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

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

fiercecupcake — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:13:50 -0800

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).

By: rand

rand — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:24:03 -0800

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).

By: kingbenny

kingbenny — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:24:58 -0800

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.

By: fire&wings

fire&wings — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:27:35 -0800

woozley

he looks woozley.

By: Tomorrowful

Tomorrowful — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:28:10 -0800

Those flickr pics are off-limits to us!

At any rate: I'd call him Oscar, because offhand Mr. Wilde is the anti-Hemingway.

By: box

box — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:31:10 -0800

Kalimba, likembe and mbira are three of the many names for the thumb piano.

By: elder18

elder18 — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:32:32 -0800

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.

By: willpie

willpie — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:32:39 -0800

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.

By: Marisa Stole the Precious Thing

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:33:50 -0800

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.

By: alzi

alzi — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:34:17 -0800

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!").

By: fiercecupcake

fiercecupcake — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:34:34 -0800

Tomorrowful, I'm working on it. The first one does work, though, yes?

By: kldickson

kldickson — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:36:13 -0800

Hex? (in reference to his sixth digit)

By: jerseygirl

jerseygirl — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:36:14 -0800

Dignified?

Viscount Thumbleton (Thumbsy)
Earl of Feets (Feets or Feetsy)
Archduke of Toes (Toto)
Baron Von Meow

By: katemonster

katemonster — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:37:24 -0800

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.

By: bluestocking

bluestocking — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:43:16 -0800

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!

By: Smart Dalek

Smart Dalek — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:43:26 -0800

Sissy Hankshaw. You did mention thumbs.

By: bluestocking

bluestocking — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:47:04 -0800

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.

By: Quietgal

Quietgal — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:47:07 -0800

Two thumbs -> two thumbs up -> Siskel and Ebert. I'd go with Siskel.

By: Mizu

Mizu — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:48:40 -0800

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

Melbatoast, for funsies.

By: briank

briank — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:51:44 -0800

Slagathor

By: Pax

Pax — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:51:58 -0800

Pumpkin.

By: jamjam

jamjam — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:55:43 -0800

YouGlad

Banana

By: midwestguy

midwestguy — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:57:45 -0800

I'd go with Chester

By: Taurid

Taurid — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:01:00 -0800

Peaches

Digit

By: Bruce H.

Bruce H. — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:04:01 -0800

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.

By: Metroid Baby

Metroid Baby — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:04:46 -0800

Call him Manny, short for Mankind Is Doomed.

Or Sampson, the thumb-biter from Romeo and Juliet.

By: Mayor West

Mayor West — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:08:32 -0800

Dignified?

Chairman Meow.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:09:02 -0800

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).

By: geeky

geeky — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:09:36 -0800

Hemingway (Hemmy for short) - cats with extra toes are often called Hemmingway cats because of Ernest Hemingway's fondness of them.

By: Maisie

Maisie — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:11:42 -0800

Otis.

By: Maisie

Maisie — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:12:30 -0800

Oh, and congratulations on your new baby! I hope you have many happy and healthy years together.

By: geeky

geeky — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:12:33 -0800

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.

By: hellboundforcheddar

hellboundforcheddar — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:12:46 -0800

Thumbledore

By: cali59

cali59 — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:15:50 -0800

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.

By: ZaneJ.

ZaneJ. — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:18:18 -0800

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.

By: vytae

vytae — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:22:51 -0800

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.

By: collocation

collocation — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:25:08 -0800

Julius

By: Grither

Grither — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:28:18 -0800

I have a friend who has a multiple thumbed cat, and they called him Rocky, since they kind of look boxing mitts....

By: collocation

collocation — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:28:25 -0800

Also... congrats on the new family addition!

By: Nattie

Nattie — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:32:30 -0800

Hell yes to Thumbledore. Not only is it dignified, but Dumbledore had red hair when he was younger.

By: By The Grace of God

By The Grace of God — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:33:16 -0800

Tweety.

By: orrnyereg

orrnyereg — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:42:40 -0800

Thimble.

By: ericb

ericb — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:44:32 -0800

Goldfinger.

By: spamguy

spamguy — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:44:36 -0800

If you're aiming for confoundingly odd names, my Ask MeFi question from last year inspired me greatly.

By: fiercecupcake

fiercecupcake — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:45:52 -0800

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. ;]

By: ericb

ericb — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:47:52 -0800

Goldfinger has two connotations: the extra thumbs and Auric Goldfinger's ginger cat in the James Bond novel/film.

By: bluedaisy

bluedaisy — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:50:21 -0800

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.

By: amtho

amtho — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:02:53 -0800

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)

By: melissa may

melissa may — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:13:48 -0800

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.)

By: a womble is an active kind of sloth

a womble is an active kind of sloth — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:28:17 -0800

Catmandu (derived from Kathmandu)

By: Johnny Assay

Johnny Assay — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:31:47 -0800

A friend of mine has a polydactyl cat named Six-Pack.

By: ian1977

ian1977 — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:33:38 -0800

Where is Thumbkin, Where is Thumbkin?

By: jennyhead

jennyhead — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 12:53:25 -0800

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.'

By: cerebus19

cerebus19 — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:06:06 -0800

How about "Eddie," as in "Eddie Puss," since one of the meanings of "Oedipus" is swollen feet?

By: messylissa

messylissa — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:55:39 -0800

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.

By: apricot

apricot — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:16:30 -0800

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.

By: motown missile

motown missile — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:29:26 -0800

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

By: goethean

goethean — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:32:13 -0800

Tom Thumb?

Thumbelinus or Tommelise?

By: sickinthehead

sickinthehead — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:04:18 -0800

That cat should DEFINITELY be named Bumpers.

By: phrakture

phrakture — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:40:25 -0800

I'd go with Fumb, as in a childish pronunciation of Thumb, and a tie-in with Jack and the Bean Stalk

By: phrakture

phrakture — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 16:41:48 -0800

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

Thumbington J Farnsworth III, Esq

By: Weaslegirl

Weaslegirl — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:25:11 -0800

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.

By: grapefruitmoon

grapefruitmoon — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:29:00 -0800

Sir Thumbleton Peregrin von Squizzlesticks.

(My own cat's name is Wensleydale Archipelago Quadrilateral. Clearly, I have some issues with cats and long names.)

By: trillian

trillian — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:38:45 -0800

I saw his cute face and immediately thought, "Clyde."

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:25:44 -0800

Oooh! Someone suggested Tom Thumb, but you could also go with Charles Stratton, which was this Tom Thumb's actual name.

By: deborah

deborah — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 20:11:51 -0800

I had a polydactyl cat named Thumbs.

I was 12, what can I say.

By: apricot

apricot — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:41:51 -0800

I just had an idea: Toby! A nod to the toes, but it's subtle.

By: fiercecupcake

fiercecupcake — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:20:39 -0800

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.

By: pseudostrabismus

pseudostrabismus — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:24:07 -0800

Fumble