I thought we should start some form of light hearted relief from some of the other issues going on here, and bring a few smiles out.

So how about Pet names, from the sweetest, to the strangest, to just our 'pet' names for them, because they can end up being called some odd things!

My first cat was called Whoosh, cos she used to whoosh around the place, and Denis was also called Bunny Boy (even though he was not a rabbit!), I think it originally got corrupted from Honey Bunny, as far as I can remember.

How about any of yours?

I honestly don't remember where I came up with Alley's name. It just seemd to fit her though.

Her brother Wiley's full name was Wile E. Kitty, named after my favorite cartoon character

And Stinky? Not to do with any personal traits, I hope

tribble came from the Star Trek show, Trouble with Tribbles. it was about these lovable balls of fluff that became total pains in the butt for the starship crew

Well,

Butch: I wanted to name him Thor, but my sister couldn't remember the name and kept calling him Butch. It seemed to fit him, so he became Butch.

Alex: My brother named him Alexander Graham Kittycat, LOL. We just called him Alex.

Autumn: She is just the colors of candy corn, and she came to us at the end of August, just as fall was beginning. Autumn just seemed right.

Moustache: Well he had a perfect little mustache. We debated calling him Hitler, or Grocho, or Charlie Chaplin (or just Chaplin) but decided to call him Moustache. Say it like Moo-Stache. We thought his nickname was going to be Stache but he just became Moose.

Majik: We tried all kinds of names with him, I don't really know why but Majik just stuck. We spell it weird just because, LOL.

Love

Actually.... LOL

We originally thought Stinky was a boy and named "him" Max. So tiny and with such thick fur it was really hard to tell. The fur also gave her a bit of a problem with the litter box and had to be bathed regularly, lol. So "Stinky" became somewhat of a nickname because she really did smell. After a couple months the problem went away when she learned better grooming habits but the name sorta just stuck!

When I took "him" in the be neutered and found out she was a girl (who could see the male bits with all that hair!)... there was definitely no going back to the name Max, lol.

I had a group of people naming Homer, we went through a bunch of names, but Homer stuck, and I couldnt imagine him with any other name.

I named Baby originally Abu, but my mom kept calling her Baby, and she starting recognizing that as her name, so Baby it was.

Nuku-Nuku (pronounced Newki-Newk) was named afer an anime character: Super Catrgirl Nuku-Nuku. We went through a bunch of names, but this one suited her. We mainly call her Nuku, unles she's bad then she gets the second Nuku.

wonderful topic. well lets see. Osiris, came from a book of ancient dieties, and that i have a interest in Egyptology, and that the ancient Egyptians honored and valued thier felines. Athena, from greek mythology her names mean wisdom. Poppy, she used to eat popcorn as a kitten. my guy wanted to call her popcorn, but I didnt like that one and poppy sounded more feminine and dignified Lol!

Mephistopheles...my magnificent siam-mix boy. So called because he was such a little imp as a kitten. Called Fleas by one and all ( though he never had one in his life); except his grandmother who called him Fleecy. God how I loved him!
BK short for Blue Kat, Porky...for obvious reasons

There have been many cats in and out of my life but, only two were mine to name.

As a kid, I got to chose a kitten from a neighbor's cat's litter. I chose a black and white tuxedo one. I looked at him and the pattern made me think of pajamas. Pajamas was the intention but, I just didn't like it shortly after. It had no flow and too many sylables, however fitting it was. Quickly it became PJ. He's been gone for a long time but, I never forget the days when he was a kitten and there on.

My recent loss, Spike as some have read about. His name was to be Ravage, after the Decepticon from Transformers. For those not familer, Ravage is a feline shaped robot in the cartoon and comics. I like the name but, it didn't fit really. Spike was too silly to be villainous. Never really seemed to have that hunter instinct either. He was more social and I thought, why not Spike. Short and a name that generaly I feel is used more for dogs. Spike having more social traits that reminded me of a dog, including following me EVERYWHERE around home. Due to this, made it fitting.

The name Ravage would certainly fit his predacessor. Pj had a hunter's instinct.

Milo - the Setter (who came to me as Reggie). I had a dream before my puppy Toby died that I was chasing him through a breezeway or tunnel. He was bigger and naughtier and I was calling him Milo, not Toby. When I met Reggie for the first time, I thought, hmmm, here's Milo.

