The Art of Naming Alexandria Shelter Animals

By Jack Frederick

Alexandria, VA – Vivien Bacon is never without her little book of names.

The Alexandria resident—who has volunteered at King Street Cats (KSC) for more than 20 years—always keeps the pocket notebook handy in her dark blue purse. It has dog-eared pages and a cover with a reminder to “Paws and Take Notes.”

Inside, she’s scribbled down dozens of potential monikers—mostly in blue ink—for the cats she has yet to meet. There’s Confetti and Cinnabon. Dude and Dustin. Raisin and Rainbow. Shrimp and Spud. Yoyo and Yogi.

While it may seem like a minor detail, deciding what to call them is an important first step toward helping animals in need. The only rule? “It has to be catchy,” Bacon said. “Sometimes, a name, though, just suits a cat.”

Each year, KSC takes in about 350 cats. Approximately 80 percent of them arrive nameless. Giving them a fitting title is tied directly to the purpose of the work. “A lot of cats or kittens get interest from the public for adoptions because of their names,” Bacon said.

Part of the fun of naming is that it can be inspired by virtually anything. KSC has named felines after Icelandic waterfalls, Harry Potter characters, and pasta shapes. The organization has had a blue-eyed cat called Frank Sinatra, a cat with a missing foot called Little Foot, and a recent litter of kittens that rode the wave of popularity behind Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters.

Olivia Benson, the protagonist of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and the namesake of one of Taylor Swift’s cats, became an Alexandria shelter star. “People related to that,” Bacon said. “You’d be amazed at how many people came just to see her.”

KSC volunteer Patti Gross particularly enjoys coming up with themes for kittens. “I have to admit, I do a lot of names based on what I happen to be streaming at that point in time,” Gross said. “I’ve been [watching] a lot of BritBox lately, so we’ve had a lot of British kittens.” These include Cyril, Nigel, Cora, Hugh, and Rupert (pictured).

While shelter names don’t always stick in an animal’s story, sometimes they do. In August 2024, Sarah Burt and Cam Keenan of Arlington adopted Jake from State Farm at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria.

“He doesn’t wear outfits, otherwise I’d definitely put khakis on him,” Burt said. “He does wear a raincoat when it’s raining.”

When the couple first adopted him, the plan was for Jake to be renamed Josiah Bartlett, after the president on The West Wing. But Jake turned out to fit his personality. “It was a good name,” Keenan said.

A year and a half later, the 12-pound scruffy pup is partial to his red ball, carrots, and going on adventures in a backpack.

It’s not always clear why animals are named what they are at AWLA. The 80-year-old institution relies on 500 volunteers to care for more than 2,000 animals annually, ranging from cats and dogs to rabbits, chinchillas, and even iguanas or bearded dragons.

“I try to do silly names,” said adoptions coordinator Antonia Bustamante, whose favorite name given has been Paper Clip for a cat. “I find it entertaining. It’s one of the nice parts of the job.”

Within the last month, AWLA has cared for Toadette and Boooo, mother and daughter guinea pigs; a black cat called Vader; and a litter of Christmas puppies named Snowball, Jingle, Mistletoe, Twinkle, and Star.

Over time, the reasons behind the name may fade, but the life continues. Burt and Keenan aren’t sure how their dog became Jake. They do know he was rescued from the Carolinas around the time a hurricane hit.

Their best theory is that, maybe, some State Farm employees found him. “That’s a cute story, but I have no evidence of that happening,” Burt said.

What’s in a name? As it turns out, a little bit of mystery and a whole lot of love.