Most commonly, names that are chosen reflect the appearance or colour of the animal. Like Fuzzy, Flopsy, Smudge, Fudge or Snowflake. Gender-specific names are popular too, like Coco Chanel for a girl and Louis Vuitton for a boy. Names are also based on a pet's personality: Sassy if it's cheeky, Bashful if it's shy or Scamp if it's mischievous. Others associate sweet confectionery with their pets, like Oreo, Biscuit and Cupcake. Sometimes, a pet name can go beyond just the physical aspect or cuteness factor. It can stem from something, well, slightly different. That's how I found a name for my pet.
I got my cat when it was about 5 months old. It had sadly been abandoned by it's previous owners. I immediately took to this lovable & adorable feline with fluffy white fur & ginger points. Being the first time I had a real pet (goldfish don't count), I had no idea what to call it. Fluffy was too common, Gingersnap reminded me of a Spice Girl. I considered giving it a name according to it's gender. As I am completely ignorant (and unwilling) to find this out myself; I called upon a close and self-proclaimed animal lover, who was also an Anatomy major at university. He professed that my new cat was a girl. I looked up all sorts of girly names for her. Tinker, Mitzy, Trixie, Buttercup, Minx - I just couldn't decide.
I then got some inspiration from an event I was planning at work. It was an Egyptian themed Women's Day function, to which my bff and I dressed up as Cleopatra. That's when I thought, hmmm, Cleopatra - Cleo for short, that's a pretty name. And my cat has this curious way of always sitting like a little Sphinx. Perfect, I will name her Cleo. Everyone I know gushed and 'awww-ed' when I introduce them to her.
Two weeks after Cleopatra moved in, she got really sick, and for the first and panicked time, I had to locate a vet in Small Town, SA. I found out that there is only one vet in our town, and it was lucky that I got an appointment. Cleo had a thorough check up and a few vaccines (I couldn't bear to watch). With eyes closed in the consultation room, I asked the vet, "Is she going to be okay? I just got her." He courteously and unflinchingly replied, "No need to worry, he is going to be just fine." He? Cleopatra is a boy?! I can't tell you how embarrassed I was. Poor Cleo, no wonder he got sick, it's from the gender-identity crisis I had caused him.
By then, everyone was already used to calling her him Cleo and so the name kinda stuck. It could have been a lot worse. Imagine if I had named him Lulubelle or something frillier. Although pet names are a personal choice, it should at least indicate whether it's a boy or girl. And don't rely on so-called animal lovers to figure this out, always ask the vet, that's why they studied for 6 years.
I wanted to post a picture of Cleo, however, he refused to put his paw print on the photo release forms. He is just mortified since this whole incident. So I had to get a body double to pose in his place. The cutie below looks slightly similar to Cleo and it seems that they have the same pastime.
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