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Sensible Pet Names

  (+16, -6)(+16, -6)
(+16, -6)
  [vote for,
against]

I believe it to be terribly degrading when i see pets with names like 'fluffy', 'scruffy', 'rover' etc.

Pets should have normal names like Gary, Alan, John, Lorraine etc.

I also think people should have more silly names.

benfrost, May 04 2001

(?) Alan Dog http://www.ideagate...es_home/alandog.htm
[benfrost, May 04 2001]

(?) Sensible names http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/3450/
'An online help for parents looking for that distinctive name that says "I'm a Utah Mormon!".' [angel, May 04 2001]

U.S. trends in naming children http://www.casperkitty.com/nametabl.htm
Top ten boy's and girl's name (USA, by year, 1880-2000) [supercat, Jan 09 2002]

(?) Annabelle http://moniplex.com...ndar/Annabelle2.jpg
And we had a rabbit called Gordon Bennett and another called Bentley. Pretty darned sensible, I think you'll agree. [DrCurry, Oct 07 2002]

[link]






       Quite right. Some of my favourite cats have been called Ralph, George, Larry, Louis and Barry. Of course, I've also been associated with Fluffy-bunny, Lupin, Lump, Ratty, Biff and BamBam. But I'm thinking of changing Lump's name to Colin.
Snippity, May 04 2001
  

       even better if you named them after famous people; "Arnold Schwarzenegger! stop peeing on the rose bushes, you naughty boy!". Endless amusement
tfarnsworth, May 04 2001
  

       We had a cat once which we called...... well, Cat actually. As for silly names for people I once used to call myself Wombatt. Come to think of it, I still know somebody called Wombat. Not sure on this one. Some of the people I know get a big bang out of calling me silly names e.g. F***wit and Airhead. I'm not up for making a rod for my own back.
Ivy, May 04 2001
  

       The current Russells: Woodrow Tiberius (Tyler for short), Beauty Queen, Valli Girl, Twinkle Belle, Dottie Dot Com, Winnie Poohkie Bear, Button Button, and Cookie Monster.   

       The cats: Magickal Merlin Windsor, Sasha Marie Puddin' Head Finklestein (she's Jewish), and Dionna the Devil Cat.   

       Horses (some of these names are NOT my fault) : Kissmylips, Lovuso, Native Robbysue, Native Sadiesue, Native Sophiesue, Native Susieque, Second Chance Blues, Kymberlin, Bid On Bingo, Chlorie Belle, Blue Light, Jabberwocky (yep, that one's definitely mine), Centerfold Rebel, Texas Marathon, Ghetto Georgia, Luvagoodjoke, Singles Last Kiss, Miss Ora Dell, and the stud, himself, Sir Riddle.
Susen, May 04 2001
  

       My four cats' names are Phuc Nguyen, Eric W. Gunderson I, Lousynogoodsonofabitchyoullneveramounttonothing, and Rover.
globaltourniquet, May 04 2001
  

       I'm thinking of getting a Maltese Dog- they grow to @ 5" tall & hopefully naming it 'Killer' regardless of sex.
thumbwax, May 04 2001
  

       That's one tiny little doggie, there, thumby. Never seen such a tiny li'l dawg.
globaltourniquet, May 04 2001
  

       When Gerald Durrell lived on Corfu as a boy he received two puppies: Widdle and Puke. Perhaps they got other names once they outgrew their puppish incontinence, I don't remember.
Dog Ed, May 05 2001
  

       "Sic 'em Killer!" ...Just checking to see if anybody's paying attention... Actually they're 10" height at most and usually 4-6 pounds with 7 being considered overweight. Makes a Chihuahua look enormous by comparison.
thumbwax, May 05 2001
  

       I knew someone who had a cat named 'Woof' and a dog named 'Meow'...
StarChaser, May 05 2001
  

       Our current cats are Katharine and Natasha. Our previous furball was Tela (named after Tela Brown from Niven's books)
mwburden, May 05 2001
  

       If it's the one from the Ringworld series, it's "Teela".   

       My two are Bastet and Tora. My brother's is Kaia, and the sort of half-house cat is Stumpy <A manx with no obvious tail.>
StarChaser, May 07 2001
  

       I personally preferr using short Germanic names for pets - Uve, Inga, Axel, etc. Easy to "bark" out when doing training or commands.
wasraw, May 07 2001
  

       I COMPLETELY disagree. I think pets should have pet names, not people names, or at least not common people names.

