Heads of the Pet Food Manufacturers Association (PFMA) say this means the UK now has 17million households with pets, with the majority owning a cat or dog – or the of them.
Of course, once you’ve decided to add a feline friend to your family, there remains the tricky question of what to call your new furry friend.
Insurance company GoCompare has researched the most popular cat names.
1. Moon
Perhaps surprisingly, the most popular name for a new kitten during lockdown was also the most popular puppy name – Luna. It means “moon” in Latin.
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2. Milo
Milo is the second most popular cat name in the UK. There’s even a famous feline Milo – the titular kitten character in the 1986 film ‘The Adventures of Milo and Otis’.
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3. Simba
It’s perhaps no surprise that Simba is a popular choice since it’s the name of one of Hollywood’s best-known cat characters – the Lion King himself.
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4. Nala
Another Lion King character, Nala is the fourth most popular lock kitten name and was Simba’s best friend. Another cat called Nala has 4.3 million followers on Instagram.
Photo: Canva/Getty Images