Do you call your cat by his/her name, or by a nickname?

[Skip Intro]

I left dogs out because the dogs I've had the pleasure to know recognize their names.

But my cat, well...

His name is Hamilton (I've been here for over two years and have yet to post a pic. I will before the year is out). But I never call him Hamilton, or any version thereof.

I call him kitty, as in "here kitty." I call him kittle. I call him boo. I call him bugger. I call him bug. But I never call him by his name.

Weird, huh?

[SarahB]

1. If I had a cat again...

I'd name her Pussy Galore.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

6. Goldfinger was on cable last night

did you know Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) was the first Emma Peel-like character on the "Avengers"?

[SarahB]

10. I didn't.

I've seen most of the Bond movies a few times (largely through osmosis of being the daughter and wife of males who liked the movies a lot), but I don't know much about the Avengers.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Usually.

Their names are Teddy and Milo. But I also call them Buddy, Baby, Kitty, Furball and Fuzzbutt.

[LisaLynne]

3. Cats know their names.

But they don't always choose to acknowledge the fact that you are speaking to them. :)

I usually call my cats by their nicknames. Midnight is Middie. Gabriel is Gabe. Medilla is Mutie. And Porcelina is Her Royal Highness, The Princess Porcelina (or Porcy or Porcy-whiner). I'm totally insane. :)

[YellowRubberDuckie]

41. At least you recognize it.

:evilgrin:

[Wickerman]

4. lol

same in our family. we always call ours Kitty rahter than his "given" name - Reese. Sometimes the name sounds foreign - Kitty seems right. On the other hand we don't call the dog Dog, or Doggie. Thought sometimes I call him Buddy, Bud, or Boy, none of which are his name.

[SaintAnne]

5. I call my cat by her name

and a lot of other things, like sweety, asina kabina, pretty kitty, girlie girl, princess, baby girl. I tend to use the nicknames a lot more when I'm addressing her, but when I'm talking to other people I call her Asina... umm I've never had a chance to think about this. how interesting

[rbnyc]

7. a mix

Jones is either Jones, Jonesy, or Jonestown
Beverly is almost always Bevy, sometimes Bev
Elliot is either Elliot, Smelliot, Belliot, or Buger King

;-)

[Kathy in Cambridge]

8. Noah has a nickname he responds to: Bunny

and he doesn't like it. Everytime I say Bunny, he meows. It's pretty funny. We even use it in sentences and he meows. Very weird.

Reno responds to his name, as well as "Reen", "Kitty", and "Meowser".

[intheflow]

25. My friend has a pet rabbit named Bun-Bun.

She lets it run around their house. Once at a party over there this guy was staring at Bun-Bun for a long time. Finally he leaned over and said, "Man, that is one fucked up cat!"

That's the God's-honest truth.

[Brundle_Fly]

9. boogie the siamese

is called Boogs.

Henry Miller the Black Tabby
is called Henry

and Marshall the MaineCoon
is called Pants.

[Amaya]

11. I called my kitty

"little shit" and he came to me. He was a good kitty :)

[bettyellen]

12. I called my cat Little Girl because she did respond to "Here Girl!"

so I gave up thinking of a name, becausee she was used to it already.

[mondo joe]

13. Her name is Ama Ebi, I call her Ebi. But the other cat Rudy is called

Her name is Ama Ebi, I call her Ebi. But the other cat Rudy is called Rudeman, Rudeball, Rudyboy, Ru-day, Fatty, Broody, Rudamon, and anything else we think of.

[flamingyouth]

14. All of my cats have nicknames

They are all too sappy and embarrassing to even repeat here. But they come to either their "given" names or their nicknames. I think they respond to the tone of my voice more than anything. :D

[Hobarticus]

15. A loved dog has many names...

My Guinness goes by the aliases of G, Little G, Jenness, Stinkerbutt, Genners (neighbor girl who adores him)...

[BarbaRosa]

16. Both

Tiger is ZoomZoom, he hit his stride about the time those Mazda commercials came out.

Bill is still a bit new to have a nickname, although Bilsner is creeping in to the conversation. MamaRosa calls him Billy.

[Maccagirl]

17. I call mine by both

their names and nicknames. Spencer is "Mr. Spennie" or "Beaux" (for beautiful) and Madison is "Maddie-girl" or "Sonybelle".

[KT2000]

18. It's cosmic kitty talk

and it just happens.

Took me a long time to name my cat Fiona (after the little girl in the Secrets of Roan Inish) But I call her Fiona-Biona, Sweet Pea, Peepers, Little Pea and Fione-Bione
I have no control over this.

