The things people call cats.

[Snoof]

During the 3 years I lived in America, I had a big black cat. He'd been thrown out of a car as a kitten, and the woman who saw it happen and nursed him back to health worked all the time so she felt it would be fairer to give him to me (as I stayed at home all day). He was the single soppiest cat I have known to date, and I named him Dishrag because the second you picked him up he would drape himself across you He was the sweetest little guy, and always treated with love and respect.

I was told by a few people that it was a "cruel" name and that I was an awful person for calling him it. One woman came into my own home, met my cat (my mother-in-law brought her in) and had a half-hour rant at me about it.

Similarly, in Dutch, an animal (usually, for this term, a dog) of mixed race is an animal of "vuilnisbakkenras" (bin-race, literally). Some people think it's cruel if you call an animal this.

And finally, I occasionally call my pets names that would not be acceptable among humans, but affectionately.

I would argue that intent and tone of voice are the only things the animals are aware of, and that it doesn't matter if some word might be an insult to humans as they have no grasp on the entire vocabulary of any given human language.

However, it is to some extent true that language shapes society - but as this pertains directly to the person using the terms (and as any children raised by that person will pick up the behaviours rather than form their own based on the words used) I don't think that applies here.

Thoughts?

[Hreow]

It's all the animal is aware of, I'd agree. I'd choose my language to protect the ears and dignity of those in my surroundings, though. I don't think it is cruel to call an animal anything; They don't know. As long as they are treated well, spoken to softly when they're good and firmly when doing something you won't allow (not that they *care* but for the distinction) they'll be perfectly happy. Sticks and stones, I guess, and no pet feelings to hurt by mere words.
People use derogative terms to mates as well as... oh, I don't know "terms of endearment" (koosnaampjes). It's all in the tone. (And again, I suppose, the surroundings understanding the difference and not calling the police.)

[Snoof]

Well, I call Matt "monkeyface" and have strangely been looked at angrily for calling Ninja my Monkeykitty. It's not like I use these terms in an angry or derogatory tone of voice - apparently simply the word is offensive even though Ninja doesn't know the difference.

[Donna]

I once worked with someone (who I hated) who had a jet black cat. He used to laugh and joke about the name he had decided upon for his cat. I cannot put it on here as it is very racist, and it did annoy me that he found it very amusing.

I think even though the cat has no idea of what a name means, it can be offensive for anyone overhearing it or being aware of it.

[Snoof]

Whoa, Donna. That doesn't sound very nice at all

I don't think a pet name should ever be used to insult anyone - but I don't think "Dishrag" could possibly insult anyone whereas if the man you mentioned called his cat what I think he called him, he's just being a racist **** (substitute stars for pretty much any rude four-letter word you fancy) and using the cat to insult black people.

[dandysmom]

Donna, I'm assuming that you're referring to what we here in the States call "the N word". When I was about 8 or 9, we went to visit my aunt who had a large black cat called "N**". My Mom, bless her, didn't have a racist bone in her body, & told me if I ever used that word she'd wash my mouth out with soap!!! Mind you, this was in the late thirties!! When discrimination was very common!! My Mom was a wonderful woman...always feel a little sad aroubd Mothers Day. What a horrible person that man must be

[Hreow]

But he's using the name to be unpleasant to other people - specifically to get at others. Surely that's not the same as calling your cat monkeykitty (or worse) in a loving voice? Same way "Dear" can be very loving, but also very patronising, depending on the intentions of the speaker.

[Julie84]

Have I missed something? How can Monkeykitty be offensive? Murphy is often called Stupid by my OH because of his very silly behaviour - but in a loving way, everyone loves him for his silly, and very amusing ways.

As Hreow says if a name is a way of insulting someone else, or some other group of people, then it is very wrong and would also be an insult towards that animal.

I often refer to my rats as vermin - but I don't find the term vermin offensive and anyone who might be offended or disapproving normally doesn't like rats in the first place so the battle is normally lost before it has begun. I don't see how people could specifically take offense from most names though - maybe I'm missing something?

I think some animals are easier to name than others though. When I was about 8 we got a family dog, a black labrador, and while we were waiting for him to grow up to leave his mummy we all thought of names for him. I really wanted to call him Blacky (because he was black!) but my dad didn't think it would be appropriate to shout Blacky across the park when he went for walks! In the end, my brother named him - Zach, after the black Power Ranger in his favourite tv show!

Regarding the 'N' word. My teenage sister listens to a lot of music by black people who seem to refer to themselves and each other by all these offensive terms (such as the N word) in their songs. Who is actually being offended by the use of the word? (Me being naive here I think! )

[Snoof]

Well, on occasion I have referred to him as "my lovely little bag of b***ards" or similar...

I also call the rats vermin In fact, on my website they are called "the coalition of rodent vermin"

[Julie84]

But I don't find that offensive at all really. It's not something that you are going to shout out over the garden fence after him is it?!