From a precocious kitten called Mr Fantastic to Boofy the gentle giant Staffy, Horsham People for Animal Welfare and Support name hundreds of animals every year.

Horsham PAWS’ cat co-ordinator Penny Stemp said with litter after litter being brought to her in kitten season, she would name more than 130 cats a year. 

She said she tries to give each cat a unique name but with so many to name inspiration can be difficult. 

“Usually I look for a theme among the litter,” she said.

“I named one litter after horses we’d had, other times I just think about what I’ve done that day, who I’ve seen.

“We’ve got one at the moment called Mr Fantastic – he’s a real dare devil.

“He turned up before Christmas and was only four weeks old but he was such a confident plucky thing.

“He’s walk around the cattery with the adult cats just strutting his stuff so we looked for a superhero name.”

Ms Stemp said they’ve had cats called Batcat, plenty of ginger ningas and even Menzies, after the Wimmera nursing home manor.

“I do most of the kittens and litters so i’d come up with 130 names a year easy,” she said.

“It’s a lot of naming duties so sometimes someone will pop in to look at the kittens and i’ll say I haven’t named the litter you do it now,” she said. 

Both Ms Stemp and Horsham PAWS’ dog co-ordinator Carolyn Stow said names can play a role in helping a pet find their perfect home.

Ms Stow said some dogs who have been surrendered come pre-named and microchipped but not un-microchipped animals PAWS tries to showcase positive traits, like a pup called Cheeky.

“When naming we look at personality and interact with them to try and come up with a name,” she said.

“Sometimes they’ve been in the pound and the officers have given them a name.”