Places in the United States Named After Cats

Cats are wildly popular with many people. Cats are the second most popular pet found in U.S. households. In 2020, there were roughly 60 millions pet cats in the country, representing just over 26% of all households.

That love of all things feline also shows up in place names around the United States. According to the U.S. Board on Geographic Names there are 615 geographic features with “cat” in the name. These are geographic features such as towns, canals, valleys, islands, streams, and reservoirs.

Map of Geographic Features in the United States with “Cat” in the Name

Map showing the location of all geographic features in the United States that have "cat" in the name.
Map showing the location of all geographic features in the United States that have “cat” in the name.

The most popular geographic features to contain “cat” in the name are is stream (224 features), followed by valley (74), and summit (73).

Which States Have Places with “Cat” in the Name?

Texas leads the way with the most geographic place names that contain the word “cat”. New York has 31 places and Colorado ranks third with 25 geographic features with “cat” in the name. 48 states have at least one geographic features with “cat” in the name. This database doesn’t include counties and parish (Louisiana) names.

Only Hawaii and South Dakota don’t have any geographic features with “cat” in the name.

StateNumber of Geographic Features with “Cat”
Texas41
New York31
Colorado25
Oregon24
California23
Florida22
North Carolina21
Tennessee20
Idaho20
Utah19
New Mexico18
Arizona18
Georgia17
Kentucky17
Arkansas17
Maine16
Montana15
Oklahoma15
Massachusetts15
Alabama15
Virginia14
Nevada14
South Carolina14
Wisconsin13
Washington10
Mississippi10
Maryland10
Ohio10
Missouri10
Louisiana9
Alaska9
Kansas9
Illinois8
Michigan8
Minnesota8
Connecticut7
West Virginia7
New Jersey7
Rhode Island6
Pennsylvania6
Wyoming4
Indiana4
Delaware3
Nebraska3
New Hampshire3
Iowa2
Vermont1
North Dakota1
Source: U.S. Board on Geographic Names.

Historical Maps with Cat in the Name

This 1909 map shows Wild Cat Township located in Riley County in Kansas. Wild Cat Township currently has about 750 residents.

1909 map showing the township of Wild Cat in Riley County, Kansas.
1909 map showing the township of Wild Cat in Riley County, Kansas. Source: LOC.gov.

References

Larkin, M. (2021, November 17). Pet population still on the rise, with fewer pets per household. AVMA. https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/post/news/pet-population-still-on-the-rise–with-fewer-pets-per-household.xml

Related

Share this article: