PoCats
Street cat name generator
The cat outside the shop has been nameless for two years. Fix that.
How to name a cat that is not yours
Naming a neighbourhood cat is a small act of attention. It is also how a street stops being scenery: once the ginger one on the wall is called something, you notice when it is not there.
Two rules make a name stick. Say it out loud, because a name you would be embarrassed to call across a car park is a name you will never use. And name the behaviour rather than the coat, because half the cats on your road are tabbies and only one of them shouts at you from a bin.
If the cat is owned, and many outdoor cats are, it already has a name. Yours becomes the second one, which is a normal thing for a cat to have. Here is how to tell whether a cat is owned, a stray or feral.
A hundred street cat names, by register
The generator draws from these. If you would rather browse than roll, the whole list is here.
Dignified, like a retired headmaster
Barnaby, Cornelius, Percival, Winifred, Agnes, Mortimer, Beatrice, Clement, Eustace, Prudence, Reginald, Wilhelmina, Horace, Millicent, Archibald, Hortense, Bartholomew, Gwendolyn, Alastair, Philippa.
Named after something edible
Biscuit, Marmalade, Crumpet, Pickle, Noodle, Butterbean, Dumpling, Waffle, Custard, Pesto, Bagel, Toffee, Muffin, Olive, Gravy, Scampi, Brioche, Pretzel, Nutmeg, Chutney.
Plain and honest
Boots, Smudge, Patch, Socks, Domino, Shadow, Rusty, Pepper, Tiger, Misty, Bandit, Ash, Clover, Scout, Freckle, Dusty, Mitten, Pip, Bramble, Sooty.
Absurdly grand
Duchess, Baron, Captain, Empress, Sir Nigel, Madame, Commodore, Countess, The Mayor, Professor, Lady Jane, Admiral, Viscount, The Chairman, Her Ladyship, Brigadier, Cardinal, The Ambassador, Marchioness, Field Marshal.
And the manner, which is the half that makes a name stick
the Welcoming, of the Warm Doorstep, Who Says Hello, the Greeter, the Cautious, of the Hedge, Who Watches, the Half-Seen, the Announcer, Who Has Opinions, of the Loud Complaint, the Vocal, the Immovable, of the Warm Bonnet, Who Does Not Get Up, the Sunbather, the Landlord, Who Owns This Wall, of the Occupied Chair, the Toll Collector.
In the app
PoCats gives every cat you catch a name, and lets you change it to whatever you had already been calling it. The name you set is the one printed on the card and on the picture you share. More about the cards.
There is one outside right now
On a wall, under a car, in a shop doorway.
