Where Can I Find Rare Vintage Cartoon Cat Names Online?

Whenever I see a tiny kitten tumble out of a box, my brain goes full-on name-generator mode — and then refuses to stop. I like to split names into playful little categories so they're easy to pick from: food-ish (Mochi, Noodle, Nutmeg), tiny & sweet (Pip, Tofu, Pebble), fluffy royalty (Marshmallow, Duchess, Puff), and pop-culture cutes (Luna from 'Sailor Moon', Jiji from 'Kiki's Delivery Service', Toulouse from 'The Aristocats'). I always imagine the kitten’s little face while I say each name, because something that sounds adorable in theory can sound different when the kitten gives you that judgmental blink. For a shortlist that’s basically foolproof, I tend to circle back to short, bouncy names that are easy to call across a room: Miso, Kiki, Bean, Skittles, Milo, Coco, Poppy, Boba, Sable, Munch. If you want gender-neutral vibes with a literary whisper, try Scout, Frodo, Darcy, or Bramble. For ultra-cute nicknames that can double as full names, think Mimi, Bibi, Lolo, or Toto — they all have that sing-song quality that kittens seem to respond to. If your kitten has a striking color or personality, tailor it: a grey, dreamy cat might suit Nimbus or Silver; a mischievous orange kitten could be Sunny or Marmalade. I also love giving cats food names because they’re forever charming — Biscuit, Pickle, Pretzel. My personal favorite at the moment is Mochi for a soft little white kitten; saying it makes me smile every time, and that’s half the fun of naming a pet.

Vintage lists thrill me because they feel like scavenger maps for lost characters. I start with big online archives and then chase footnotes. The first place I check is specialized databases like the Big Cartoon DataBase and 'Cartoon Research', where contributors have painstakingly cataloged obscure shorts, one-offs, and studio rosters. Wikipedia's category pages can be surprisingly deep — search for studio names, release years, or voice actors to pull up rare listings. Archive.org and HathiTrust host digitized trade magazines and old fan zines that list cartoon titles you won't see in modern roundups. If I need physical verification I pore through library catalogs and vintage TV guides, or hit up collector markets on eBay and Etsy to spot odd titles on VHS or 16mm. Forums and niche Discord servers often have users who've compiled personal lists of regional or pre-code cartoons. I also keep a running spreadsheet so I can tag entries by year, country, studio, and whether I’ve actually seen the short. Hunting rare names is half research, half luck, and I never get tired of finding a gem like an obscure 'Betty Boop' spin-off — it always feels like a proper little win.

There's a cheeky energy that makes cartoon-cat names feel like they were tailor-made for a rowdy tabby, and I love throwing together lists for that exact vibe. If my tabby were a character in 'Tom and Jerry', I'd call him 'Tom' with a grin — it's classic, chase-ready, and comes with slapstick potential. 'Sylvester' from the old 'Looney Tunes' shows has that lisping, scheming charm that fits a cat who always thinks he's one whisker away from a big score. 'Cheshire' (a nod to 'Alice in Wonderland') suits a cat who disappears, reappears, and leaves smug little toothy smiles behind. For a more sarcastic, lounge-around-but-make-trouble style, 'Garfield' is perfect even if your tabby is more into mischief than lasagna. I once named a foster tabby 'Salem' after 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' because he loved stealing socks and plotting late-night raids on the pantry. Other fun picks: 'Felix' for the mischievous classic, 'Jiji' from 'Kiki's Delivery Service' for a smaller, snarky type, or 'Hobbes' for an energetic tabby who doubles as a stuffed tiger in your lap. When I pick a name, I try it out like a costume for a week — some names grow into the cat, others flounce away. In the end, the one that makes me laugh first thing in the morning usually wins.

