If we don't name him soon, he'll be Thumbsy Meowlebottome Junior the Third.

April 13, 2009 10:13 AM

Name my kitten! Relevant info below.

My family has always had a Big Fat Orange Cat. Since I moved out, my parents' BFOC has died, and my partner and I (and her Big Fat White Cat) bought a house. So: new kitten! But what to name him?

Previous BFOCs' names: Miro, Shrimpy, and Scooby.

Names of other pets in our household: Bella (cat) and Hazard (dog).

Previous cat names: Sprocket, Worm, Oreo, Foot Foot.

Kitten details: orange; male; blue eyes; he's got two thumbs on each front foot and one thumb on each back foot.

I've nicknamed him Thumbsy but I was thinking of something a little more . . . I don't know. Dignified? I like Salvador (as in Dali) or Dali (as in Dali), but with Dali he'll always be confused for a Dolly, Texas pronunciation considered. My partner's not that thrilled about Salvador, either. And nothing Hemingway related, though he's polydactylic; I'm not a Hemingway fan, to say the least.

Your suggestions are welcomed! I can't keep calling him Kitteh (there's some scale for ya).

posted by fiercecupcake to pets & animals (68 comments total)

Let the guy hang around for a few days, something in his personality will come up that will influence a name. I did the same thing with my puppy, except for he went for about a week before he earned a name based off one of his personality characteristics (that, and the vet needed a name and it came to mind while we were in the office).
posted by rand at 10:24 AM on April 13

On the Dali theme, I feel obligated to suggest Domingo, Felipe, Jacinto, or Catalonia. I'm a big fan of geographical names for kittens - I have a kitten that looks eerily similar to yours, and he's named Memphis. Also used to have a cat named Mexico.
posted by kingbenny at 10:24 AM on April 13

woozley

he looks woozley.
posted by fire&wings at 10:27 AM on April 13

Those flickr pics are off-limits to us!

At any rate: I'd call him Oscar, because offhand Mr. Wilde is the anti-Hemingway.
posted by Tomorrowful at 10:28 AM on April 13 [1 favorite has favorites]

Kalimba, likembe and mbira are three of the many names for the thumb piano.
posted by box at 10:31 AM on April 13

I've always wanted to name a cat Mr. Meow-Meow (he can say his own name!), so that would be my suggestion to you.
posted by elder18 at 10:32 AM on April 13

You could name him after a famous redhead. Axl, maybe?
Too bad his eyes aren't yellow. He'd make a hell of a Scut Farkus.
For a marine twist, you could call him Roughy.
Orange cats seem to stir up people's allergies more than other colors; you could call him Achoo. Allegro or Zyrtec might also be funny.
Sunny D and Fanta go with orange in my head. Hell, you could call him O.J., and then you could nickname him Juice.
Stripes make me think of Bill Murray. You could call him Bill.
Ok, now I'm grasping at straws. Personally, I'm leaning toward Roughy right now.
posted by willpie at 10:32 AM on April 13

A dignified name for an orange cat in Texas ... looking at his photo, the first name that comes to mind is Marlon. Definitely. If I had to pick a runner-up, it would be Earl - has both royal and down-home connotations.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 10:33 AM on April 13

Strangely enough, my cousin has a BFOC named Oscar. Not an obvious "thumb" name, but I think Marwood would be a solid choice (he was the guy in Withnail and I who shouted "My thumbs have gone weird!").
posted by alzi at 10:34 AM on April 13

Tomorrowful, I'm working on it. The first one does work, though, yes?
posted by fiercecupcake at 10:34 AM on April 13

Hex? (in reference to his sixth digit)
posted by kldickson at 10:36 AM on April 13

Dignified?

Viscount Thumbleton (Thumbsy)
Earl of Feets (Feets or Feetsy)
Archduke of Toes (Toto)
Baron Von Meow
posted by jerseygirl at 10:36 AM on April 13

Thumbs make me think of hitchhiking. Therefore, Ford and/or Prefect (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), Jack Kerouac (also fun to say, although potentially open to Hemingway-esque objections), Hankshaw (the last name of the girl with the mutant thumb from Even Cowgirls Get the Blues), spring to mind.
Also: he's very cute.
posted by katemonster at 10:37 AM on April 13 [2 favorites has favorites]

Aw, adorable kitten!

If you look on wikipedia, it mentions the high rate of mutation in Boston and that sailors consider polydactyl cats good luck. Maybe something New England-ish would be fitting? Moby-Dick (or just Moby), Herman or Melville are all cute, yet dignified.

Also, Theodore Roosevelt had a polydactyl cat named Slippers, so instead of Hemingway, maybe Roosevelt?

