Cats are pretty much the cleverest animals on Earth, so it’s only fair that we lowly humans work to come up with names that match their intelligence, right? I mean, they spend so much time being all sassy-pants and smart to entertain us — it’s totally up to us to use a little brainpower when we’re naming them. It doesn’t hurt that a cat name that is totally on point will make you giggle every time you call it out. It’s one of life’s simple pleasures, really.
Our list of potential cat names is drawn from film, history, mythology and pop culture. Will one of them inspire you?
19 cats from the movies
Of course you’re familiar with Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia and Shere Kahn from The Jungle Book, but how many of these important film cats had you forgotten?
- Angus, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging
- Baby, Bringing Up Baby
- Church, Pet Sematary
- DC , That Darn Cat!
- Figaro, Pinocchio
- Fritz, Fritz the Cat
- General Sterling Price, True Grit
- Irena, Cat People
- Jake, The Cat from Outer Space
- Jinx, Meet the Parents
- Jonesy, Alien
- Kitty Galore, Cats & Dogs
- Lucifer, Cinderella
- Lune, The Cat Returns
- Minerva (aka Professor McGonagall), Harry Potter
- Mr. Bigglesworth, Austin Powers
- Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman), Batman Returns
- Snowbell, Stuart Little
- Tonto, Harry and Tonto
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13 famous cats throughout history
These felines are famous in their own right. From All Ball to Tardar Sauce, we’ve rounded up some of the most memorable.
- All Ball, Koko the Gorilla’s Cat
- Blackie, the Richest Cat in History (15 million British pounds)
- CC (aka Copy Cat), the First Cloned Cat
- Chase No Face, the Therapy Cat
- Crème Puff, the World’s Oldest Cat (38 years)
- Dewey, the Library Cat
- Tinker Toy, the World’s Smallest Cat (2.75″ tall)
- Himmy, the World’s Fattest Cat (46.8 lbs)
- Morris, the Lover of Cat Treats (9Lives Cat Food)
- Smokey, the Cat with the World’s Loudest Purr
- Stubbs, the elected Mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska
- Tabby, the First White House Cat (Lincoln era)
- Tardar Sauce, the Grumpy Cat
11 cats with famous owners
The Queen song “Delilah” was inspired by Freddie Mercury’s cat, and Edgar Allan Poe based The Black Cat on his own pet feline, Catarina. Check out these other not-so-famous cats with well-known owners.
- Catarina, Edgar Allan Poe
- Choupette, Karl Lagerfeld
- Delilah, Freddie Mercury
- Jellylorum, T. S. Eliot
- Kitty Purry, Katy Perry
- Meredith, Taylor Swift
- Misty Malarky Ying Yang, First Daughter Amy Carter
- Mourka, George Balanchine
- Mouschi, Anne Frank
- Tom Kitten, President John F. Kennedy
- Willie, President George W. Bush
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11 cats from mythology
You could opt for Leo, the fifth astrological sign of the zodiac, or get really creative with one of these legendary cat-inspired names.
- Bakeneko, a supernatural cat of Japanese legend
- Bastet, Egyptian goddess with a woman’s body and a cat’s head
- Cabbit, a fictional cat-rabbit hybrid often found in Japanese anime and manga
- Dawon, a sacred tiger from Hindu mythology
- Hombre Gato, the feline version of the werewolf according to South American folk tales
- Kilkenny Cat, fighting cat of Irish legend
- Manticore, a Persian legendary creature with a human head on the body of a lion
- Nekomata, shape-shifting cats from stories of Japan’s Kamakura period
- Pard, a spotted feline from Medieval bestiaries
- Shisa, a lion-dog hybrid from Okinawan mythology
- Wampus, half-woman/half-cougar creature from Cherokee mythology
9 famous people named Cat (or Kat or Kitty)
Some famous folks go by the name Cat. Use the first and last name of your favorite celeb to give your cat an inspired title. Or you could just call your kitty “Ariana Grande” in honor of her TV alter-ego.
Image: Getty Images
- Cat Cora, professional chef best known for Iron Chef
- Cat Deeley, host of TV’s So You Think You Can Dance
- Cat Ellington, songwriter and music producer
- Cat Mandu, leader of Britain’s Official Monster Raving Loony Party
- Cat Stevens, singer/songwriter
- Kat Carney, journalist
- Kat von D, tattoo artist
- Kitty Kelley, writer
Originally published May 2015. Updated August 2017.
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