CHAPTER – CAPTURING YOUR CAT’S ESSENCE
NAMES BASED ON PERSONALITY AND BEHAVIOR
Personality types are a result of a cat's genetics and personal experiences. As all cat owners know, individual cats have very different personalities
Some long-haired breeds and their common characteristics
· Persian – a quiet, loving and companionable friend
· Balinese – a high-spirited, sociable feline
· Maine Coon – high-energy and adaptive
· Angora – loyal and quiet
· Somali – affectionate and easy-going
· Siberian – loving with a sense of play and fun
Some short-haired breeds and their common characteristics
· British Shorthair: Aloof and quiet
· Chartreuse – A loyal companion with endless affection
· American Shorthair – an “anything goes” mellow fellow (or gal)
· Exotic Shorthair – playful and extremely loving
· Manx – extremely smart and endlessly affectionate
· Siamese – clever, active and very vocal with displeasure when left alone. A true “high maintenance” cat (but worth every bit of effort)
· Burmese – smart and playful.
· Bombay – loves human contact (and petting)
· Russian Blue – gentle-spirited and affectionate
· Abyssinian – playful and wise
BODY LANGUAGE
Regardless of your cat’s personality, you can get a clue to Kitty’s mood
through body language:
· A RELAXED and HAPPY cat has ears at a normal angle, a tail that’s relaxed or upright and whiskers standing straight out from his face.
· A cat that’s feeling AGGRESSIVE will flatten his ears and rotate them backwards. His tail will swish or thump and the hair on his tail will bristle.
· A cat that’s FRIGHTENED will pull his ears back against his head. His eyes and pupils will open wide, and the hair on both his tail and his back will stand up.
· When you’ve ANNOYED a cat, he’ll pull his whiskers back tight against his face and twitch the tip of his tail.
CAUTION: If you’re cat’s eyes are half-closed and he keeps his whiskers and ears in an abnormal position for an extended period, with his tail between his legs…you may have a sick cat. Don’t be fooled by a purr. This can be a sign that your cat feels comforted by your presence, not that he feels well. Watch him and call your vet to discuss what you see.
Starting to get the idea? We thought so. But, in case you’re still having a little trouble, we’ve included some terrific names to stimulate your creativity.
SMART
· Weisenheimer
· Einstein
· Brainiac
· Smartypants
· Bright
PLAYFUL
· Fun Factory (Tory, for short)
· Dorney Park (an amusement park)
· Coney Island (an amusement park)
· Sportscat
· Mischiefmaker
· Monopoly
AFFECTIONATE
· Lovecheeks
· Cuddlepants
· Kitty Bigheart
· Corazon
· Mr. Softee
LOYAL
· True Blue
· Devotion
· Sempre Fidelis - Fi, for short
· Permabond
· Sidecar
NERVOUS
· Skittish
· Nervous Nellie
· Shrinking Violet - particularly appropriate to a lilac-colored cat
· Jumper
· Edgy
ALOOF
· Miles Standoffish
· Greta Garbo – actress know for the phrase “I want to be alone.”
· Borderline
· Napoleon Solo – a 1960’s secret agent
· Howard Hughes – famous recluse
COURAGEOUS
· Boldfinger
· Supercat
· General Schwartzkopf - great for a onyx cat since Schwartzkopf means “black head”
· Kittyhawk
· Courageous Cat – an animated crime-fighting feline who partnered with Minute Mouse.
ACTIVE
· Espresso Doppio - Essy or Doppio, for short
· Boxter - a high-powered sportscar from BMW
· Turbo
· Olympic Gold - Goldie, for short
· Freeway
QUIET
· Silencio
· Still Waters
· Pindrop
· Speakeasy
· Silent Partner
CURIOUS
· Sherlock Holmes
· Dr. Watson
· Jessica Fletcher
· Curious George
· Mata Hari
CHAPTER – FAMOUS FELINES
Famous Cats Throughout History
Cats have lived with the rich, the famous, the mighty and the powerful, giving some names “celebrity status”
America's "First Cats" (White House residents)
· Socks - a mixed-breed cat, first came to the White House with the Clintons in 1993 and was a pet of Chelsea, the President's daughter.
· Misty Marlarky Ying Yang - Amy Carter’s cat
· India - Part of the George W. Bush White House family
· Shan was Susan Ford's Siamese cat while her father was in office.
Humprey
Humphrey, a longhaired black and white stray cat, and resident of No. 10 Downing Street in London for eight years.
Leo
Famous for roaring at the beginning of each MGM film. Leo made his debut on July 31, 1928, in a film called the 'White Shadows of the South Sea'. (Interestingly this was a silent movie, so the roar was actually generated by a phonograph.)
Orangey
One of the world’s best animal actors, though also one of the least well-liked,
Orangey is best known for his performance as 'Cat' in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Hard to work with and short-tempered even his owner Frank Inn disliked him.
Baker and Taylor – The Library Cats
The Library Cat Society formed in the USA in 1987 and promotes cats in libraries. Two of the most famous library cats are Baker and Taylor who lived in a library in Minden, Nevada.
Precious
Precious survived for 18 days with nothing to eat or drink while enduring injuries following the World Trade Center crash on September 11th.
Molly Puddington
Canadian cat reunited with her family after being missing for 2 years. The family knew it was Molly thanks to a microchip that the Ottawa-Carleton Humane Society implanted in her when she was adopted.
Catty Celebrities
Celebrities can be demanding, and these celebrities demand the very best names for their kitty companions:
· Julie Newmar (Catwoman in the original Batman TV series) owns 4 cats. (Her favorite is ‘Bird,’ brought to America from Romania)
· Muhammad Ali named his feline fighter Icarus
· Martha Stewart – Verdi and Vivaldi
· Greg Norman’s Maine Coon is Telegram Sam
· Dick Van Patten – The actor is crazy about animals and loves his two cats Hansel and Helen
· Barbara Delinsky, romance novelist, has a romance of her own going with her dilute tortoiseshell (bluecream) cat Chelsea.
· Joan Baez – sings love songs to Carlangus
· Joe Mantagna – Rosie O’Kitty
· Nick Nolte – Kitty
· Shawnae Jebbia (Miss USA, 1998) – Meatball
· Alex Trebek – The Jeopardy answer is: Who is Linger Dinger?
· Graham Nash – Frogurt is this musicians’ high note
· Tiffani Amber Thiessen – Sadie
· Gary Oldman – Soymilk
· Joe Namath – scored at touchdown with Poppet
· Jimmy Connors – The score is love-love with Jimmy’s black cat Kismet
· Kirsten Dunst – Her little devil is Tasmania
· Matt Groenig – named is classic mackrel tabby Frosty
· Liz Smith, gossip columnist, appropriately calls her companion Sotto Voce