Good luck! Let us know what you end up calling him!
posted by bluestocking at 10:43 AM on April 13

Sissy Hankshaw. You did mention thumbs.
posted by Smart Dalek at 10:43 AM on April 13

sorry: sailors considered cats good luck.
I have a feeling that 6-toed cats may not be the superstition of choice among contemporary sailors. But maybe I'm wrong.
posted by bluestocking at 10:47 AM on April 13

Two thumbs -> two thumbs up -> Siskel and Ebert. I'd go with Siskel.
posted by Quietgal at 10:47 AM on April 13

Looks like a Melvin Butters to me. Maybe Doctor Melvin Butters Ninjasocks, Esquire.

Melbatoast, for funsies.
posted by Mizu at 10:48 AM on April 13

Slagathor
posted by briank at 10:51 AM on April 13

Pumpkin.
posted by Pax at 10:51 AM on April 13

YouGlad

Banana
posted by jamjam at 10:55 AM on April 13

I'd go with Chester
posted by midwestguy at 10:57 AM on April 13

Peaches

Digit
posted by Taurid at 11:01 AM on April 13

For years I've been toying with the idea of getting a cat just so I could name it Great Big Old Nasty Hairy Pussy. I'd probably shorten it to Nasty for everyday use.
posted by Bruce H. at 11:04 AM on April 13

Call him Manny, short for Mankind Is Doomed.

Or Sampson, the thumb-biter from Romeo and Juliet.
posted by Metroid Baby at 11:04 AM on April 13

Dignified?

Chairman Meow.
posted by Mayor West at 11:08 AM on April 13

The extra thumbs make me think Count Ruger may be a good choice; Count Ruger was the six-fingered man Inigo Montoya was looking for in PRINCESS BRIDE. Actually, some of the PRINCESS BRIDE names would be great names for cats as well -- "Inigo", "Fezzig", "Vizzini", or "Max" (after Miracle Max, of course).

In general, two of the best cat names I've ever heard were "Inspector Fuzz" (a neighbor's marmelade, also similarly fluffy) and "Doctor Carlton B. Forbes" (I read once that Steve Martin named one of his cats this way, and I always liked it).
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:09 AM on April 13

Hemingway (Hemmy for short) - cats with extra toes are often called Hemmingway cats because of Ernest Hemingway's fondness of them.
posted by geeky at 11:09 AM on April 13

Otis.
posted by Maisie at 11:11 AM on April 13

Oh, and congratulations on your new baby! I hope you have many happy and healthy years together.
posted by Maisie at 11:12 AM on April 13

Ah, crap. I should have finished reading the question. I was wondering why no one suggested it before! *smacks forehead*

In that case, I suggest Hamilton just because I like that name. Also, soooo cute.
posted by geeky at 11:12 AM on April 13

Thumbledore
posted by hellboundforcheddar at 11:12 AM on April 13 [5 favorites has favorites]

My kitten (and probably all of them) just gets in these modes where he starts running around berserk, so instead of his real name, I just start calling him Whackjob. I've made up my mind that if I get another cat, that's what I'm going to call him.
posted by cali59 at 11:15 AM on April 13

I've always named my successive cats 'cat' in different languages. It started when my family when I was young got our first cat and named her 'Gato'. It stuck.
posted by ZaneJ. at 11:18 AM on April 13 [1 favorite has favorites]

Count Ruger was the six-fingered man Inigo Montoya was looking for in PRINCESS BRIDE

I'm pretty sure it was Count Rugen (first name Tyrone, to be specific), and I am whole-heartedly in favor of either Rugen or Tyrone as a name for this kitty.
posted by vytae at 11:22 AM on April 13 [1 favorite has favorites]

Julius
posted by collocation at 11:25 AM on April 13 [1 favorite has favorites]

I have a friend who has a multiple thumbed cat, and they called him Rocky, since they kind of look boxing mitts....
posted by Grither at 11:28 AM on April 13

Also... congrats on the new family addition!
posted by collocation at 11:28 AM on April 13

Hell yes to Thumbledore. Not only is it dignified, but Dumbledore had red hair when he was younger.
posted by Nattie at 11:32 AM on April 13 [1 favorite has favorites]

Tweety.
posted by By The Grace of God at 11:33 AM on April 13

Thimble.
posted by orrnyereg at 11:42 AM on April 13

Goldfinger.
posted by ericb at 11:44 AM on April 13

If you're aiming for confoundingly odd names, my Ask MeFi question from last year inspired me greatly.
posted by spamguy at 11:44 AM on April 13

Y'all are great. Keep 'em coming. I've marked the ones I like best so far.

jerseygirl, I'm nearly certain one of his names is going to be Thumbleton. I love it.

Those who suggested Thumbledore: cute, but I don't like Harry Potter, so it's out. Perhaps another polydactylic orange kitty can use it.

