The ASPCA is on a hunt for the “Best Kitten Name Ever,” and it just might be Covfefe.
The Manhattan-based adoption center launched a contest on Monday asking the public to help name one lucky shelter kitten.
With kitten season (a spring breeding period) leaving hundreds of newborns in need of forever homes, the ASPCA opened the contest earlier in the month in hopes of encouraging New Yorkers to bring home their next furry friend. Bonus: June marked the start of Adopt a Shelter Cat Month.
“During kitten season, shelters rely heavily on members of their community to volunteer, foster and adopt,” said Rena Lefaille, the administrative manager of the ASPCA’s midtown adoption center. “… We hope fun and creative contests like this will encourage people to get involved.”
After receiving 1,370 name submissions from the public, the ASPCA narrowed down the top four so far: Gizmo, Henry, Whiskers and Covfefe. Not Coffee. Not Confetti. Covfefe.
The name may be odd, but it’s not surprising. The contest opened a few days after President Donald Trump sent out a tweet that confused the nation, so the potential kitten name is based on his mysterious middle-of-the-night tweet. The president used the term when he tweeted, “Despite the constant negative press covfefe.” After thousands of retweets, memes and GIFs, the word quickly began trending all over the world.
“We anticipated that some names would reference topics or issues currently prevalent in pop culture, such as Covfefe,” said Lefaille.
Yes, if Covfefe wins, one adoptable kitten will actually don the moniker.
“No one knows the true meaning of the word, but ‘cute, fluffy kitten’ seems like a good one,” Lefaille added.
You can enter your name idea at aspca.org/bestkittennameever now. The winning name and lucky kitten are set to be announced on June 23.
The ASPCA is also encouraging cat lovers in the city to share a photo of their favorite rescue cat on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #AdoptYourBFF for a chance to win a T-shirt signed by Fifth Harmony’s Ally Brooke. And throughout the month of June, the organization has plenty of adult cats and kittens available for adoption. The cats come spayed or neutered with vaccines, a microchip and a collar.
“When you adopt a shelter cat, you are not only saving a life, but you are freeing up valuable space for more animals in the shelter,” Lefaille said.
To learn more about how to get involved, visit your local shelter or go to aspca.org/adopt.
