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These 21 Cute Cat Names Are Lucky & So Fitting For Your 2019 Kitty

Do your plans for 2019 include adding a new cat to your home? That would certainly be an auspicious start to the year, for human and animal both. But once you bring your fur baby home, you'll want to give it just the right name, because naming a pet is just as important as naming a baby. So give some thought to giving your cat a unique name for 2019.

Choosing a new pet for the new year is a terrific choice, and adoption agencies such as Best Friends help to make it even easier for new owners by offering discount adoption fees in early January. You could play it safe and give your cat an everyday name; according to Kitty Catter, the most popular cat names for 2019 include Oliver, Max, Lily, Sophie, Milo, and Rocky. But why go for the commonplace (especially since so many of those names appear on the roster of your average kindergarten class today)? There are lots of names that are not only distinctive, but also appropriate to the coming year: names pertaining to luck and fortune, as well as to upcoming TV shows and movies that everyone will be talking about. Two of the movies are even about cats, so you can't get much more perfect than that.

Here's a list to get you started, and best of luck in finding just the perfect name that your new cat will promptly ignore when you call it!

Piggy

February 2019 will launch the Lunar New Year, which this year will be the Year of the Earth Pig, according to the Chinese New Year website. People born in Pig years are tolerant, persistent, and enjoy the good things in life, so if your cat is the mellow type (and a bit of a glutton), this would suit it nicely.

Dumpling

If your cat is a small, round bundle of cuteness, you could name it after this traditional Chinese New Year food. Eating dumplings is considered lucky because their shape resembles ancient Chinese silver and gold ingots, and fillings such as eggs and meat represent wealth.

Alita

2019 will usher in a whole slew of much-anticipated movies, which should give you plenty of inspiration when you're trying to name your new puss. One of them is the James Cameron-produced Alita: Battle Angel, based on a popular manga series. Great name for a kitten who can bravely face down any catnip mouse that comes its way.

Dumbo

If your new cat has a heart as big as its fuzzy ears, you could name it for Disney's most beloved baby elephant, which is getting a reboot in 2019 under the direction of Tim Burton.

Captain Marvel

People will be lining up for blocks to watch the adventures of the latest Marvel superhero (yay, girl power!). Your heroic cat could be named for Carol Danvers' alter ego for the way she leaps from sofa to scratching post and stares down the family dog.

Simba

Hakuna matata! Yes, this name does rank among the most popular cat names of the year, but with the remake of The Lion King set to hit theaters in summer 2019, it only makes sense to name your own little wildcat after the cub who claims his royal destiny.

Mufasa

For a cat more regal than mischievous, you could go with the name of the Pride Rock patriarch, who teaches his son that he has a place in the great Circle of Life.

Nala

To give a little equal time to the ladies of the movie, a female 2019 cat could be named for either Simba's mate or for his mother, Sarabi.

Roswell

The coming year will herald the arrival of lots of TV shows you'll be putting on your must-watch list. Among them: The CW's Roswell, New Mexico, a reboot of the popular show about aliens trying to blend in with the human population of a town known for its UFO sightings. If your cat seems to come from another planet, this name would be a great fit.

Marcus

Syfy was so psyched about their new series Deadly Class that they offered a sneak peek of the premiere before the New Year. Why not name your fierce furry hunter after the young orphan star who's recruited into an elite academy for the children of famous killers?

Saya

If your new female cat loves to attack anything in her path (wads of paper, catnip toys, your ankles...), you could name her for Lana Condor's character in Deadly Class, a member of the Kuruoki Syndicate who sponsors Marcus as he trains at the Kings Dominion academy.

Fauna

Yet another show everyone will be talking about in '19 will be TNT's original drama, I Am the Night, based on the infamous Black Dahlia murder of 1947. Your mysterious cat could be named for the teen girl in the series who pairs with a reporter (Chris Pine, sighhh) to unravel the clues.

Dahlia

Got a black cat? Already planning to stream I Am the Night? Boom. Naming: solved.

Jellicle

Broadway buffs will be marking their calendars for the first-ever film adaptation of the hit musical Cats, due out in December 2019. If you're one of them, get in the spirit by naming your kitty after the band of cats called the Jellicles, who dance and sing their way around a junkyard once a year.

Grizabella

For 2019 cat adopters who have a soft spot for the kitties no one else wants, a purr-fect namesake would be the outcast leading lady of Cats. Grizabella is shunned by the Jellicles until she belts out "Memory" and wins everyone's heart. Oh, and Jennifer Hudson will be playing her in the new movie. So there's that.

Bombalurina

Your lithe and flirtatious cat will love being named after the character Taylor Swift will be playing in Cats, according to People. Actually, there's a chance she'll be playing Demeter, who sings a famous number with Bombalurina. So you've got options.

Gus

Seriously, we could do a whole cat-name story on the cast of Cats alone, but we'll stop with this one: Ian McKellen's character, a senior kitty who recalls his glory days as a stage performer.

Neko

Ever see those little cat statues with the waving paws in an Asian restaurant or store? They're called maneki neko, which means "beckoning cat" in Japanese. According to Catster, maneki neko are a symbol of good luck, so this would be a great name for your new cat if you're hoping for a lucky year. Each cat's color represents something different, which makes it even cooler. Calico is the luckiest of all, while a gold cat represents wealth. A black cat drives off evil spirits, and a white cat is said to bring happiness.

Juju

Another luck-associated name for your New Year cat could be this Nigerian term for a lucky energy that is sometimes transferred to an object, per Urban Dictionary. Hopefully, your cat will bring good juju into your life.

Zemi

Your good-luck 2019 kitty will purr at this unusual-but-cute name, which is the word for a lucky amulet used by the Taino tribe of the Caribbean, explained PetHelpful.

Hygge

Finally, what better name for a new furry friend who'll curl up on your lap on cold winter nights? The Danish word (pronounced "hoo-ga," according to Country Living) describes that priceless feeling of comfort and contentment in simplicity. And in the end, isn't that what cats are all about?

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