I’ve seen a lot of people renaming their cats after adopting them. For example, the cat might be listed at the shelter as ‘Opal,’ but the new owner decides to call it ‘Mittens’ instead because they prefer that. Do you think this is fine, or could it confuse the cat? I’ve seen some names that I wouldn’t have picked, but I wonder if changing it messes with them.
Shelters often just give random names unless the cat already had one. I renamed mine to what the foster was calling him because the shelter name was from a book I don’t like. Cats will respond to anything; mine answers to all my silly nicknames for him.
@Sullivan
My cats don’t respond to any names! They just glance over and carry on like I didn’t say a thing, as if they’re too good to be called like some dog.
Ren said:
@Sullivan
My cats don’t respond to any names! They just glance over and carry on like I didn’t say a thing, as if they’re too good to be called like some dog.
Haha, mine’s the opposite. He comes running when I call, like a little puppy.
@Sullivan
That’s awesome! Does he play fetch too? We had a cat once that would do that with his favorite toys, but he was also into chewing stuff like a dog.
Ren said:
@Sullivan
My cats don’t respond to any names! They just glance over and carry on like I didn’t say a thing, as if they’re too good to be called like some dog.
@Sullivan
Not sure if my rats know their names, but they definitely respond to the sound of treats shaking or a crinkling bag.
Totally normal and fine. Unless the cat’s name is something amazing like ‘Dave the Magical Cheese Wizard.’ You can’t mess with that!
Noel said:
Totally normal and fine. Unless the cat’s name is something amazing like ‘Dave the Magical Cheese Wizard.’ You can’t mess with that!
Noel said:
Totally normal and fine. Unless the cat’s name is something amazing like ‘Dave the Magical Cheese Wizard.’ You can’t mess with that!
Yeah… don’t mess with that. Just make eye contact and slowly back away.
I think it depends. If it’s just a random shelter name, go ahead. But if it’s an older cat that’s had the same name for years, I’d try to keep it or choose something similar. I’ve only adopted kittens so far, so I haven’t had issues with changing names.
@Adley
Honestly, older cats adapt too. I adopted a senior cat named ‘Yoda’ and renamed him ‘Frank.’ He lived another 10 years and got used to it just fine.
Dani said:
@Adley
Honestly, older cats adapt too. I adopted a senior cat named ‘Yoda’ and renamed him ‘Frank.’ He lived another 10 years and got used to it just fine.
Same here! I adopted a 14-year-old cat called ‘Almond’ and renamed her ‘Lucy.’ She quickly learned her new name because she associated it with food. Didn’t care at all about the old one.
@Shan
As long as you don’t call her ‘late for dinner,’ she’ll be fine.
Dani said:
@Adley
Honestly, older cats adapt too. I adopted a senior cat named ‘Yoda’ and renamed him ‘Frank.’ He lived another 10 years and got used to it just fine.
Agreed. I feel like cats don’t see their names the way we do. For them, it’s just a word we use to get their attention, so a new owner and a new name isn’t a big deal.
@Adley
If you’re unsure, try using both names for a while. Like ‘Opal-Mittens’ until they get used to just ‘Mittens.’
Completely normal. Most of the time, shelters give random names to identify the animals. My guinea pig had three different names before I adopted him. When I brought him home, I named him Theodore, and that’s what he was called for the rest of his life.
Cats adapt to name changes! Just keep using the new name around them, and they’ll start responding to it. One of my cats was named ‘Nadia’ by the humane society, but I renamed her ‘Nebula.’ Now she comes running whenever I call ‘Nebula’ or ‘Neb-Neb.’ 