TIFU by suggesting a name for our new kitten

Submitted by fauxfurgopher t3_10q210q in tifu

Our beloved grey cat, Greyson, died last year. He was a wonderful cat. He was closest to my daughter, so when a friend of hers offered her a grey kitten we all welcomed him. Because Greyson had been named due to his color I threw out the first name that sprung to mind — Earl Grey, for the kitten. My daughter LOVED it and named him that before he even arrived. As soon as I said it I realized that calling a cat “Earl” would be difficult for me, but I didn’t realize how my my daughter loved the name. I suggested a bunch of other names, but she was firm that Earl Grey is his name. Since she’d suffered the most at the loss of Greyson, I feel like we need to let her choose his name so she can bond with him. Greyson’s emotional support was very good for her and I want her to have that with the new cat. So now I’m stuck calling this kitten Earl and I hate it. Daughter says I should just make up a nickname and call him that instead, but I want him to know his name.

Any suggestions for nicknames that sound enough like Earl that he won’t be too confused?

TL;DR - I suggested a name for a kitten that I don’t even like. Now I’m stuck calling an adorable kitten “Earl.” :/

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eatshitake t1_j6nc1wo wrote

What's wrong with Earl?

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fauxfurgopher OP t1_j6nd128 wrote

It doesn’t roll off the tongue at all. The rl combo is taxing to me. Also, I knew an Earl once. I didn’t like him.

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eatshitake t1_j6nue52 wrote

Call him Early.

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MzzBlaze t1_j6pbieh wrote

Yeah he’d be “Early kitty, Early babies, or simply E.G or even Eggie.”

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uly4n0v t1_j6ofaht wrote

“Does that seem right to you?”

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housevil t1_j6od596 wrote

Since when does any cat have just one name? Earl may be his official name for vet documents but he can have any nickname you feel like. My friend has a cat named Loki but usually I address him as Buddy or Kitty. Or Fucker if he bites me.

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AislinnScr t1_j6om349 wrote

"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 3 different names."

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RaineyDaye t1_j6opmhy wrote

Our cat we had back when my husband and I were newlyweds was officially Amidala, but we called her Ami, and eventually Amipunk cause she was a bit of a punk!! 😂😜😂

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Spazmer t1_j6oska5 wrote

My one cat's name is Pip but I only call her Poop or Poopsie. She was really sick as a kitten with parasites and explosive diarrhea and even though she's been healthy for years, sometimes a tiny little turd randomly falls out of her butt while she's running.

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shmittkicker t1_j6pbto3 wrote

We had a cat named lumpy bc when we found him he had a herniated spleen, and you could see the lump poking out from his tummy. Friends of animals actually paid for the, at the time experimental surgery which the vet said he had a 30% chance of surviving. He survived and became a pet therapy cat for a 4-H club I was a part of. Great cat he lived to be 23

[Edit: spelling]

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Cormorant86 t1_j6oqavx wrote

Call him "The Earl" as if it's a title, rather than a name.

Or give him any number of ridiculous nicknames because our cats don't respond to their names anyway, lol.

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scuba_GSO t1_j6ofiri wrote

Think if it as a title and not a name. As in Earl Grey the wise. Maybe that context will help you out. Makes the kitten sound as he is descended from nobility. Cats act like that anyway, right?

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thegof t1_j6phpr9 wrote

To kill it more for you, think of the Dixie Chicks song 😈

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Loko8765 t1_j6p90l1 wrote

What rl combo? In AmEng you can kind of hear some slightly suggested r, but just skip it and say the kitten has an English name!

Pronunciation of Earl

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Nyctophileo t1_j6nel6m wrote

Honestly I’d just make up a bunch of other things to call him, like “Early” or “Greyboi” and never call him the name you hate, only variations of it that still provide the reinforcement you’re looking for. Sorry your cat turned out to be named something you hate. Maybe it’ll change as he starts showing more personality, or you’ll grow to hate it less.

