man: true a cat person. When we merged households in 2003, he brought sisters Penny and Patty (at that time 14). I brought Gremlin and Storm (at that time 5). ... - Cats of My Life
I am a cat person, always have been, always will be. Don't get me wrong...I love dogs also, it's just I relate better to cats. I've had my share of both over the years, but while I can live without a dog... - King Of Small Beasts.
This was provoked (correct word!) by the lovely Frieda Babbley - after a comment on her similar article about her own delicious felines. Frieda - thankyou! Without doubt – cats rock. They are the ultimate... - A tale of two abandoned kittens in London: rescued!
Two beautiful white kittens, abused and abandoned to die.... - My Evil Cat is Trying To Kill Me
Some people are cat people and some people are dog people. I'm a dog people. I had a dog. I had two dogs, in fact. Now I have a cat. The cat is trying to kill me. - The Cat has me Trapped!!
The cat is laying on my feet. I dont know why hes chosen this particular spot for his 3rd nap of the day, but he has, and I dont have the heart to wake him. Not that he has the same respect for... - The Joys and Hazards of Living with a Bengal Cat
Although there are lots of sites that just fawn over the Bengal breed there doesn't tend to be too many that describe just what life is like with these cats. In this article I hope to both educate the audience... - Cat Eye Problems - Signs to Be Aware Of
Cat Eye Problems should be extremely important to the cat owner. Cat's eyes have special characteristics that set them apart from other animals. Most dogs use a combination of sight, hearing and smell to... - My Cat, Kat
I have noticed that a lot of people like to write about everyday life as it happens, a journal if you will. I fear that the mundane hours that I spend awake could hardly warrant being called a
And you thought cats couldn't talk
They can even talk human
Phoebe teaches smelly cat to Chrissy Hynde
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Same goes for Sneaky Pie, I'd say you've got to read the first 2/3 in order, then it doesn't matter anymore.
I've just done one audiobook in my entire life, that was "The mists of Avalon", while I spent two days in a natural spa in some hills in Northern California. After that experience, I don't know why I've never done another audiobook, I guess I'm old fashioned and like to hear my own voice in my head while reading a book???
fantastic hub! I agree, cats often choose their own names.
We called Elijah thus because I found him on the last day of Passover, when the prophet shows up. My parents' tortoise shell was called Cleo, and has been known as the Little Cat ever since.
You've definitely made me do it. I've thought often that I should rename him, something appropriate, something that fits his personality, and your hub has convinced me to actually do it. I have just named him...assho*e!. Fits him perfect! Thank you!
You are so right! When I was four I was given a grey calico cat. I named her something lovely, but she became The Gray Mother Cat. That was her name. There was no sense trying to change it, because try as you might, it would not change.
Wonderful Kitty stuff. And then I got sucked into YouTube which led me to the hand-holding otters. OMG. I must return another time and finish reading as I have dog duties to attend.
I loved this one! Fun to read, and so generous in linking other cat hubs. Our first cat, tigger, was an orange tabby. He liked his name, but on occasion would only answer to Tiglet. He never admitted it, but he also liked to be called Igamochop once in a while. What can you do? What the cat wants, the cat gets.
Frieda, I love your writing, and this one is super fine! Loved the pictures too! Beautiful cats. And I had never really thought about whether our animals actually LIKE their names. It's something to think about! I always end up calling my little buddies by something other than the original name I give them at some point and perhaps they are actually making me do that with some kind of mind control.
One dog went from being called Falstaff to Bubba, another went from being Andromeda to PooPoo, and Shadow is now called Moose. One cat started out being called Mr. Fuji, and then the next thing I knew, I started calling him Pookie. It must be mind control! They made me do it! :D
I never had any cat for a pet but I surely appreciate your hub.
Great Hub! Although I prefer dogs you did a great job!;)
Sincerly,
Random
What a great Hub. I am fairly new to this community, but I am quickly growing a deep appreciation of the richness and variety available.
Thank you for sharing your insights.
I named my three cats the first names that came to my mind when I first saw them the day they were born. Apparently, they were the right ones because Jiggy, Motmot, and Layla come when I call them. :)
Frieda - my cat and I are unfortunately separated by several countries. I would have expatriated the furry hobo if I'd have thought he wouldn't bugger off back to the UK. Unfortunately, the last time I moved him (10 miles or so) he packed his bags for three months. Having made his thoughts clear regarding enforced relocation, he re-appeared by way of a vets' practice some miles away.
He remains on UK soil. Selfishly so, in my opinion.
His name is Sully. He is beautiful. Unique. And we are estranged. I call him now and then, via the 'phone :)
He's a Bengal BTW and I wish I could show you a picture|
Lovely lovely hub, thankyou!