My dogs names are Pip and Pico. Cat's name is Tuck. Rabbit's is Chitch (the fireball) and a rat named Loops
bristolz, May 08 2001
  

       I'm with you, bristolz. The closest thing that I've got to a pet (my computer) I've named ELOOBU, which is an entirely random (in English, anyway) string of letters. Were I to have a pet, I would want to make sure that its name is at least as nonsensical. Any combination of plosives and/or long vowel sounds works.
absterge, May 08 2001
  

       absterge, With you on this one. Throw in numbers and some of the characters from the symbols chart on Word and you're on to a winner. Could also take the strain out of naming children. Regards, 9*%>+&£4~]
Ivy, May 08 2001
  

       For the record, three cats: Lilly, Jasmine, and (another) Tuck. One dog: Boon. Also, I believe the original subject was whether giving people names to pets was good or not, as opposed to what all of the halfbakers' pets' names are. I like the dog named Zuul, tho. I think we have to give our pets outrageous names because we can't give them to ourselves or our kids without them losing face. I'd be (even more) messed up if my parents had names me after that redheaded kid from Children of the Corn, or CarrotTop.
nick_n_uit, May 09 2001
  

       Mephista, I have to say I've resisted saying anything in the past, and I don't want to appear rude or anything, but exactly which planet is it that you inhabit?
goff, May 09 2001
  

       I definitely disagree. Giving our pets stupid names is a great outlet for all the frustration and anger that everyone has for the world but society won't let us. Besides, if we're forced to give pets normal names, people will start to call their kids Rex, Blackie, Rover and Felix. You've got to feel sorry for those kids when they reach school age.   

       By the way, my cat is called Monty and the house fish is Mr. Furious. At least he was until we forgot to feed him. D'oh!
CoolerKing, May 09 2001
  

       A friend has a cat called Naplam.   

       I can't abide dogs called Dave.
mcscotland, May 09 2001
  

       I think we should try to stop giving people silly names first (PeterSealy, yeah). We should just ban English names outright (in Hong Kong), and pass some kind of law in Singapore (they will obey...).   

       Evidence: Men named Dixie and Paronel. Women named Disney.
jetgrrl, May 10 2001
  

       The problem with Chinese people taking English names is that they tend to take names that haven't been used by anyone English since the 1800's.   

       There were two Chinese kids in my school called Clarence and Sinclair. Sinclair is surely a dodgy computer from the 80's, and Clarence is without doubt the best name I have ever heard... for a cat.
CoolerKing, May 10 2001
  

       My grandmother had a cat called Michael which she would dress in doll's clothes and take out riding in a pram (baby carriage). My brother had cats called Number 3 and Zanussi. I often wonder who was dafter.
angel, May 15 2001
  

       i disagree... my dog is called Scrabble, and she doesn't care. She will answer to anything. And I know someone with a dog called Gerbil
bud, May 15 2001
  

       The current contingent of cats are Maggie, Jake, Zeke and Alex. The Rottweiler is named Roxy. I have always leaned toward the respectful names for pets. Besides its a little easier to take where youre outside at midnight looking under bushes to mutter 'Come here Jake" Than it is to scream for Fluffy over and over again.
RobGraham, May 15 2001
  

       Pets should have pets names, humans should have human names. What's the fun in having a 'sensible' pet name, eg George? Theres no harm in a 'silly' pet name. Pets should have names that suit their personality.
Foxy, Jun 11 2001
  

       To add to that, I know a family with a boy called Dave and a Dog called Dave. They couldn't call one without calling the other. Definitely a problem.
Foxy, Jun 11 2001
  

       a cat will answer to anything ending in -y as it knows your voice e.g. fluffy, polly,scrubby, cosy, missy,   

       a dog will answer to anything as long as there is food or a ball involved   

       cats are clever - dogs are stupid - gerbils are incestuous
po, Aug 26 2001
  

       //That pickaninny, that nigger baby?//
where do these pickaninnies and babies reside? all over the planet or in a specific region?
thumbwax, Aug 26 2001
  

       If you go around giving pets sensible names, there'll never be any amusing 'porn star' names again.   

