A new name for a fresh start? Here’s why changing your cat’s name may not be such a good idea.
You’ve just adopted a new cat. It makes sense to give him/her a new name, right? Maybe you found a name you really like, or maybe you think he looks more like a Dennis instead of H.R. Fluff-N-Stuff.
How do you go about changing your cat’s name so that they can adapt to the new one? The better question would be: should you change their name?
Why I Didn’t Change My Cats’ Names
I’m a sentimental person. I’m also a very anxious person who worries too much about my cats (yes, you can worry too much!).
When my siblings and I went to pick up Tippy from the shelter, we were already in love with her name. We just took the “Tail” off the end of it when we talked to her. “Tippy Tail” is just one syllable too many, I guess.
Tippy was every bit the lovable goofball her picture said she would be, but her sister Misha was a different story. Misha was as timid as they come once she was away from her shelter family. To ease the transition for her, we decided not to rename her in an effort to provide continuity. If she was called Misha there, she would be called Misha here.
When Is It Okay To Change Your Cat’s Name?
There are a few circumstances in which a name change is permissible.
When They’re Young
The younger a cat is, the easier it is to change their name. Tippy and Misha were five months old, so it was a bit iffy as to whether they’d do well with a name change. Kittens are still learning their name when they’re in their first few weeks. Changing their name won’t result in any negative effects; you’ll have to get new name tags though!
In Cases Of Abuse
Abused animals have gone through a lot. Calling them by the name they got from their abuser might cause them to react fearfully. Giving them a new name can be just the fresh start they need. In this case, it would actually be a good idea to change their name.
Times When You Shouldn’t Change Your Cat’s Name
Aside from the times listed above, it’s best to keep your cat’s given name. In the situations I’m about to list, it would be unwise to change your cat’s name, as it will only serve to stress them out.
When The Cat Is Older
Older cats or cats that have been at the shelter for a long time don’t do well with name changes. Although you’re excited to take them home, they’re nervous! They don’t know you, and even though they will, they’ll need time to adjust. Changing their name, on the other hand, is something that will only make that process longer.
When You First Adopt Them
You have to ease your new cat into their new name. If they have a name that they’ve become familiarized with, but you absolutely have to change it, don’t go straight for the new name. Put their old and new names together (e.g. a cat named “Chad” can have their new name added on, making “Chad-Fluffy”, etc.). Gradually start dropping the “Chad” off. Do this over a period of one to two weeks.
What did you do when you adopted your cat? Did you keep their name, or did you give them a new one? Do you think name changes are good or bad for new pets? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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Interesting post! I’ve only changed one cat’s name – 18 month old Kiki, we thought that was a dreadful name so we renamed her Suzy. She was a rescue and I don’t think she was well treated as she wasn’t a pleasant cat to start with, but she responded to proper care. I guess she would fall under your category of abused cats, she became a happy cat as Suzy right up to when she departed this world at the age of 19.
Wow! 19 years old? That’s a long time to live. I think it’s probably a good thing that you changed her name. It most likely helped her to adjust if she had been previously abused. Thanks for commenting!
Very interesting. My name got changed when I got adopted because the mom didn’t like my shelter name. It didn’t fit me at all. ~Ernie
Oh, what was your name originally? I’m sure your mom only meant the best when she changed your name. 🙂
you have some great info here! My first cat was found as a stray when he was 6 mos old, so obviously when I named him he had a new name. I adopted my current cat, (Cody) when he was about 10 weeks old, his name was Prince. I changed his name to Cody because he was young, but he is also called “The Cat Formerly Known As Prince” 😉
“The Cat Formerly Known As Prince.” Golden! Best to change their names when they’re young. They’re too busy playing and biting things to care about a name change! Thanks for commenting, dear. 🙂
I am adopting a 5 yr old female who was previously owned by a woman who is now in a rest home that doesn’t allow cats. The cats name is Priscilla, she is frequently called Prissy, and I’ve contemplated renaming her to Chrissy. Will the cat have a difficult time transitioning from Prissy to Chrissy, or should I just respect the previous owner’s name selection and leave it be?
I think as long as you slowly transition her to a new name that she’ll be fine. Try calling her Prissy for the first few days, then adding “-Chrissy” to the end of it for a couple of weeks (i.e. call her Prissy-Chrissy so she gets used to having the Chrissy part), then try using just Chrissy. I think the most important thing you should do before worrying about the name is getting her used to her new home. Cats LOVE routine, so if the elderly lady who previously owned her had a certain routine, try doing as much of that as possible to make her comfortable in her new place. Then you can start the name transition. Hope this helps!