Nori - the Setter (came as Robin, named by someone who despised her). I could never call her by that name. She answered to Love while I fostered her and somehow got stuck with the moniker Norm when she'd been with us a while. (we had all boys then and zero imagination)

Bean - a Calico, (my daughter's cat) came for a visit seven years ago when her mom was in college. What can I say, I never quite got that story and the cat's still here.

George - a Domestic Short Hair, found on George's Hill last December.

Bad Lucy - a Persian and a spoiled Debutante of a cat.

And Mickey - the Setter. He's also called Mouser b/c he's a big whiner and squeaks when distressed like a mouse.

I have two books of cat names that I've had for ... omigosh 25 years (!), and usually find my inspiration there. But it's the nicknames that evolve that are so fun:

Tinsica: Tin, Teeners, Teenerbonkers, Timinisicabutt

Cheddar: (originally Chesabel, but I was seeing a man who baby-talked to her, "Cheddabel" which became Cheddar) Ched, Cheddar Pie, Pud, Pudder Pie

Mink: (beautiful velvety black coat) Minkerdoodles, Minkus

Willow: (salix-willow soft gray fur) William (to make up for the fact I gave him a rather girly name), Willard, Willoweens

Rohan: Roux-bear, Ruby

Luna: originally La Bella Luna, it's now flipped to Lunabelle. Also short for Lunatic, I find!

Max is short for maxamillion because the first moment I saw him that is what he meant to me.

I was living in Las Vegas and had gone to the pound with a friend that was looking for a dog. When I met Nickels I fell in love. I signed up for him along with 3 other people that were ahead of me. On the day he became available I was the only one to show up! Anyway I paid for him with winnings from a nickel poker machine royal flush. The name just seemed to fit. A couple of days later I was eating pickles out of a jar and he attacked the jar and wanted a pickle in the worst way. Thats when he got his nickname "Pickles". He did finally outgrow the pickle cravings.

Josie came to us already named Josie -- she's a rescue dog -- so we kept that name, and now I can't imagine calling her anything else. That's just her name.

But if I'd had her from a puppy, I would have seen how she licks everything in sight until someone finally distracts her, and I would have named her Brandy -- because she's a licker!!

-- Michelle K.

GIMPY: I gotta say, its a pretty unique name for a cat, and when people looked at Gimpy they didnt get why.
Well when she was about 4-6 months old she somehow got out of the house (not easy where I grew up the gate was always locked but i think one of my dads poker buddies left it open). We had no idea until
she came back with a broken leg. We had no name for her because she was so new to the house, we all called her different things. When my brother took her to the vet for her leg, they asked him the name of the kitten to which he relpied 'Chewy'
But when she came home with a cast she was immediately Gimpy!
Vet #1 wanted to amputate her leg, but we wouldnt have it. Vet #2 said it will heal just fine, and it did. she never had a Gimp ever.

for pictures:
http://www.gimpyisfat.com

O.K. EM....light-hearted stories of names? Well, I do have one but I can't leave out Little Guy who got his name when as a kitten he got sick and we rushed him to the vet and I said What do we do with this Little Guy? That's how he got his name.

But his twin brother was called Keeper, which was short for Housekeeper. Even though he was a boy kitten (these were feral kittens born in my yard without permission), I gave him that name cause as a kitten, at first we had the 5 kitten litter which I got into a screened in patio with boxes of litter and in spite of the young age...Keeper always kept an eye on the 6 litter boxes and got in them to check them out many times a day and if he didn't think the others covered up their stuff well enough, he would paw the litter and do it himself. I always laughed watching him and told him he was cleaning up just like a housekeeper..so I named him that. It was too long to call him so even though at the vet it was his full name, we shortened the calling name to Keeper.

I was asked more than once where Housekeeper's name came from and the story always made everyone smile and since smiling is always welcomed here...I just added this story to the others.