Frieda - I don't see why not. He's a great feline, utterly fabulous :)
Frieda - dutifully delivered, one hub devoted to my lovely, slinky ... murderous moggy ;)
Delightful read. Cats are certainly something else. We had a cat named Boots (ordinary I know) but no matter, once we altered it to booty she came running every time. heehee.
Sophie and I have long conversations just about every day. I often wonder what she thinks we're talking about, and if I'm giving the right answers to her questions, but she always seems satisfied with them, anyway.
Hah, this hub is so funny. And it's true. We're still having name issues with one of our cats. We got these two kittens (we = my wife came home with them one damn day, after our ONE cat died and I was nagged into agreeing that we could get another ONE if she absolutely had to have another ONE despite the vet bills and racket every night of the last ONE). So anyway, obedient and always listening to me as she is, she brought these two damn kittens home. I was all, "Fine. They're cute," etc. So after a few days, I was wondering when they were going to get around to naming them ("they" = 3 kids and the cat lady I married). No names after a week. I was like, "How the hell do three kids and a woman not come up with even one cat name in a week?" So, a few days after, I started calling them Assbreath and Shithouse. I figured this would prompt the kids (at least my daughter) and my wife to get moving on the naming thing. Still no. Finally, like two weeks later--in the name of propriety and public decorum--I gave them new names, Slayer and Halitosis (which has since been shortened to Hali... and yes, she was Assbreath to begin with--I have no idea what's going on with her intestines, but my god!). And still these people have not renamed their cats.
Slayer is fine with his name, but Hali is still in total rebellion and refuses not to be a sucky pet until someone cares enough to give her a suitable name. I have washed my hands of the whole affair, but she did bite the crap out of me one night when I stepped on her tail. I think she lay under that dark chair in that unlit room and laid her tail out there like a lure, baiting an accident, just so she had an excuse to bite me that would have any jury completely on her side. Damn cats.
Haha... I so forgot about that song. Yeah, that's Hali's theme song for sure. LOL I'm still laughing. Especially the black and white part that opens the first one. That's damn funny. So is the fire flaring in the homeless guys' barrel. lawl
I wanted to get two cats this time and name them Dill and Pickle...I know, my 17 yo thought it was lame, too. But unlike Shades' wife, I listened to the threats of divorce from my husband and only brought one home...daughter & I agreed on "Lucy" within 24 hours, and she seems to like it okay.
Shades' story reminds me of the time my grandmother's Siamese got me...this was a mean cat - she only liked my grandmother and the rest of us avoided her as much as possible. For some cat-plotting reason, she was sitting next to me in the kitchen while I was fixin' ice cream combs. I dropped a scoop of ice cream and turned "Sh*t" into "Shoot" since my grandmother was standing right there, but couldn't resist a good stomp of my foot...right on Spookey's tail (over the years all of my grandmother's Siamese were named Spookey, by the way). Spookey curled around my leg with all four paws and dug in her claws - scratched the sh*t out of me! Oops....sorry, but shoot doesn't work there :-)
Fun hub - thumbs up from me!
YES - they really were all the same temperament! Awful! My sister inherited the last one after my grandmother's death, and she has mellowed a lot with age - she actually sleeps with me when I visit and has not bitten me since she was a kitten :-)
thanks, Frieda. I was thinking as I left the comment it might make a good hub - I'll let you know if I get aroung to expanding it.
I should have been sleeping, but I just couldn't resist reading! How I laughed! Cats do train us, don't they. Thomasito's name reminds me of a movie I love, "Thomasita" about a cat. (Don't let him know or he may make you change it again) LOL!
Naming one's cats is, or should be, taken as seriously as naming one's children. Except that most people don't assign middle and last names to their fur children, only first names.
I think the lesson with Yum Yum is that every cat deserves to have her (or his) OWN moniker, not be named after some celebrity feline. I have known a couple of cats that handled cross=gender naming with aplomb. My friend Jody's "Chloe" was a male and my friend Wendy's "Ted" was a female.
Thomasito Vincenzo -- that conjures up quite an image! A virile, handsome, exotic Fabio of a cat:-). Reminds me of our kitten Jimmy (described in my hub 'How My Rescue Cat Rescued My Marriage'). My father-in-law, God rest his soul, took an instant like to Jimmy from day one. And Jimmy returned the affection. Even though Bill insisted on calling Jimmy "Thomasita" and "girl" Jimmy did not let that threaten his masculinity. Jimmy also thinks he's a dog, but that's another matter entirely!
Great hub. Glad to know you are such a fellow cat woman!! MM
Frieda, frist congrats for your kittens, Himalayan are amazing!
Thomasito, spectacular name, really, I suppose I will hire you to find names for my kittens...those imponent kind of names....
Love your cat hubs.....
Hilarious AND true, does life get any better? I always take my time naming the cat folks - you never know when it might be an incarnated human doing penance for his stupid past lives. Sounds like your Italian guy might be one of them. :) And Pussia sounded like an Alpha female for sure! Blogging this on over to my humor, healing and poetry blogs for others to enjoy, thanks for writing it! You are a wonderful writer!!!
