I am getting a cat later this week. He’s 3 years old, white with one blue eye and one green eye and he’s coming to me from Wisconsin. His current name is Avery, but I think that’s gonna have to go, so if anyone has any suggestions…
But here’s the thing. I haven’t had a cat in about 10 years, so feel free to pile on the advice here. I plan to pick up kitty things tomorrow and am working up a shopping list.
As of two days ago, I’m a cat owner for the first time in over fifteen years. I have a friend named Douglas who is big and fat and lazy, so we call him “Puss”. So I used “Douglas” as a working name for the cat while I came up with something better. Anyhow, it seems like the name has stuck.
I like human names for pets. None of this “Snowie” or “Socks” stuff, call 'em Brian or Dave. 
I think “Grishnak” is a good name for a male cat.
Nothing for Grishnak! Nothing for poooooorrr Grishnak.
Heh.
I disagree with The Loaded Dog. I think human names make bad cat names. But why take cat naming advice from someone with a dog name anyway? 
My advice to you, as a long-time cat owner, is to spend a week or two with the cat before naming him. I guarantee you will come up with a more accurate name as a result. And if you’ve seen the play “Cats”, you know that the true name of a cat is known only to the cat himself!
I had a cat like that with different color eyes…we named him Tu-Tone. My mom called him Bowie on occasion as well. (David Bowie has two different eye colors)
If you are shopping, make sure to start him early on litter training. Surprisingly, cats are fairly easy to train on this (make sure to put any plants he might dig in high up)
Also get him a good scratching post and rub catnip on it. That will keep him from reducing your chairs to rubble.
Your profile says you live in an “alternate universe”. But Wisconsin is an Alternate Dimension. Your taking this poor cat from an alternate dimension to an alternate universe? I hope you have alot of cat nip, it’s gonna need it!
How about “Rainbow” for a name? Or maybe “Prism”. You know, because of the different colored eyes.
Well, I actually kind of like human names for cat names.
How about Frank? I think one of the Dopers has a cat named Frank; I seem to remember that from a recent thread. The name “Frank” just so fits a hearty male catboy!
Donald might be cool, too. Or maybe James? I also knew a cat named Louie Neuberg once. He was great.
Anyhow, good luck. And long life to you and your kitty!
Well, Wisconsin is known for its cheese, Chesire is a brand of cheese, and it’s also a kind of cat. So I’d opt for Chesire.
You can call it free association, but it’s not free.
We named our newest Ali cat. But they really don’t care what you call them as long as you don’t call them late for dinner.
My cat’s name is Kodak.
But I call him Sir Nose-A-Spot, Nightly Hunter, Viscous Killer, and Defender of the Household against his Archenemies the Wild Powdered Donuts of the Serengeti.
I think he thinks his name is Wow. He says it to me, and I repeat it back, and he talks. A lot.
Wow.
Corr, who also tells The Boy that he’s “more precious than rocks, denser than gold”
What about Bob?
Name him “Snoopy”. Hello identity crisis!
Skip the horrid B’way monstrosity and, if you must, go with the slightly less horrid source material, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot.
My cat’s names are Archibald No’count (Archy for short) and Etta Louise. Feel free to swipe if they fit.
If I had a male cat (or dog), I’d name him Wrigglesworth, Riggles for short.
My friend has a cat named Fudge McSwain. It’s a cool name for a cool cat.
This site has pet name suggestions, including Most Popular lists.
For a people-y name, I’d go with Charles, Clawde (note the w instead of u), Hamilton or Dave.
Alternatively, you could name him Fern after Avery’s sister in the book Charlotte’s Web (and aren’t ferns Garfield’s second most favourite food after lasagne?).
Please remember to tell us what you call him!!
I like Boris for a dominant male cat. A friend has a cat named Buster Keaton Chang…go figure. Muppet or Moppet is cute for a cute cat. Another friend has cats named Howard and Evelyn…I like those best. Get two and name them Ginger and Fred.
how about “Alog”, “Erpillar”, or “Astrophe”?
of course, its first name would be “Cat”…
D&R
Avery good name.
How about “Schrödinger”?
Well, I don’t have anything on the name front, but here’s some general advice, if you haven’t had a cat around for awhile.
It’ll take him a bit of time to adjust to a new home. If things don’t go so well at first (I.e. he hides under the bed, or won’t eat or something along those lines) don’t worry. Give him some time to adjust.
If you know what kind of food he eats now, try to buy that for him (the brand, the flavor etc.). That way there will be at least one familiar thing in the house for him. If you don’t know, don’t sweat it, but it can’t hurt to find out.
You say he’s coming from Wisconsin, but not if he’s a shelter cat or a pet you are inheriting. If he’s a shelter cat, he might be especially skittish at first.
If you already know this cat, that will help with the adjustment for the cat. If not, lots of patience and lots of affection are the key. Try to spend a little extra time at home with him so he isn’t lonely. It’ll help you bond with him too.
As for things to buy, there are really only a few basics: healthy food (speak to a vet about options), a good litter box in a secluded part of the house (cats hate doing their business in front of an audience), good litter (cats can be picky about litter, so if one brand doesn’t work, try others) and most importantly keep the box clean. Take out all solid waste at least once a day, change the litter as needed and from time to time clean the box out with bleach. For some reason cats love the smell of bleach and will actually pee on places where they smell bleach. The corollary to this is: don’t put bleach on the kitchen floor or anywhere that you don’t want the cat to pee.
Cat toys are good too, but cats will also play with paper bags, string, bits of plastic and anything else they can find.
Take your cat to the vet regularly to get him checked out. Once a year, minimum. Establish a relationship with a good, caring vet and your cat will thank you.
If possible, keep the cat indoors. They live longer, healthier lives if they’re indoor cats and most don’t mind staying in at all.
If the cat isn’t fixed, get him fixed.
I’m sure I could go on, but I’ll give it a rest. Cats are such wonderful, loving companions and I’m sure things will work out beautifully for you. Just remember to be patient and affectionate while the cat adjusts to its new environment. Finally, I’d like to apologize if Avery is a she that I’ve been calling a he throughout this entire post.