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[ratethatcatname]

Black Plague

originality: This is definitely a first! 9/10

nicknameability: Gotta say, this one is tough to riff off of. Flea-related names? Ring-around-the-rosie names??? 4/10

humor: definitely evokes, in an anti-vax, "post"-COVID world, how it is terrifyingly easy for a (black) plague to resurface any time😬 but definitely a silly cat name. 7/10!

pronounceability: highly recognizable, may benefit from an initial article in terms of verbal comprehension ("The Black Plague"), so 8/10

overall: Black Plague comes out with a respectable 7.0/10! Congratulations to our little bearer of the plague and right-hand cat to the Grim Reaper! It's an honor to meet you.

[ratethatcatname]

affoGATO

originality: excellent fun name! cute and original! 9/10

nicknameability: a delicious coffee-ice cream-based treat lends itself to a host of food-related nicknames. the word in and of itself may be a bit tough to nicknameify, however. 5/10

humor: we love and support puns in this house, 9/10

pronounceability: while a regular food menu item word, it's still unfamiliar enough that it may bear a few repeats, and spelling might end up being a pain, so 7/10

overall: Affogato comes in at a solid 7.5/10! Victory tastes so sweet, doesn't it? Congrats to our little confectionery kitty cat!

[ratethatcatname]

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

originality: this is a hard hitter in terms of originality. not even in the conceptual class of terms we'd consider for names. 10/10

nicknameability: racking my brain for a direction in nicknaming here. Funniest option would be Cali/Cally from end of word #2. otherwise, it's a tough one, so 3/10

humor: extremely funny. what, is this LCSW is going to connect me with community resources and benefits counseling?? amazing. 9/10

pronounceability: by the time you get to word #4, whoever is listening will be quite aware of what the whole phrase should be. it's strangeness may bear a repeat. 8/10

overall: Licensed Clinical Social Worker shakes out to a strong 7.5/10! And a Stamp of Originality for being so unexpected. Well done, LCSW, we know the work is tough!

[ratethatcatname]

Pajamas

originality: fairly uncommon, and quite cute! 7/10

nicknameability: Pajamas is a bit hard to parse into nicknameable bites. Jammy? Pudgy? 5/10

humor: random household noun names are a FANTASTIC subclass of cat title, 9/10

pronounceability: the initial p- can be a bit hard to get off the ground, but the mid-word dʒ (-j- sound) slots it into a select few recognizable words in English, so 7/10

overall: Pajamas gets an arbitrary additional .2 pts because I just personally like it and make the rules, coming out to a total 7.2/10! Congratulations, little Pajamas! Here's to you and your sweet dreams :)

[ratethatcatname]

Bamboozle

Welcome, kind submitter, for bringing sweet lil Bamboozle into the arena!!! We cannot tell if Bamboozle is quite young or quite old from this picture, which is a fun added element of mystery.

originality: what a delightful name! Can't say we've heard it before, but it definitely falls into the family subclass of Silly Names - long, such as Shenanigans and Inkjet Pro Laser Printer. 8/10!

nicknameability: lends itself to solid nicknames, notably Bambi, which is SO CUTE. Boozy, there's another great take, yeah, this is great 8/10

humor: simply a funny word, there's no getting around it. bamboozling just sounds like it could mean anything from tax fraud to fae trickery. 8/10

pronounceability: Bamboozle earns a 9/10 pronounceability, composed of easily parsed sound segments and an excellent distribution of stress in syllables.

overall: a stellar 8.3/10 for darling little Bamboozle! in addition, a Stamp of Certified Cute for the excellently composed photo!!!

[ratethatcatname]

Ziggy

originality: we love a lesser-common people name on a cat! 8/10

nicknameability: Zig, Zigmeister, Zigathy, etc etc. Zig Zag? Very versatile syllable, but suffers from a lack of immediately related words to employ, so 7/10

humor: Ziggy the Cat has a nice ring to it, rather respectable, which comes back around to being funny, because it is a little kitty cat 6/10

pronounceability: honestly, fairly high, it's easy to parse audibly with that initial voiced fricative and the hard G, a strong 10/10

overall: Ziggy earns a 7.8/10! Well done, Zigstastic work from the Zig Machine.

[ratethatcatname]

[ratethatcatname]

I am torn between naming my kitten Duckie or Toby. Any thoughts?

originality: Both are fairly original! I would give Duckie a 7/10 and Toby a 6/10.

nicknameability: Duckie is highly nicknameable, branches off into topical/related words (other waterfowl? rubber duckie → toys? etc), 8/10. Toby already sounds like a nickname ("short for Tobias?" some will ask), which I think is the opposite of nicknameability? idk I made these criteria up, 5/10

humor: Duckie has some whimsical flair and Toby is a people name, so each has a bit of humor, nothing over the top, which is perfectly sensible. 6/10 for both.

pronounceability: I think the sounds in "Duckie" perform sort of meh in this area, word initial "d-" might need strong enunciation over the phone, 5/10. "Toby" has strong sound parts with a name-like schema ([syllable(s)]-y, like Tommy, Jeremy, Sammie, so on), so 8/10.