I keep a running shortlist of cat names inspired by anime because every new show seems to drop the perfect little moniker into my brain. Some are literal — the cameo pets from big series — and some are just inspired by a character’s vibe. If your cat is elegant and nocturnal, 'Luna' or 'Artemis' from 'Sailor Moon' are obvious picks; for a sassy little black cat, 'Jiji' from 'Kiki's Delivery Service' nails it. I also love 'Chi' from 'Chi's Sweet Home' for kittens that are tiny and curious, and 'Kirara' from 'Inuyasha' for a fluffy, two-tailed vibe. Beyond the obvious, there are so many playful or cool options: 'Nyanko' or 'Madara' (the big grumpy cat in 'Natsume's Book of Friends') if your kitty has personality; 'Happy' or 'Carla' from 'Fairy Tail' for chatty, affectionate cats; 'Meowth' or 'Persian' from 'Pokémon' for a cat that looks like it’s plotting world domination. If you want something quirky, 'Bananya' (the banana-cat) is perfect for a silly lap cat, and 'Gatomon' from 'Digimon' works well for a brave little hunter. I usually match the name to appearance and temperament — 'Shiro' for white cats, 'Kuro' for black ones, or 'Tama' for a classic Japanese-flavored name. Adding a cutesy suffix like -chan or a nickname (Lunu for 'Luna', Jiji → Ji) makes it cozier. I once called a mischievous orange tabby 'Sakamoto' after the talking cat in 'Nichijou' and it just fit like a glove. Naming cats after anime characters is half homage and half personality match, and I end up smiling every time I call them, which is the whole point to me.

Names like 'Garfield' or the Cheshire Cat do half the character work for you — they set a mood, a speed, and a snack preference before the first scene. For me, cartoon cat names land on a spectrum from blunt descriptors to sly irony. A name like 'Garfield' telegraphs lazy, lasagna-loving sarcasm; you expect slow smiles and barbed one-liners. Contrast that with 'Puss in Boots' — you picture swagger, charm, and dramatic swordplay. Even short, classic names like 'Tom' bring to mind non-stop chase energy and slapstick resilience because of the legacy of 'Tom and Jerry'. I also notice that visual style and voice inform name choices. Big, round, soft cats often get cutesy, friendly names; sleek, angular designs get sharper, edgier names. Mystical or eccentric cats end up with names that hint at otherworldliness — think of the nameless smirk of the Cheshire Cat in 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' or the knowing dry wit of 'Salem' from 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch'. Those names shape how we interpret their actions; a cryptic name invites us to read their scenes twice. On a practical fan note, I love how these names influence cosplay or pet naming. Naming a real cat 'Jiji' or 'Felix' already nudges you toward certain behaviors and props in pictures. It’s playful shorthand: the name suggests a personality script you can dress it up with, whether you’re writing fanfic, making comics, or just scrolling through late-night memes. Personally, it makes me smile to watch a tiny, sassy cat live up to a big, storied name.

If you love hunting down weird, forgotten shows as much as I do, start with the big fan-run databases. The Big Cartoon DataBase and sites like Toonopedia collect credits, production years, studios and often have entries for half-forgotten short series. I also lean heavily on the Lost Media Wiki when a title is truly obscure — people there track down commercials, pilots, and local broadcast-only cartoons that never made it to home video. For deeper, old-school research I pull books off the shelf like 'Of Mice and Magic' and 'The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons' because those bibliographies and studio histories point to tiny studios and one-off specials you won't find in modern streaming catalogs. Beyond those sources, don't sleep on archives: the Internet Archive hosts old TV reels, foreign TV imports, and user-uploaded VHS captures. Local library microfilm or a Newspapers.com subscription can be gold — TV listings, ad blurbs and program schedules often name cartoons by episode descriptions or weird, out-of-print titles. eBay and auction listings for VHS tapes can also reveal names; sellers sometimes label tapes with whatever the local station printed. If a show’s voice actor or a production company is known, follow those credits to uncover other obscure titles. I get a kick out of the chase: posting a fuzzy screenshot in a forum, following a lead from a 1970s TV guide, or finally finding a soundtrack snippet that names the program. The communities you find along the way — collectors on Discord, Reddit threads, Facebook groups or retro animation forums — will happily trade leads, scans, and sometimes even rip an old tape for you. It’s a rabbit hole, but the tiny euphoria when a mystery title clicks into place is unbeatable.