Goodness Gracious! What a great, thundering herd of cats you have had! I have 8 cats! They have such creative names as Mommy, Spot, Tiger, and so on. I have one named Kendall, but he came to me with that name. I tried to change it to Tigger, but he did not like it!
Here is a story I wrote that has a cat naming spell included:
Black Cat Halloween Story
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1097235/b
I hope you enjoy it! :)
Mighty Mom, I give all my pets extra names. ;) Most of my pets get a lot more nicknames than they bargained for, too. My puglet is Ozzy Yona, my pekingese is Elly Darlene. Unfortunately, I have no cats. My boyfriend has six dogs of his own. I keep pestering him to let me get a cat. I made it known to him again after reading this hub, hahah. ;)
Lovely hub. Thomasito is a perfect name! I love how your boyfriend at the time thought his mom was talking about 'pussy'. Hilarious and cute vids, too.
Those are some cute kitty names. That's funny how Yum Yum was a boy the whole time!?
Frieda, I agree. I keep telling him that, man. Just one cat, pretty please???
Cats do have a way of shaping our behavior, don't they? Our cats names often aren't what we call them. One just likes being called "The Big Guy" in a nice deep voice, and the other is my "good boy" or "little pussy cat" in a sweet little whispered voice. Enjoyed your story!
What a great webpage - particularly like the article on cat names and the Friends video! Choosing a cat name can be tricky but you have hit the nail on the head on this page!
Great hub :) if you have some time, please check out my hubs about Paco :) would love to hear what you think
Hi Frieda,
This was a fun reading adventure. If you don't mind I would like to link this to my cat hubs. Like you, I love both cats and dogs. Each have their own personalities and add so much to our lives.
Great hub, choosing a name can seem impossible at times!
my cat's name did not go so well but i got two cats the fist one is tinkey and the second one is cutie and they both are girls but what's funny is that cutie got on the toilet and used the bathroom.................not!..n....o....t!
I have this cat that I call "Fly,"
I'm almost positive he could,
He leaps up,oh,so very high,
As a fly....this cat is good,
His feline form he often flings,
To sudden death it's certain,
Like a Kamikaze without wings,
till he's clinging on my curtains,
He leaps again, first here, then there,
As a cat he's no ones equal,
Then he disappears into thin air,
in his Amelia Earhart sequel,
He later crouches in the grass,
Letting Mother Earth's form hug him,
As he snatches flies with nimble paws,
making meals of things that bug him.
If cats could talk I'm sure he'd say,
That he's due some recognition,
for saving us from pesky flies,
His only competition.
^ ^
. .
>0<
^
Very original and cute names. Cats are amazing creatures, and more complex than one might imagine. My female and male cats (brother and sister) were named "Bonnie and Clyde" by my wife.
What a great hub! Loved the Yum Yum story :D I have been a cat lover since childhood and I agree 100% you need to find the name that fits the cat and they like!
I am adding a link to your hub on my blog (A Cat's Tail - the 'Purr'fect Blog) on blogspot.com for my readers to enjoy! Thank you for such an well written, funny and entertaining hub :D
What an adorable hub! Love it! Rated up!
Hey Frieda, only Elvis is getting more fans than you even after being gone for a while. I think you should come back and make a hub of you reading a story--no commentary, no facts, just a youtube of you reading outloud one of yours or a favorite. I promise to listen. =:)
That's Chrissie Hynde not Heinz.
More Frieda Babbley Hubs
- Girls in Their Summer Dresses - Bilingual Poem With Author Commentary
Narrative in poetry is one of the most important aspects and a strong part of the whole. If the images don't agree with the voice, there is a great discomfort for the reader. So in order to find the right narrator and the appropriate images that would be spoken by that narrator, the writer needs to make careful decisions. - 3 months ago
- Backyard Soul-O Poem of Soulmates in Love
Photograph inspired poem explores the sublimation that comes from the melody of energy that comes from the love between soul mates. Poem subject and form analysis discussed. - 3 months ago
- Aspect of Error Poem When a Woman is Past Her Prime
The woman narrator in this poem thought she did still have it. She'd counted on having the ability to keep any lover she wanted, one in particular, forever; or at least longer than now. - 3 months ago















































Elena. 2 years ago
Hi Frieda! What a cat saga! :-) I think you're right about cats being finicky, they think they are way above us humans -- must be because they hve more lives than us that gives them the competitive advantage! Laugh!
I never read "The cat who..." series but have read plenty of the "Sneaky Pie" series by Rita Mae Brown. What a character, Ms Sneaky Pie :-)
Lovely hub, as always!