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Niko_Noxid t1_j6ofh1c wrote

Before my cat died, we called her by like, 5 different nicknames, and over time she would recognize every single time and would sometimes come when mentioned. I don't know how common this is tho.

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Radix2309 t1_j6p0h76 wrote

My fats have various names such as Bubbles, Mr Bubbles, snugglemuffin, Mr muffin, big boy, fatso, Tina you fat lard, etc.

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Head-Investment-8462 t1_j6obxwb wrote

My kids named my cats Josh and Pizza. Good luck.

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GillyGoose1 t1_j6p1nqm wrote

Can't get over the name Josh for a cat.

Pizza is fine, but Josh is something else entirely and I can't stop laughing 😂

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Head-Investment-8462 t1_j6p23kh wrote

The best part is she was three when she named him that. We don’t know anyone named Josh. I have absolutely no idea where it came from.

I call him squash most of the time cause I agree, Josh is a ridiculous cat name lol. Squash isn’t much better though, maybe it would work if he was orange 😂

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isaikya t1_j6nprm2 wrote

I would probably end up calling him Tea. But of course that doesn’t sound anything like Earl. :) Early Bird is really cute though, I say to stick with that.

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OkVolume1 t1_j6np2lm wrote

Hey, My Name is Earl

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fauxfurgopher OP t1_j6nq01q wrote

I’m sorry, Earl. Your consonant cluster just isn’t for me.

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CrawlspaceTour t1_j6op8nl wrote

Dawg that's the funniest name for a cat on the planet. Earl???? Incredible. I would be grinning like a buffoon every single time I called him that. I understand you don't like it and I'm sorry but that name fucking rules.

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pidgeononachair t1_j6ncxih wrote

I mean nicknames will happen organically. My kitties are called all sorts. One is pretty sure his name is biggun because he’s huge, and then small beans and soft trongle (triangle boy) are all not their names. Just let the love flow and a nickname will follow.

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-holdmyhand t1_j6nfej8 wrote

>Any suggestions for nicknames that sound enough like Earl that he won’t be too confused?

Early.

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fauxfurgopher OP t1_j6ngltr wrote

I’ve been calling him Early Bird. I think the y softens the rl. I was hoping someone would come up with something better, but I’ll probably stick with Early Bird. :)

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MerwinsNeedle t1_j6ndxjp wrote

Yep, you done goofed. The name's adorable, your daughter's in love with it, and it really does seem to irk you. Good news is you only need to live with it for a decade or two.

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fauxfurgopher OP t1_j6ng9fc wrote

It doesn’t irk me at all! Where is that coming from?!

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MerwinsNeedle t1_j6njgse wrote

Sorry if I was unclear—“it” was referring to “the name” in my comment, and I was basing it (the comment) off of your responses about the rl combo being taxing to you and driving you crazy. But I’m glad you seem to like Early a bit more!

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fauxfurgopher OP t1_j6nkvn9 wrote

Oh, okay! I see. Sorry. I love that my daughter loves the name and the kitten. I just… This seems to be a quirk of mine, but some words bug me. I won’t say what it is, by my own beloved husband’s name is hard for me to say happily. I call him by a pet name, so it doesn’t matter much though. I prefer names that end in R or Y for ease of use. Or even just a single consonant! I’m not THAT difficult. Haha

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1ndomitablespirit t1_j6pfbz7 wrote

Just adopt a stuffy British accent and call him Lord Earl Grey Fuzzbutt

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dappledrache t1_j6p3llo wrote

So just call him Grey, and she can call him Earl. The cat will figure out it's him.

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Hazardbeard t1_j6ngiv7 wrote

Early is the pretty clear answer here. I don’t know if the old notion that cats respond better to names ending in a long e sound is a myth or not but I stick to it with my cats and it works for me.

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dubgeek t1_j6otgey wrote

It's not like the cat knows and will respond to the name (unless you're a very patient and dedicated trainer). One of our cats has gone through a bunch of names. She started as S'Mores, then became Mittens, then Nibbles (or Nibs for short), and now she's Moira Rose/Moira/Moimoi (pronounced moymoy if it's not obvious).

