Pet Names

Jennifer Aniston has Norman the corgi-terrier and Nicole Ritchie has exotic Chi-Chi-Cheetah the Bengal cat. A review by Nestlè Purina PetCare - one of the world's leading pet care companies - of information provided by over 270,000 customers in Australia, reveals their favourite cat and dog names.

The company, who manufactures pet food under brands such as FRISKIES, FANCY FEAST, PURINA ONE and BONNIE, has revealed that its customers' number one Australian dog name is Max, while Tiger is the most popular name for an Australian cat.

But while Australians often choose traditional names for their pets, our furry friends' names were also influenced by popular celebrities and events.

"Like naming children, names for pets go in and out of fashion," says Purina spokesperson, Sneha Patel.

"Just as celebrity commentators suspect that Shilo will become a popular girl's name in years to come, we're starting to see the emergence of names such as Tinkerbell, after Paris Hilton's now famous Chihuahua," she says.

Ms Patel says that other dog's names to emerge which had been made popular by celebrities included Lola - made popular by Jack Osborne's bulldog - and Daisy, the name of Jessica Simpson's Maltese.

Top 10 Dog Names
1. Max
2. Molly
3. Jack
4. Jessie
5. Bella
6. Sam
7. Lucy
8. Toby
9. Bonnie
10. Chloe

Top Ten Cat Names
1. Tiger
2. Puss

3. Smokey
4. Misty
5. Tigger
6. Kitty
7. Oscar
8. Missy
9. Max
10. Ginger