Multiple names are great. What I didn't mention in the OP is that the dog has five names. ;]
posted by fiercecupcake at 11:45 AM on April 13

Goldfinger has two connotations: the extra thumbs and Auric Goldfinger's ginger cat in the James Bond novel/film.
posted by ericb at 11:47 AM on April 13

Ishmael
Moby
(if you like the Moby Dick theme)

For no other reason than I like them:
Huckleberry
Atticus
Ernie
Bert

I like to think of favorite foods, drinks, or places for animal names. Or so I pretend.
posted by bluedaisy at 11:50 AM on April 13

Ralph.


Or Ernie

(I know you don't like Hemingway; this Ernie will replace the one you don't like. I just like the name and think it fits. He definitely looks more like an Ernie than a Bert, for example)
posted by amtho at 12:02 PM on April 13

Yeti
Migou or Migo (Tibetan for Yeti; translates to "wild man" -- also big in the Cthulu universe for extra nerd points)
Digitalis
Goldfingers
(However, Thumbledore is pure poetry.)
posted by melissa may at 12:13 PM on April 13

Catmandu (derived from Kathmandu)
posted by a womble is an active kind of sloth at 12:28 PM on April 13

A friend of mine has a polydactyl cat named Six-Pack.
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:31 PM on April 13

Where is Thumbkin, Where is Thumbkin?
posted by ian1977 at 12:33 PM on April 13 [1 favorite has favorites]

I have a cat named 'Pants.' She is awesome and loves her name. (I can just tell, don't ask.)

Other favs of mine for boy cats include Martin and Craig.

Pickles is also good. My next girl cat will be 'Miss Mary Pickles.'
posted by jennyhead at 12:53 PM on April 13

How about "Eddie," as in "Eddie Puss," since one of the meanings of "Oedipus" is swollen feet?
posted by cerebus19 at 1:06 PM on April 13

I'm partial to 'old man' names. My big fat orange cat is named Maynard. It is by far the most fitting cat name ever picked.

I've been sitting on Bernard and Myron lately for cats to come.
posted by messylissa at 1:55 PM on April 13

Oh, he's so cute! I have two polydactyl cats too, named Prufrock and Annabelle, and I don't think you need to go out of your way for thumb-themed names.
posted by apricot at 2:16 PM on April 13

Thumbellini...if it was a little girl kitten then the obvious "thumb" name would of course have been Thumbellina.

If the thumb theme has been done to death, why not a dignified human name, like:

Walter

Oscar

Boris

Cecil
posted by motown missile at 2:29 PM on April 13

Tom Thumb?

Thumbelinus or Tommelise?
posted by goethean at 2:32 PM on April 13

That cat should DEFINITELY be named Bumpers.
posted by sickinthehead at 3:04 PM on April 13

I'd go with Fumb, as in a childish pronunciation of Thumb, and a tie-in with Jack and the Bean Stalk
posted by phrakture at 4:40 PM on April 13

I always preferred long drawn own kitty names... like...

Thumbington J Farnsworth III, Esq
posted by phrakture at 4:41 PM on April 13

What a lovely boy!!

I would go with 'The Intrepid Senior Zingiber - Zingi or Zig for short.

The genus Zingiber contains the true gingers, a set of plants with medicinal and culinary value in many parts of the world.
posted by Weaslegirl at 6:25 PM on April 13

Sir Thumbleton Peregrin von Squizzlesticks.

(My own cat's name is Wensleydale Archipelago Quadrilateral. Clearly, I have some issues with cats and long names.)
posted by grapefruitmoon at 6:29 PM on April 13

I saw his cute face and immediately thought, "Clyde."
posted by trillian at 6:38 PM on April 13

Oooh! Someone suggested Tom Thumb, but you could also go with Charles Stratton, which was this Tom Thumb's actual name.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:25 PM on April 13

I had a polydactyl cat named Thumbs.

I was 12, what can I say.
posted by deborah at 8:11 PM on April 14

I just had an idea: Toby! A nod to the toes, but it's subtle.
posted by apricot at 4:41 PM on April 15

jerseygirl hit the exact mark I was looking for with Thumbleton.

So far he is Thumbleton P. [Pamplemousse] Meowlebottome, Secretary of Thumbs, Mmnt. [Meowminator]

I think he needs an honorary in front of his name, and Count is really spot-on, but Sir has been bandied about.

Oh, and of course I'm still calling him Thumbsy, Thumbs, Thumblekins, and Thumbkins. Such is the way of the cat name.
posted by fiercecupcake at 11:20 AM on April 20 [1 favorite has favorites]

Fumble
posted by pseudostrabismus at 7:24 PM on April 21