She had a bonus one day name of Nugget. She ran away and was missing for over a month before I got a text from SavethisPet (pet tracking chip company) that she had been found and taken to the shelter. I tracked down the people who found her to thank them. They said they called her Nugget because she looked hungry and they fed her a Chic-Fil-A nug.

CHIP YOUR PETS, people!

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fauxfurgopher OP t1_j6otupg wrote

All my cats have known and respond to their names. I hear people say cats don’t know their names, but this isn’t my experience. One of my cats, Mervyn, LOVES his name. If you call him he’ll come to you, and if you say his name while petting him he gets all squinty eyed and purrs harder. It’s very cute.

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dubgeek t1_j6ouhh5 wrote

Color me jealous! That would be awesome!

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fauxfurgopher OP t1_j6oyzs2 wrote

I think you just have to say it to them a lot. And reward them with petting and treats when they respond. Also, some cats are smarter than others. Although… hmm. We have one cat who is a little feather-brained, but even she knows her name. I must be accidentally good at reinforcing their names.

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Lux_Brumalis t1_j6nc8rh wrote

How about Pearl?

Twirl?

Twirly?

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fauxfurgopher OP t1_j6ncm26 wrote

It’s the rl combo that drives me crazy!

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Lux_Brumalis t1_j6ne5x5 wrote

So I guess “whirl” is out.

Look, if this is distressing to you, just try explaining it again to your daughter and find a new name together.

My cat was named Talia when I got her (a name I have bad associations with). It took about a week, maybe two at most, for her to understand that her name isn’t Talia anymore, it’s Riley.

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STFUAFM t1_j6omllx wrote

My cats name is Luna and she will turn when I say Luna, Luna tuna, Looney, my baby, Lil girl, I can't think of them all but she knows them as her name. When I call her sister she ignores me because she knows I'm not addressing her. Cats are smarter than most people give them credit. If a cat doesn't come when you call them or even acknowledge you then they are just being cats they ignore you when they don't want to be bothered or they are not in the mood. If my cat would always act weird or ignore me I would probably go get their ears check but yea unless they have a hearing problem they ignore when they want but they truly know their name or nicknames.

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CitizenjaQ t1_j6oreac wrote

Download a soundboard of Jean-Luc Picard phrases to your phone and use that instead of saying his name yourself.

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TheDolff t1_j6ow49v wrote

I was in a similar situation when I was like 3. A stray cat adopted us, so eventually we made it official and got her shots and whatnot. Dad, jokingly, says we should name her Pizza Face. I wouldn't let him not call her Pizza Face.

Be grateful you're calling for Earl and not Pizza Face.

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ShyButNaughty86 t1_j6owcg5 wrote

When she says he name does she say Earl Grey or just Earl if Earl Grey you could call him Mr Grey

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fauxfurgopher OP t1_j6ox9pr wrote

Both, but mostly just Earl. I’ll try that and see if it sticks. Thanks.

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Monstiemama t1_j6p7nfn wrote

The name Early is going to morph 1000 times like all kitty names and he’ll end up with a cute name. Start with Eraly Baby and go from there.

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cupcakesarelove t1_j6p8o9k wrote

You’d be surprised how many names a cat can figure out are theirs. I have at least 3 for one of my cats. And any of those 3 will have her running to me if I call. Doesn’t matter which one. Cats are very intelligent. Make up a cute nickname that you like, call kitty that, and your daughter can still call him Earl/Earl Grey/whatever makes her happy. The cat will figure it out and understand.

