Usually the first thing that comes up when you adopt a pet is what to name him or her. The shelter may have known the pet’s original name, or they may have given her a temporary name but giving a pet a name that fits it, or one that you really like, is the first bond you establish with it and deserves a lot of thought.

There’s a famous American poet, T.S. Elliot, whose poem: The Naming of Cats says that a cat must have 3 different names. One is the name that the family uses daily, a “sensible everyday” name. The second one is a more dignified name – so he can “keep his tail perpendicular, spread out his whiskers or cherish his pride.”  Elliot suggests some pretty silly names for the dignified one so he may have been “pulling our tail.” He says it should be a name that no other cat has, which makes it difficult! Finally, the 3^rd name is a secret. Elliot says it’s one you can never guess. His mother gave it to him and a cat will never tell what it is! So don’t worry too much about coming up with 3 names, one should do just fine. Just make it’s one your cat can be proud of – otherwise, your cat might just ignore you!

On the other hand, many Siamese cats have 3 names. One of the most famous is Kao K’o Kung, commonly known as KoKo, the feline hero of “The Cat Who” books by Lillian Jackson Braun.  Here are the first few lines of Elliot’s poem:

The Naming of Cats

The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,

It isn’t just one of your holiday games;

You may think at first I’m as mad as a hatter

When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.