The odd thing is that my other cat is named Abbie but all her nicknames begins with a "G"
My sister did not know about my "G" nicknames and decided to call her Gorgon.
She had no control over this either.

[legally blonde]

19. I call my cat by his name

but also use other names, as well. Manilla (his official name) will also come to Niller, Manillee, Nilla, and Maniller. Oddly, he doesn't respond well to "kitty". :shrug:

[vivalarev]

20. Nicknames...

I have a bulldog named Spike, and I call him Dook. And I have a cat named Tyke that I call Tiki

[signmike]

21. I don't know the name of the cat who lets me live here

but I rescued her off the I-10 so I call her Freeway. She's been trying to teach me her vocabulary for 17 years and I have yet to figure out one word of it. She barely tolerates me.

[intheflow]

23. But you feed her.

So you can wait on her...slave-boy. ;)

[intheflow]

22. I call them by their nicknames unless they're being naughty.

And really, then their names become "Dammit Lyle!" or "Fucking Harley!" (Lyle gets in trouble for leaving mouse entrails accross the kitchen floor. Harley is mean and vindictive.)

Harley is Harley-kins. (She a tortoise calico with a face split down the middle, so named as a pun for harlequin.)

Lyle is Lyle-Kitty. (Lyle is a girl named after my friend Sylvia Lyle.)

[beam me up scottie]

24. It's funny, I thought I was the only one who used the sappy nicknames.

Newton is Sir Newton Fluffenbottom, Cecil is Bunny-Boy, Beaker is, well Beaker is Beaker. Have a new resident, white and orange little boy kitty, loves to be held but has food issues, any ideas what to name him?

[intheflow]

26. Orange Creamsickle?

You can call him O.C. for short.

[beam me up scottie]

28. I like OC

I just find it difficult to name cats until they reveal their purrsonality. I actually thought he was a she at first.

[intheflow]

34. I have a gender-bending kitty.

Lyle is a girl, named after a woman I knew whose last name is Lyle. But I swear my kitty is a lesbian. She's huge and moves like a tennis player. LOL!!

She was fixed early, so don't really know her orientation. ;)

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

27. We call her "Kitty Kitty"

We are AMAZINGLY creative and original.

[City of Mills]

29. We call our cat Peanut "Nut"

As in, "What's up, Nut?"

We call our cat Willow "Mama"

We call our cat Lily "Baby" or "Fatty"

We call our cat Gypsy "Spook" and "Black Bean"

We call our cat Buddy "Bud" or "Crankyspank"

:-)

We also call our dog Dusty "Scooby" "Doob" or "Dooba".

[beam me up scottie]

30. I am fairly new to posting but I was a lurker for a long time,

How come we all love cats so much? I love all animals but there's something about felines...

[intheflow]

32. There are almost 60,000 people on DU.

Statistically, the number of people posting on any given topic (and specifically about cats) is not "we all." It just feels that way when we get immersed in threads!

Welsome to DU! :hi:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

42. Welcome to DU!!

Cats rock...unfortunately, Skip is allergic, but he did tell me he's willing to get on medication so we could get a cat.
Duckie

[pansypoo53219]

31. my 'baby' female

is trying to play alpha to my older female(who gets stress UTIs). she has a new nicknamebaby bitch. AND she knows that is her new name!
basil never answers his name. unless you call him from a distance. then he comes.
my pansy recognised her name the same day i got her.

[smbolisnch]

33. Linus...

Is called Grace (don't know why!), Linnle, or Gris. :)

[borlis]

35. Both my cats have nicknames....

Midnight who we also call black tidy, tidy midnighty and blackie. He answers to none of these or his real name. Olivia answers to her own name, Missy and Miss Olivia. Our dog answers to all of them.

[Kire]

36. I usually say "meow", or "pretty girl"

with a real high pitched voice. I don't even think she knows her real name.

[alittlelark]

37. We call ours Teekayzer

He was TK (3 wk old Tiny Kitty). But THEN he got Huge - and he is now 'the teekayzer'

[warrens]

38. My cat is named Mick

And he answers to it. He is really Mickey, but he has never been called that. Mick or mick-mick and he knows. For a cranky old Maine Coon, he is kinda adorable.

[Liberaltarian]

39. 2 out of my 3 cats come when called by name...

the siamese however, refuses to comply

[arwalden]

40. My Cats Have Always Known Their Names And Respond To Their Names...

... individually. "Here kitty kitty kitty" and "here kitties" was used as a group call to all.

[gollygee]

43. I just call her "kitty"

We've never called her by her name.