Oh boy! I have a terrible track record with creative naming. Here are the cats I named:

1) Miss Kitty (obvious!)
2) Daddy Cat (also obvious!)
3) Casper (greyish, dilute color)
4) Tommy (named after we found him in the road hurt and took him to the vet. He asked us what the cat's name was and I asked him what *** the cat was.)
5) Sebastian (tiny but aristocratic looking)
6) Velvet (black and very soft)
7) Beau (loves the ladies and is a real flirt!)
8) Luvey (very loving)
9) Princess (haughty. Loves people but doesn't allow other cats around her)
10) Freddie Mercury (originally named Freddie and I added the last name in honor of one of my favorite singers. Freddie is like his namesake, outgoing at times but actually extremely shy)
11) Elvira (a little black minx who is very mischieveous)
12) Ellen (sweet natured, affectionate, and shy. Everyone loves her)

9 of them are still with us here.
Ken Albin

When I was nine, I got to name a pet for the first time. She was a new born kitten, tan tabby, who was the color of sand. She was soo tiny, and cute i called her Peanut. Over the years She became known by a few diffrent names. PeaKitty, Miss Peas, Butterball (she was a very flabby tabby in her old age), and PZ.
After that I just stuck with the food names. Every cat I have gotten to name has had a food name.
Their was Pickles, a grey tabby female, who despite the sour name was sweet. She didnt have any litle nicknames.
We adotpted a Male white and Orange Tabby five years ago, he was a funny looking little guy, and he a had a huge personality, he was down right cheesy. So after a longe debate between my husband and I, between the Names Co-Jack, and Cheddar, I won and got to name him Cheddar. I could bear the thought of him named after a tv dectective. He had a few nicknames, we called Him Ched, Cheddar Head (we live in wisconsin and are green bay paker fans, i wasn't ever able to find a pet chhese head hat for him ) Poochy( he had qiute a pudgy tummy) and when he was really affectioate and wouldnt leave us alone, especailly if we were in bed talking we called him Poochy-Boy-Needy-Pants, it was a silly name I know, but we said it with the most love, and it always came with lots of strokes, and kisses.
We have a Grey Calico whose Full name is Hazel Nut. My husband wanted to name her Hazy, so he gave her the full name Hazel Nut for me. we just call her Hazy, Hazy the Nut, Hazy Butt, or just Butt. She actully comes to the name Butt. It stated when she was a kitten, and we were playing, i grabbed her back end, and said "I have your butt, yes, I have a Hazy butt!" she was so cute and she reached around and grabbed my hand, and she wrested with it. I was her favaorite game. She would come up, and turn her back to me and flick her tail, if I didn't respond, she would bat my hand and turn around, till I grabbed her, and said the magic phrase.
We also have a sweet seven month old kitten, who we have named Nori Maki. Nori is the type a seawedd they wrap sushi in, and maki is the word for roll. My husband and i both love sushi, and after two days of not being able to come up with a name that fit her, I wanted to name her Spatzel(a type of german dumpling), Or saki, and he didnt want either of those, we finally came up with Nori maki. and it fits her. She is little, and compact, and has a streak in her personality that is spicy like wasabi. We usally just call Her Nori, or Nor, but she is also known as Nori Noddle (when she doesnt want to be held she wiggles and slides out of your grip like wet pasta), or just Noodle. though she gets in to so much mischief that I have started to call her Evil, in the swetest, and most loving way i assure you. She runs around so much and so fast we almost named her Bye, cuse we only saw her as a streak of racing fur for the first week we had her.
That is my take on cat naming, silly and tasty.

What a delightful read, Miss Cheesy! And I was tickled to see there was another cat named Cheddar out there. But nicknames, oh I love the nicknames we call our animals!

Sable's name came quickly after I rescued her off the freeway. In writing ads for a "found black cat" I kept wanting to describe her fur as sable black-brown. 'Sable' was settled before I was even convinced I was going to keep her. Dominant prima donna, she's also call Miss Sable and Miss Princess. So far, anyway -- I bet there's more to come. ~Kimberly

Bono (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) -
My dad named Bono (I was only 14 at the time, and he wanted to name him for me) It was after the Irish U2 star, whose photo was on the front page of our local newspaper on the day that we took Bono home. I'm also Irish, by the way.

Coveu (Jack Russell Terrier) -
I chose Coveu as it is Sarabi for 'scar' meaning 'permanent'. I rescued him when he when he was 8-months-old, and I chose the name to honour the fact that he'd be with me forever.

Nieko (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel -
It means 'Victory of the People', but I just chose it because it sounded cute and suited the bouncing little puppy my fiancé had bought me for my birthday.

Sasha (Black Shorthaired Cat) -
Is my fiancé's cat, and he chose it because he thinks cats should have names which begin with S and have a snake like 'sisssssss' sound!

Darcey (Tabby Shorthaired Cat) -
I chose it because I think cats suit posh sounding names.