       (If you don't know how, find your own porn star name by combining your first pet's name with your mother's maiden name. Mine's "Scrambler Lorantos")
-alx, Aug 26 2001
  

       Or, alternately, for the surname, the street on which you first resided. -- Lucky St. Charles.
The Military, Aug 26 2001
  

       My current cats are Samantha and (boringly) Tiger. Previous pussies were Lucy and Seven-Up. Incidently, my porn star name is BooBoo Danton.
pussygalore, Sep 01 2001
  

       When I said "current cats", I mean the cats I have now, not cats made of currents.
pussygalore, Sep 01 2001
  

       I like cat names that get your attention, like Squishy, Sushi, or Chihuahua. It confused me good when I first heard those. You can call them Squish, Sue/Sush (pronounced "soosh"), or Chi Chi for short. What boring lives those pets would have if you didn't give them something interesting, like a good name. I've never been impressed by any pets named Tommy or Frank.
sheekeebut, Sep 01 2001
  

       PeterSealy :yes exactly,good point,so my parents[mostly my dad]decided to give me a sensible name
technobadger, Sep 01 2001
  

       "The problem with giving your human child a silly name is that your child will never forgive you."   

       Most of the people I know with conservative, sensible names can't stand them, and many of them have nicknames or use their (more unusual) middle names instead. The few people I have met with far less conventional names loved them.   

       Admittedly, not many humans would appreciate being called 'Fluffy'. I s'pose my point is, an unusual name isn't necessarily a silly one, and that applies equally well to humans and animals.
-alx, Sep 02 2001
  

       You HAVE to read "Fluffy the Porcupine...." We tended to have human names for pets. Emily, Penelope, Sylvester, Luke...I had a dachshund named Florenz who regularly shat in my Bass Weejuns. I currently have a reptile: Nyda, the Iguana. He's defrocked and all the lady lizards have a thing for him.
keats27, Sep 02 2001
  

       Warsaw said: "I personally preferr using short Germanic names for pets - Uve, Inga, Axel, etc. Easy to "bark" out when doing training or commands." Which made me laugh because my dad's business partner was a Danish man named Axel and his wife was named Inga. And they never did learn to heel. ;)
arghblah, Sep 03 2001
  

       I vote for the sensible pet names. I much prefer leaning out the window and yelling for "Chloe" to come in the house, than calling for Fluffy or Puddles.
Onalee, Sep 05 2001
  

       "Puddles," heh - that makes me think about a joke with ducks in it.
Had a friend that had a dog named DeeOhGhe (pronounced as 'D'-'O'-'G'). I had a cat named Ford (as in truck) and Catarina and a dog named Will. I also had a black cat that we almost named Snowball, ended up nameing her Majic instead. so I guess I've had both.
  

       Why can't we both have silly names and serious names? I want to be Dub-Dub Sampson Barnes, III or some such.
barnzenen, Sep 05 2001
  

       I had a friend in high school whose family named their cats after real people with funny names: Talulah Bankhead, Pasquale Boobah (sp?).
LeBain, Oct 17 2001
  

       Friend of mine has a huge male Rottweiler called Pansy, and his daughter's hamster is called Satan.
angel, Oct 18 2001
  

       Call your dog Jim. Walk him in the park. Let him off the lead. Call him. Watch half a dozen bunnet-clad old men's heads snap round. For the see-through rain hat equivalent, call your dog Betty.
calum, Oct 18 2001
  

       This reminds me of that Larson cartoon: The names we give dogs / the names dogs give themselves. Sorry I can't find a link but it's funny. So there.
stupop, Oct 18 2001
  

       No one has mentioned the syndrome I invariably run into: despite my intention to name a pet something, s/he always ends up being called something else. Our first cat I named Friday,yet she was indelibly called Poofer. I've no idea why. We did name a tiny orange kitten that meowed at the door Killer Wingfield [from The Glass Menagerie]. One cat I was smitten by, an adult male at the pound [we get all our pets from the pound] has always been so dignified we call him Mister. And our other currrent cat was already named Lola, yet it was somehow wrong. One day it hit me -- her name was Lulu [yes, I've called myself after her], the name of my favorite character from Louise Erdrich's novels: a greedy, sexy, and funny woman. P.S.: My husband has given me pet names many many times sillier than any pet names you listed. That's a good thing in my book.
Lulu, Oct 31 2001
  

       How about islamic names for pets? I like the idea of a guinea pig called Sajiid.
stupop, Nov 09 2001
  

       When I went to buy my cat (a short haired English Blue) my wife called me to ask what he looked like so she could look for a name, I said "he looks like velvet", so she looks up velvet in the thesarus but saw the word velcro above it and chose that instead. Velcro the cat, gets you noticed in the vets waiting room.
LardyBloke, Nov 09 2001
  

