CENTRAL NEW YORK (WSYR-TV) — A cat from Corning, N.Y., and a rabbit from Norwich, N.Y., were recently announced as finalists in Nationwide's “Wacky Pet Names” contest for unique names.
The finalists for “Wacky Pet Names”, announced on Tuesday, April 9, include “Skullcrusher,” a short-haired mixed cat from Corning, and “Thor the Bander God,” a blonde Holland Lop rabbit from Norwich. Contains “Odin Bun”.
Every year, Nationwide's Pet Insurance team recognizes some of the smartest and craziest names for pets recently registered by Pet Insurance Leaders..
In addition to the traditional cat and dog categories, this year's National Exotic Pet category includes macaws, guinea pigs, snakes, turtles, miniature pigs, tegu lizards, ferrets, rabbits, and more.
The name Skullcrusher is quite a name, and pet parent and Nationwide member Jamie N. said the name came from the name of his shelter.
“His shelter's name was Skully, and it was cute…but my partner wanted to brainstorm some alternatives. Jokingly, the first thing he said was, 'Skully. Crusher, Skull Crusher!” And that's just what stuck. There are no other names to compare with! ”
Although Skullcrusher sounds like the name of an aggressive, mean cat, Jamie quickly realized that Skullcrusher was more of a “heart melter” than anything else.
“Unfortunately, he had been in the shelter for over a year and they described him as 'aloof and unfriendly,'” Jamie said. “When we brought him home, we discovered that he was actually very ‘crusty and friendly,’ as my partner likes to say. This name is quite ironic as he is a very gentle cat who has never shown any signs of aggression.”
Jamie N., a Nationwide member since 2023, told Nationwide that she purchased pet insurance because she wanted the peace of mind that pet insurance provides.
“We want our pets to be healthy, but if something happens, we need to focus all of our efforts on helping them recover without worrying about veterinary bills.”
Before adopting the rabbit, pet parent Shilmi had planned to name him Thor Odinbun God of Bandar.
“My best friend and I came across a list of over 1,000 dog names created by Edward of Norwich, 2nd Duke of York in the 15th century. Inspired by this, we decided to create our own, not limited to dogs. I decided to make a list of pet names and the number will soon reach 600,” Shilmi said.
After making a list of pet names, Shilmi couldn't stop dreaming of naming her little blonde Holland Lop rabbit “Thor”, and soon that dream came true.
“As if I were the embodiment of it, the blonde Holland Lop rabbit came home again.'' I knew it was God.”
Even though Thor has proven to be a resilient little bunny, Shilmi still wanted her pet to be protected from unexpected situations. So she turned to Pet Protection Mjolnir, or nationwide pet insurance.
“I would never hesitate to save a pet's life. I know that investing in nationwide pet insurance is an investment in their future and well-being.” The peace of mind that comes from knowing that financial support is available is unparalleled.”
You can vote for Skullcrusher and Thor Odinbun until Friday, April 13th. The names of the top cats, dogs and exotic pets will be announced on his Wednesday, April 17th.