Your advice for name changing sounds like it makes perfect sense. Thank you.
I actually noticed that she did look at me when I called her by her prior name, but I truly don’t care for it.
Once she is a bit more settled I will try your advice.
You’re welcome! I wish you the best of luck with your new kitty. 🙂
My kittens name was (or still on all her papers) Patrisha… I’m sorry, but who names a cat Patrisha??? That’s too much of a persons name for me. The moment I adopted her, I knew that name had to go. Once she was in my car I called her by her new name, she is still a kitten so she adapted quickly. But my question is how do I legally change her name? Like if I take her to the vet, they’re gonna call her by the name that is on her paperwork. I love her new name, totally a pet name and just like her… very unique.
I think you would just have to ask the vet to change it on the records. If you have pet insurance (which I highly recommend), make sure to contact them as well with the name change. Unlike with humans, I don’t think there’s any rigmarole and legal fees for changing names on paper. 🙂
Hi,
I’m adopting a kitten next week, he’ll only be nine weeks old when I pick him up, but the current owner has already named him “Crunchie”, whereas as soon as I saw the picture of him I instantly went to “Milo”, although I get WHY she called him Crunchie, he’s ginger lol…
Anyway, do you think I’ll have any problems having him learn and react to his new name at that age right from the get-go, or should I try and somehow transition it?
Thank you!
Hi, Jason! I think you should be able to just call him Milo. He’s really young, and he probably hasn’t even learned his first name yet. You should be just fine giving him the new name. 🙂
We got a cat from the shelter when I was little he was about 9mo and named Buddy. We had him for probably 2 years when my mom married someone with a dog named Buddy who was a little older. We renamed our Buddy Mister Cat and he never even flinched. It was like that was always meant to be his name. He was almost 20 when he passed away 🙁 I still miss him
Mister Cat is such a cute name. XD I love it! He sounds like he was a really awesome cat.
Years ago I adopted a 2 yr old cat. There wasn’t much interaction with shelter personnel & later realized I never heard her name pronounced out loud. It was Shea. I didn’t know if it was pronounced like Shea stadium (one syllable & rhymes with say), Maybe if was pronounced she-a (2 syllables & rhymes with Sheila). I called her Newt. It never seemed to be a problem. She was my buddy for 18 yrs
18 years is a long time! Newt is an adorable name. I’m glad you got to spend all that wonderful time with her. 🙂
Great tips—thank you for the article!
We had a 3rd ( probably unique) situation when we rescued a cat who’d been in shelters most of his 3 yr life— he changed his own name! At the risk of sounding crazy, let me clarify: his given name was Spalding, but as he got more comfortable in our home he took to exploring and popping up in crazy spots. His black coloring and silent nature snuck up & startled us enough times we joked he was like a ninja, to which he looked at us and “chirped.” Although we hadn’t planned to change because of his age, after a couple days of chirps at similar comments we silly hoomans took the hint and swapped his name formally to Ninja. I don’t think he liked his original name either!
Spalding is a lovely name, but it does sound like Ninja is more apt. Thank you for sharing this story of your beloved kitty!
I appreciate this article as I was adamant on changing the name of an older cat, Orange Juice Jones, I adopted recently and wanted to see more information before letting the vet know. It works for him but not for me.. I see now that changing it presently may not be the best but, judging from the comments, it may work in the future.
My cat was 5 years old when I got her. Her previous owner called her Zoey which I didn’t particularly like so I decided to give her a unique name. I then honor St. Maron by giving her the name: Maronita. She did very well with the name change!
The information the shelter gave me said my cat was taken from her previous owners due to animal neglect and abuse, and she was definitely very skittish at first. She was already 3 years old so I didn’t want to change her name if she was already accustomed to it. Luckily it seems like Ellie doesn’t mind keeping her name. I kept calling her my baby so now she responds to “Baby” AND “Ellie”.
It’s a conundrum. I raised two sibs (strongly recommended (to Harold and Maude) even though both were neutered males. Cats don’t care about gender specific names. The name of a cat is more about the masters of the car. I’m adopting two cats on Monday. Their names will e Scully and Mulder.