Names of pets, past and present

We had a black and white cat called Hudson because his colouring reminded us of the Butler in Upstairs Downstairs. When I was a child we had a cat called Fluff, a dog called Spot and a budgie called Twinkle. My parents weren’t very good at thinking up names.

My first cat was Sandy, had a budgie called Bluey named my Mum. A precious cats name I use as my name here and my last two cats were Jade and Lulu.

We had a dog called Oi and my father had a goat called Guess!

The first cats I remember were Sixpence, Tuppence and Penny Fluff. Later we had a Kitty and a Rusty.

Dogs were Gypsy, Rogue, Rascal, Fifi and Tim.

My own cats have been given mythological names: Freia, Thor, Sif, followed by Storm and Trold, a stray who has just persuaded Trold to allow him houseroom had been rather umimaginitively called "Sorte" which translates as the black one or Blackie by a neighbour whose own cat was less charitably inclined than ours, but the lady had fed the poor homeless cat during the winter weather.

He answers to it, so we seem stuck with a name that I am not really sure is politically correct these days!

My mother called every cat she had ‘Puddy’ and every dog was ‘Paddy’. We only ever had one of each at a time. When I first got my own cat and named him ‘Sampan’, she couldn’t cope with a different name so she, and she alone, called him ‘Puddy’ until he was run over.

I had a number of cats and dogs each with literary names, but the last two have been Shakespearean fairies.

I can remember all the cats we have had over the years: Moggy, Spot and Flossie in the Seychelles; Bubbles [offically Bubbling Brown Sugar - she was a registered Burmese] and Blue, China [he lived to 18] and Henry, Tabitha [she didn't get on with China after Henry died] and went to live next door] and finally Milo and Ripley. M and R are the first non-rescue cats we've had.

I sometimes wonder if the name of the pet influences the way that they are treated at the vet. I know that it shouldn't, but I wonder whether a name that a human child might have results in a different deep psychological influence than that which some other name like splodge might produce.

I've shared my life with Tinker a tabby stray cat. Bracken, an old golden retriever, a resident at the house my DH and I moved in to when we were newly married. It was his house and dog before he met me. Then there was Magic, a cockatiel we bought at a bird show.
Coco the toy poodle, the first puppy when my children were little.
Sniper a parson Russell with rage issues (euthanized on advice from vet). Lastly, Wiser, another Parson Russell our last dog. She lived to be 18, and brought us much joy. Sadly missed and not replaced.

My parents had a terrier called Tojo. He was around before I was born so I guess 1946. We had a cat called Marmalade, hamsters called Weetabix and Shredded Wheat and a Yorkie called Buttons. When they were older they had Petal and Tara and finally, another Petal which we called Petal Mark 2. I inherited her and her name was changed to Hattie. Since then I've had cats called Hughie, Dinah, Amos, Gracie, Boz and Ginger and the dogs - Tom, Benji, Dudley, Flora, Dino, Ruby, Django and Ronnie. Over a period of 74 years with a gap of 13 years between living home and getting a house with a garden.

leaving home not living

I had two cats a few years ago. One was a pale tabby I named 'Cobweb' the other was a black 'Spider'

As a child I had a marmalade cat called Orlando, after the cat in the books by Kathleen Hale, and then another one called Marigold. Then tabbies who were always just called Puss, a lovely tabby and white called Barnaby, another Orlando, Pickles, a tortoiseshell called Clover (after Katy’s sister in What Katy Did), and finally black and white Dulcie - full name Dulciana after an organ stop! She had that name when she came to me.

Clover and Dulcie both lived to be 19 years old.

We had a budgie called Ringo.

We had a cas t names Miffy, Snoopy and Mavis. Mavis lived to 24.

Podge, Onie, Tam, Erch, Fuff, Teenie, Spud, Dollface, Minnie, Baz.
All cats. All lovely. All gone

Cats

Topper, Snowytoes, Friday, Tobermory (Toby) Tabitha, Timothy.

Dogs

Rooroo, Truly Scrumptious, Thomas, Duncan McTavish

Rabbit

Nibbles Montgomery Bun.

Aveline

Podge, Onie, Tam, Erch, Fuff, Teenie, Spud, Dollface, Minnie, Baz.
All cats. All lovely. All gone

I’m sure all our cats are having a lovely time in Cat Heaven.

Current rescue dog is called Mya. She's a 4 breed mixture. Previous owners called her Oddy because she has one blue eye and one brown.

The centre renamed her as they felt Oddy was unfair. She accepted Mya quite quickly and one day whilst walking Mya, the walker called her by her old name. She cowered down on the ground and wouldn't move.

We love Mya passionately.

Grandma70s I'm sure they are. A lovely thought!

Our first kitten was a blue, with blue eyes, we named him Smoky. We then had a German Shepherd named Rex, then a tortie and white cat named Sherry, we kept one of her kittens, also tortie and white, named her Patch. Later there was Tina, her mum was a German Shepherd, dad a rather large invading mongrel. Then a black cat named Bonnie, one of her kittens, a tabby named Trixie, followed by a gorgeous golden coloured lurcher puppy we named Heidi, lived to be 15. We then had a gap of several years, then acquired a beautiful ginger boy from Cats Protection, we named him Pepper, but he got run over, sadly. We then went to Cats Protection again and got Mia, she was white and beautiful, after she died in March the house felt wrong without a cat so back to CP and we now have Billy, a very handsome black and white boy, aged 12.

Childhood ponies: Toby, Punch
Horses: Gemma, Solly, Misty, Toby
Dogs: Chum (during my childhood), Jason, Piper, Bertie, Sammy (all rescues)
Everyone gone but always in my heart.
Current little man, a rescue, Ben (brings joy into my life everyday) he went to the groomers on Friday and has been much cooler since and looks such a cheeky little chap.

Grey rabbit called Little Grey

Airedale called Buster

Goldfish called Gnasher

A dog called Bonkers
Cats called Bubble and Squeak. All RIP now,

And many years before them, a tortoise called Timmy.
He cost 4/6d and the pet shop woman just stuck him in a brown paper bag!

Childhood pets:

Mom and Dad’s cavalier King Charles spaniels were Emma and Polly
Guinea pigs too many to remember (but I had a friend whose were called Laverne and Shirley )
Rabbits called Cinders and Poppet
Colin the rat
Grass snake - Goldie
Tawny owls - Dodo, Blodwyn and Reg

Student pets:

Cats: Squeak and Scaredy
Rats: Itchy and Scratchy

Adult pets:

Tibetan spaniel Lily (an absolute angel)
Tibetan spaniel/ bichon frise cross Gracie (ditto)
Cats: Stanley, Maisie and Rosie
Rabbit: Blossom (‘inherited’ from dh’s gs)
Various fish including Ken, Boris and Barry

DH’s imaginary pet (lives in the shed):

Eric the weasel