Cat lovers are sometimes blind to the flaws of their feline companions, and regard them as blameless, innocent little bundles of fur, even when they scratch the furniture, pee in your shoes, and offer up murdered songbirds as gifts. Maybe cat lovers just get what they deserve after giving their evil companions such ridiculously cute names as Bella, Bailey, Zoe, and Lucy. A survey of the most popular cat names in the United States reveals that you will find many cats called Bella in places as disparate as California, Texas, Connecticut, Missouri and Wyoming. (Thanks, Stephanie Meyer!) Jasper rules in Arkansas, and Lola gets whatever she wants, presumably, in neighboring Oklahoma.
A database of 75,000 insured cats was analysed by Veterinary Pet Insurance and Vocativ. And the results show a remarkable unoriginality in names across the nation. Bella. Max. Tiger. Boots. Oscar. Charlie. It’s Misty in Delaware and Rocky in DC, but it’s Bella pretty much everywhere else (except Alaska, where bizarrely it’s Pepper). Unlike their British counterparts, American cat owners don’t seem to go in for the ridiculous. There isn’t a Dr. Kenneth Noisewater to be seen anywhere.