       See T.S. Elliot's - "The Naming of Cats"
marwill, Jan 09 2002
  

       I've 2 fish called Gilbert and George
dare99, Jan 09 2002
  

       We have just taken in a feral 2 week kitten found in our back yard. It has been named 'Monkey', though i was pushing for 'Agnes'.
benfrost, Jan 09 2002
  

       'Traditional' names go in and out of fashion quite a bit. "Samantha" is a fairly common name for a cat (alluding to a rather 'bewitching' Samantha Stevens no doubt) but it was never among the ten most popular girls' names until 1988.   

       I was just looking through the top ten lists of names for babies in the U.S. (see link) and noticing that some names seem quite 'plausible' for cats while others really don't. I can easily imagine a long-haired cat named Mildred (made the top ten human names list 1905-1925); Crystal seems more of a cat name than a human name but was #9 for babies in 1982. Mary, though, seems like a decidedly un-cat-like name even though it made the top ten list for human babies every year 1880-1972 (and was #1 1880-1947).
supercat, Jan 09 2002
  

       A hamster named Satan! LOL!
arghblah, Feb 01 2002
  

       my newly acquired kitten has been named 'swiss tony'. someday he will be built like the alps and ridged like a toblerone.
benfrost, Apr 16 2002
  

       my mom's neurotic boy cat's name is Cloe and my cat's name is Mojo. I wish my name was Mojo...
teatime, Apr 16 2002
  

       . . . Moxy seems like a good name for a cat.
bristolz, Apr 16 2002
  

       I once had a fish called Swimmy
BenII, Apr 22 2002
  

       //I wish my name was Mojo//
as opposed to Mofo?
thumbwax, Apr 22 2002
  

       a friend of mine has a dog named Spooge... which is really fun when you're trying to call the dog in a public place. my cat's name is Spike, which I think is perfectly dignified, thank you very much.
romy, Apr 22 2002
  

       Name for a dog: Curiosity.
beauxeault, May 25 2002
  

       . . . or "Curio" for short.
bristolz, May 25 2002
  

       //Name for a dog: Curiosity//
because he killed the cat?
  

       I got a new kitten two days ago (now 3 cats mad) who says her name is Anastasia Katrina Popov... or Ana Kat for short. I think her last name may have something to do with one of my favorite bakers ;-)
runforrestrun, May 25 2002
  

       i named my cat cookie cuz i was eatin a chocolate chip cokkie at the moment. gues thats better than opposedto "buttmunch" or "STUPIDLOUSYSONOFABITCH!"
fuzzykat, Oct 04 2002
  

       yes, much easier to scream out the back door. do you aim to stay fuzzy or just passing through?
po, Oct 04 2002
  

       It's really rather simple: all dogs-fido...all cats-dustin. (oops and one milo).
blissmiss, Oct 04 2002
  

       "Parallelogram" would nice for a small dog.
waugsqueke, Oct 04 2002
  

       As of my birthday last week I am proud guardian of three Tomy Micropets: Sprocket, Yuk and Chumsley. Luckily they also answer to the names of "Annoying" "Crap" and "Stupid".
shameless_self_reference, Oct 05 2002
  

       I don't like giving pets human names, probably because there seem to be far too many dogs and cows around with my name. My father named our old cats Nicholas and Alexandra after the last Tsar and Tsarina of Russia. That always seemed rather morbid to me, but I still wanted to get a dog and name it Rasputin.   

       Currently I'm living with a cat called milo (which would make my porn name 'Milo Chamberlayne'). I named my previous cat 'pixel' (after the cat who walked through walls) and I plan to name the next one 'random numbers' or randy for short (also from Heinlein). Someday I'd like to get a miniature fox terrier and name it peanut.
madradish, Oct 05 2002
  

       I want a black Arabian mare and I want to call her Africa.
rabbit, Oct 05 2002
  

       I've thought about this, we had a rabbit called cameron, and a fish called stuart. But if your calling your dog people are gonna think your calling your kid.
Gulherme, Oct 05 2002
  

       We shirked from calling our minature Dachshund any germanic name (fritz, stroodle, etc), in favour of a proper persons name, James. James responded by becoming a proper person rather then a yappy germanic dog.
MichaelW, Oct 07 2002
  
      
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