Shelter cat gets adopted by loving owner, immediately dubbed “onion boy” and joins the ranks of ridiculous nicknames cat parents swear by: “he just is an onion”

kalila courban

Mar 27, 2025 5:00 PM EDT

Hey cat lovers! You ever give your cat a dignified, sensible name only to never use it again? We're talking "Sir Whiskers the Third" on paper but "Tootie Bootie" in real life. It turns out this is basically a rite of passage for cat parents everywhere. Today, we're highlighting some of the most ridiculous, heartfelt, and downright bizarre nicknames that started with good intentions and ended with things like "Stinky Onion Boy."

That's right. Lucky the shelter cat was adopted on a whim and now lives life as Onion Boy, simply because, according to his human, "he's built like an onion, he stinks like an onion, he looks like an onion." Another cat named Sakura somehow ended up with the nickname "Stinky," which sparked an entire household debate and eventual rebranding to "Binky" (though her mom still calls her Stinky on principle).

Why do we do this? Because cats demand quirky affection and their personalities practically beg for weird little jingles and seventeen-layered nicknames. So if you're out here shouting "Weirdo" or "Chonky Boo" into the void, just know you're not alone. Join the club and let your cat know how much you love them with a ridiculous nickname they'll never understand.

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01
Did you give your cat a "real" name but only call them by nicknames?

via earthbound-angel
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" My cat’s real name is Lucky which is fitting."

via mil02022
"I thought he was a lucky cat since I wasn’t planning on adopting him, but I got suckered into adopting him from the shelter even though I wanted a kitten. The shelter told me I was the first person interested in him and that he had been there the longest and no one else wanted him.
Nowadays, I call him Onion Boy. He just reminds me of an onion—I don’t know how to explain it. He’s built like an onion, he stinks like an onion, he looks like an onion—he’s just a stinky onion that sickens me with his stinky onion breath every morning."
03
"Real name, Vex. But always call him Bean."

via gaderwist
04
"Jeremy."

via WorkingDiscussion240

"Otherwise known as Jez, Jerry, Cherry (my niece's pronunciation that has stuck), Jelly, Jezza, Jezzy, Chezzy. 18 years old next month anf still as handsome as ever!"
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"Theo aka Cuddy Buddy & Louis aka Big Boi"

via Zealousideal_Bad5583
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"Emmie goes but Minky as she's a snow Mink Bengal, Minkster, Minky Pinky Stinky ....and whatever name I come with on any given day."

via Laxit00
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"The original owner named her Bella."

via ILoveCoffee2244
"When she first joined our family, to us she was ‘The Cat.’ Now, I mostly call her Missy, but I interpret any larger word with ‘cat’ in it regularly. Cat-astrophe, Cat-erwaul, Cat-awba, Cat-erpillar, Cat-awampus. Never Bella unless we are at the vet!"
08
"Yes! My girl’s name is Gorda, but she also responds when I call her Kitten and Mimi so I just call her all three."

via tinted_peach
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"My cat is called Peggy but she has been known by a range of names including:"

via glassfury

"Peggles Pegs Pegleg Pegasus Pegasaurus (And most commonly) Pegglebutt
More recently, my Italian boyfriend has lovingly rechristened her as Peggonzola."
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