overall: Duckie receives a 6.5/10 and Toby gets a 6.3/10! Excellent performance on both parts, I think either would be a great name. In the end, try to pick the one that seems to best fit you and your new pal! Duckie has a more sweet and cute vibe, and Toby sounds more like a chill dude. Whatever you decide will be perfect :)

[ratethatcatname]

cream sickle

originality: oh, we love this. such a cute name, such an unnerving spelling choice. 9/10

nicknameability: Comrade Cream Sickle (when associated with hammer) is the good ending. Milky-related product nicknames is the bad ending. Impossible to know where it will go. 5/10

humor: while clearly funny in spelling, there's less oomph when spoken. 9/10

pronounceability: definitely pretty understandable over the phone, but you'll have to addend every intro over the phone with "but it's spelled like the farming implement". 7.5/10

overall: 7.6/10! well done, Cream Sickle! may your strange and charming name be thought of fondly forever more.

[ratethatcatname]

Binx!

originality: I'm not familiar with any Binx'es but I know popularity is on the rise, so 6/10

nicknameability: pretty good! Binky is right there, and derivations almost certainly proliferate. 7.5/10

humor: solid 8/10. those are funny consonant clusters

pronounceability: surprisingly recognizable, the '-nx' gets a lot of mileage, but the word initial 'b-' is notorious for comprehensibility, 7/10

overall: 7.1/10! excellent name, well done.

[ratethatcatname]

squeaker

originality: an adorable cat name that's stood the test of time, 5/10

nicknameability: has got a lot of good consonants/clusters going for it for some silly variety, plus highly rhymeable. 8/10

humor: we appreciate the fact that "squeaker" points out how much cats squeak. little tiny eeps and beeps? what are you, a mouse? 6/10

pronounceability: benefits from being a recognizable classic. also made up of fairly unmistakable sounds and word structure ([verb]-er). 9/10

overall: 7.0/10! plus a Stamp of Certified Cute to top it off. well done, Squeaker!

[ratethatcatname]

Spoon?

originality: while not overly common, the simple household object genre of name is well known (and beloved) so 6/10

nicknameability: both sounds and concept lend to nickname-ing. spoon could go to spoony spoonathon jr or dr laddle boi in under 1.3 seconds. 8.5/10

humor: delightful, charming, earns a hearty chuckle. 7/10

pronounceability: would your vet understand you over the phone? definitely. would they need a second for the gears to turn and realize Spoon is a name? perhaps. thus, 8/10

overall: 7.4/10! a darling name for ages, Spoon! would meet you at the table to hang out again

[ratethatcatname]

white claw (like the drink)

originality: somehow, we find this pretty original, despite being a plausible warrior cats name, 7/10

nicknameability: hm. inevitably would morph into "come here, white boy" and the like. can't think of many other forms it would take. 5/10

humor: (like the drink) is hopefully part of the FULL name of young warrior White Claw. fantastically silly! 8/10

pronounceability: fairly unmistakable. being a well known brand makes it more recognizable, too, so 8/10

overall: 7.0/10! white claw (like the drink) might even one day become white star, leader of the gas station alcoholic beverages clan <3

[ratethatcatname]

originality: definitely uncommon! a delightful surprise to see, 7/10

nicknameability: lends itself to many a silly derivative. great on it's own tho, so may preclude intensive nicknameage. 6/10

humor: we can literally imagine a grumpy old man shaking his finger and going "oh you little whippersnapper! children these days!" 9/10

pronounceability: the sounds are pretty distinct, and consonant repetition improves recognition. 8/10

overall: 7.5/10! excellent work, ya darn rascal you!

[ratethatcatname]

Jim

originality: technically highly unoriginal for humans, but very original for cats, so 5/10

nicknameability: excellent nickname fodder, Jimbo Jimmy Jimmies etc. 8/10

humor: oh a little cat with a name like a man. a little man if you would. we LOVE this 8/10

pronounceability: "yeah I'm calling to set up an appointment for my cat, his name is Jim" once you start to say, his name is... their ears are already searching for a name-like thing, and Jim as such a quintessential name. they will know in their hearts, with certainty, that this is a cat, but his name is Jim. whether that brings them delight or fear, we cannot know. but his name is, undoubtedly, Jim. 10/10

overall: 7.8! fantastic work from Jim the cat.

[ratethatcatname]

freya

originality: this is a common one, so 2/10 (nothing wrong per se with being timeless and classic)

nicknameability: great potential! Fray-fray. Freyita. Let the silly names flow. 8/10

humor: a little kitty cat with the name of a god? that's silly. ironic? purposeful? Freya is associated with a chariot drawn by cats. 6/10

pronounceability: a little hard to hear over the phone, but a highly recognizable name, so you're safe. let's say 7/10

overall: 5.8/10! Well done, sweet Freya, please don't smite me

[ratethatcatname]

😸 Submit cat names! 😸

Any and all are greatly appreciated 🙏

unless you specify otherwise, we will assume that the entire phrase entered is the whole name of the cat.

you may add pertinent nicknames or details in parentheses.

please only send one name at a time.

you may, however, include other cats' names for context if they are thematically related!

All cats and cat names are good cats and cat names!!! Rankings are completely arbitrary, and in our hearts, every cat and cat name is a 10/10 💖