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Waffles__Falling t1_j6pcidj wrote

I named my cat who’s now a year old Lilith and I love that name for her; however one of my younger siblings often calls her “Lilly” and it drives me crazy for some reason 😅

But oh well, not much I can do about it lol. The important thing is that Lilith is a wonder family member, and the sweetest kitty I know!

https://preview.redd.it/7uft9idw4ifa1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=e951565f33361364bb765032232b9ca59b37f6ce

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kbella33 t1_j6pict5 wrote

My friends adopted a stray cat and called him Earl - short for feral (pronounced fer- Earl) they said. I liked it. And he was a cool cat. So when I had a stray cat frequent my apartment years later I named him Earl too. I tried to bring him inside once but he just sprayed everything and scratched to get out so that was the end of that. But to me, a Earl is a great cat name.

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Animaled t1_j6npkls wrote

Call him Toe Jam.

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Roger-Roo t1_j6odskw wrote

I forgot about this duo until now 🤣🤣

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Roger-Roo t1_j6od969 wrote

My son named ours “Pot Roast” 🤷🏼‍♀️

I think Earl Tea is awesome

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Tebianco t1_j6ohdmo wrote

You're just going to call them by pss pss anyways

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Gawd4 t1_j6oosqb wrote

Just call him Gray

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MusicMan7969 t1_j6opptb wrote

In my experience most cats are called kitty or kitty cat. Problem solved…😝

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CosmicJ t1_j6p9old wrote

Yupp, one of our cats growing up was literally just called Kitty.

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Limp_Will16 t1_j6orbzh wrote

Our dog is named Molly. Her nicknames are: Git, No, Down, Molly-Mo-Molly, Queen Molly of her Holy Realm of All The Earth, and Dippitty-Doo and she answers to all of them

Our cat is named Bruce. His nicknames are: Batman, Batcat, Rat Bastard, His Royal Highness, Saint Bruce; and Saint Bruce Frankfurt the Third, Esquire. He answers to none of them. He does answer to cans opening, so maybe the problem is a language barrier…

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bros402 t1_j6ox4bh wrote

Well now his name is Early or Eeg

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AstronomerOk7412 t1_j6oywet wrote

Call him Grey? I personally don't Really like the name Earl anyways, so I'd probably the as a title or use the full name in a fun way. " Mr. Earl Gray, would you like some food?" something like that.

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Sailorarctic t1_j6p01ga wrote

Your daughter's name isn't Maryann or Wanda is it?

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Azilehteb t1_j6p1kn8 wrote

Earl is a title, like Duke or Prince.

Just insert a first name for mister Grey. You can find out how he behaves and see if his First Name manifests itself, or if you want to stick with the “grey” theme I can list a few names you might like:

Ash Silver Storm Smokey Steel Shade Alloy Pewter

If you want a less literal grey name, you can always use a traditionally human one. Many languages have names they mean “grey”.

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DM_urSocialistPussy t1_j6p7dvc wrote

> Daughter says I should just make up a nickname and call him that instead, but I want him to know his name.

Why?

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perez1840 t1_j6p983n wrote

call him Jason Todd

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_Zeyr t1_j6pe7k7 wrote

Considering you suggested a 2 name combo, might want to call him the latter? doesn't look that hard to figure thsi out...

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jeshipper t1_j6ph529 wrote

It’s a cat so it’s probably a goober. Earl grey goober or egg for short

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analytical_mayhem t1_j6pi3ls wrote

Call him Tea, Earl Grey, Hot.

Or Picard once he learns his name.

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FeistyResearcher5 t1_j6piwa0 wrote

So my cats actual name is Elvis. Things that we call him include: big kitty, baby angel, elveeess, sir, white cat. There are more to. He answers to what he wants to answer to.

We also have Gremylyn. Things we call her include Grumpy Lyn. Gremlin. Grem. Gremmy. Gremmy goo. Baby. Grumble. She will answer to anything said in the right tone. And she will often answer with her deep mer-rou.

I think its a safe bet that your baby will also answer to more than one name.

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Profound_Quote t1_j6pjlc3 wrote

We have a cat named Mr. Grey. That's his whole name, but definitely an option here

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FlyGuy_2000 t1_j6nj7uf wrote

Call him Urkel Grey then, from that sitcom Family Matters.

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