Names For Kittens.
Tips For Choosing A Good One!

When you get a new kitten, the sooner you can name her, the better. The earlier she starts hearing her name, the sooner she'll remember and learn it. Once she knows her name, training her on everything else will be considerably easier. I appreciate some people prefer to wait and see what their new kitten's personality is like before they name her; this is fine, as long as it's a few days rather than weeks.

So, no pressure then... How on earth do you narrow down names for kittens and pick the best one? Here are some practical tips that will hopefully make your decision a little easier.

1) Avoid names that sound like other names

Your kitten's name should sound different to the names of any humans or other animals living with you. Anything too similar will cause confusion for all concerned!

2) Make sure you definitely know the sex of your kitten if you're giving him or her a male / female name

You may laugh at this at first, but I know two big strapping tom cats whose owners made exactly this mistake. One of these cats is called Phoebe and the other's Lily...

3) Keep names for kittens short and simple

A couple of syllables are probably about the best, though I've named some of my cats with three-syllable names and they've learnt them no problem. Names that have "hard" sounding letters in them are easier for your kitten to learn and recognize. So Sybil and Charlie, for example, are easier for a kitten to pick up than Merlin or Flo.

4) Avoid names that sound like instructions

Names that sound like instructions you're likely to give to your kitten should be avoided, as there's a good chance you'll really confuse her. For example, names that sound like "no," "stay," "down" etc.

5) Choose a name that will be appropriate for your kitten's whole life

It's tempting to use very cute kitten names for these tiny, adorable fluffballs. But you need to think long-term - will Cutiepops still be appropriate if your kitten grows into an adult male weighing 20 pounds?

6) Avoid names that will make people laugh at your cat

Cats know when they're being laughed at, and they don't like it. It knocks their self-esteem and confidence.

7) Avoid names that you aren't prepared to shout outside

If your kitten is going to be an outdoor cat, you need to give her a name you're happy to call out. You also need to make sure the rest of your family are happy to call it out. You might be fine with shouting Snozzleflumps down the street, but your teenage son or macho partner may not...

A kitten's name is obviously no use to her whatsoever unless she knows it. For advice on training a kitten to learn her name, click here.

If you're still struggling to think of a name, click on these text links for a list of female kitten names and male kitten names.

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