Cat - Naming Your Cats Properly

Pet cats hold a very special place in the hearts of their owners. Wouldn't it be nice to give a pet cat the loveliest name one can think of? Wouldn't it be great to give a pet cat a name that would reflect its personality as seen by the one who owns it or a name which would give recognition to the cat's breed? There are actually a lot of names to choose from in books or in the internet. But generally, how can an owner choose a name which he will find fit for his cat? Many cat owners name their pet cats with human names. Actually, a whopping fifty percent of pet names are those of persons. This primarily is because there are owners who are enamored with a certain name and actually desire to christen someone, or something for that matter, with that favorite name. Another basis for names is personality or appearance. In this category, examples are Midnight (should the pet be a black cat), Fluffy (obviously, if the cat is fluffy or has long, soft and bouncy coat) and Whitey (of course, if the cat is white). Pet names based on appearances or personality make up an amazing twenty percent of all pet names. However, unlike human infants where the parents can opt to wait for a few weeks to see the baby's personality before naming the child, cats must be named more quickly. So how does an owner actually name his pet cat? Here are some tips which cat owners can give some thought. First off, keep in mind that the name that the owner chooses for his pet cat will not only reflect the cat's character but also how the owner views his relationship with his pet cat. As much as it says a lot about the cat, the name given by the owner will tell much about the owner himself. It can then be seen how the name can portray an image of the characteristics of the cat. Many cat names give either a positive or negative impression of the cat. So, it is important to choose a name which will best convey the proper image of the pet. A cat's name is for keeps. No matter which name the owner chooses, the cat's name should be that for the rest of his life. It is absolutely not fair to change the cat's name every two weeks just because the owner finds another name he thinks he might prefer. If the cat already recognizes the sound of its name it should not be changed. Although the cat won't mind any name its owner may wish to use, it is just not fair to give the cat an embarrassing name. While the cat would not mind being named "Ooga Booga", it would be embarrassing for the owner to actually use this name. Imagine a person calling out "Ooga Booga" at least eight times a day every time he is looking for his cat. The cat's owner should find his pet a name which he will be proud to use. Also please remember to pick a name which will be appropriate when your cat is full-grown. A large tabby cat with a silly name like Mimi or Kitten seems ridiculous. A name with two syllables will do best. The response of animals is better to two-syllable names. A cat owner may decide to give his pet a long name as well as a nick name. However, the longer name inevitably would be shortened, and this would probably ruin the effect the cat owner originally sought. The cat's breed heritage may provide great ideas for names. For instance, if the cat owner owns a Siamese cat, why not name it Siam? If the cat is a Russian Blue, it would be nice to give it a Russian-sounding or Russian inspired name such as Sofia or Chekov. Speaking of inspiration, there are a lot of things out there from which you can gain inspiration. As was said earlier, the name the owner gives his cat will speak just as much about himself. So why not pick a name for the cat which is derived from the owner's likes, hobbies and favorites? If the owner were passionate about world history, maybe the names Isis, Genghis, Voltaire or Osiris would sound very classy. If the owner were an avid fan of the Greek mythology the names Zeus, Athena, Hercules or Jason would be sure to make a good first impression on other people. On the more contemporary side, names of characters from favorite movies, cartoon series, TV programs or bands will do just as well. Huey, Louie and Duey would sound cute as well as Bonnie and Clyde. A more posh touch would be naming your cat after signature designers. Tommy, Donna, Karan, Calvin and Gianni would not sound so bad for cats--just as long as they are well groomed as their names imply. Naming cats is not the easiest task there is, honestly. But it can be a lot of fun if these considerations and suggestions are always kept in mind. Then no doubt, that perfect name will come easily. Wouldn't it be great for an owner to call his pet cat a name which is close to his heart and a name he will be proud to call out no matter what time of the day? Anita Hampton http://www.cat-health-tips.com Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anita_Hampton Cat - Pet Safety During Christmas - What to Watch For The upcoming Holiday Season is an exciting time for everyone. Parents are turning into machines, capable of walking for hours without food or water, just to find that perfect gift. Children are turning into angels, rarely talking back or getting into trouble for fear of a giant lump of coal being delivered instead of gifts. Your pets are also affected as they see things around them change. No more quiet living room for them to lounge in, replaced by a big flashing tree with bright lights, shiny tinsel and boxes covered with ribbons and wrapping paper. Gone are the tasty chew toys that usually litter the floor, replaced with carpet fresheners and cleaners for when guests arrive. During the holiday season, you'll want to keep an eye on your pets. Suddenly the house will be filled with flashy, shiny, tasty, glittery, pine-smelling, bright, noisy, crackly items, sure to intrigue most pets especially cats and dogs. Dogs that are already chewers will find the Holiday season full of exciting new things to chew on. There's strings of lights, ornaments on the tree or ones that have fallen down, nice, new, cool smelling boxes with wrapping paper. All these things are hard for a curious dog to pass by. Cats love Christmas. They especially love ribbons and bows, tinsel and tree ornaments. There is many a story of emergency trips to the vet to remove yards of ribbon from inside a cat. Many cats enjoy the taste of ribbons and quite a few cats love playing with the tinsel, batting it around until they can eat it. In order to avoid any costly and potentially fatal accidents this Christmas, make sure to take a few precautions before leaving your pet alone near a tree. Keep most of your presents put away, unless your dog has been trained. Maybe this would be a good year to start that training? Put one fully wrapped present under the tree and see what happens. A couple of sniffs and your dog disregards it? Great. If your dog sees this as another chew toy, then you can step in and sort that out. You want to make sure your dog can resist temptation of else you might find yourself at a Vet, trying to get ribbons and bows and cardboard out of your dog. No easy task I can assure you! Try and keep tinsel out of the equation if you have cats. We all know it looks great on a tree, but it creates a huge problem when cats ingest it. Try placing it further up on the tree, so that strings don't hang down to where they can paw at it. If you can do without, even better. Tinsel is easily and readily consumed by cats, the shine and the glitter is hard to resist for any curious kitty. Make sure to keep an eye out for any other hazards. Ornaments are pretty, but some are made of glass and can shatter into very small pieces when they get broken. Christmas tree bulbs are enjoyed by some dogs, I personally know of a dog that ate almost an entire string of Christmas lights, enjoying the "popping" of the bulbs in his mouth. Keep an eye out and be diligent. If you see your pet even thinking about chewing on one of these new "toys", make sure you take that as a chance to train your pet to stay away. Not only will you be able to enjoy your Christmas without coming home and having your tree all over the living room, but you won't have to make expensive trips to the Vet during holiday season! Happy Holidays!