Naming an animal helps to create a more empathic bond because that’s how humans show that we care. Think of shelter cats who’re waiting there for forever families having not much except their names. The same goes for pet nicknames. New Jersey-based writer and full-blown animal lover Murphy Moroney believes that it’s totally normal to give pets multiple names. “Like people, their personalities grow and change, and sometimes that means their names change, too,” she wrote in a piece for Popsugar magazine.
Bored Panda contacted Tekla Taylor, a feminist writer and parent of a cat named Plumbarton Oaks, who told us why everyone should have some fun with pet names. Tekla believes that “having goofy jokes about our pets and making up silly nicknames gives us an outlet to be silly sans judgment.”
The writer thinks that pet names reveal a lot about the owner too. For example, “funny names give joy every time you think about them or joke about them, which is really a gift that keeps on giving.” Meanwhile, if a pet is given a name which is too serious, it may sound a little off. “Animals with names like Jeff or Dave are particularly hilarious to me. Our dog is named Arthur, which makes people think we have a very weird human son,” Tekla explained.
It turns out, Plumbarton Oaks (aka Plum) the cat has more super creative nicknames. “Plum is often called Plumbelina, Sugarplum, Angel, Plumbles, and so on.” Tekla from the Northern Virginia, has another cat named Hazel, who answers to “Hazel-bean, Hazel-Basil, Hazelnut, Trash Panda, Garbage Child.” You can easily guess the personality differences between these two cats.
