In Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats T.S. Eliot wrote “The Naming of Cats”:

The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
  It isn’t just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I’m as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.

First of all, there’s the name that the family use daily,
  Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,
Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey –
  All of them sensible everyday names.

There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,
  Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:
Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter –
  But all of them sensible everyday names.

But I tell you, a cat needs a name that’s particular,
  A name that’s peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he keep his tail perpendicular,
  Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?

Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,
  Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum –
  Names that never belong to more than one cat.

But above and beyond there’s still one name left over,
  And that is the name that you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discover –
  But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.

When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
  The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation
  Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:
    His ineffable effable
    Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name.

I name my children only after I come to understand their personalities, and it generally takes me a week or two.  Nicknames also develop during the formative and short time right after adoption, but they generally spring to life over months.  They, too, are born of gaining an understanding of who they are and what they’re about.

While I don’t claim to know the The Kids‘ “singular Names” as no human may know them, each of them is graced by me with a formal name and one or more nicknames.  Here are their various nicknames.  Some of them are linked to related posts; over time I will add something about each of them.

Grendel‘s nicknames are Sponge, Roly-Poly, Grendelkitty, and Grouch.

Loki‘s nicknames are Satan, Mr. Mouth, Lok (pronounced “loak”), Hunter, and Motor.

Kako‘s nicknames are Miss Thing, Pumpkin-Pumpkin (pronounced “punkin-punkin”), Woman, Lady, Sweetie Lady, Sweetie Girl, Hottie Momma, Miss Mouth, and Yoda.

Kazon‘s nicknames are Mr. Man, Baby, Da Baby, Baby Boy, Puppy, and Panther Kitty.

[shamelessly adapted from AmbivaBlog via Raising Up Sunshine]