why are tom cats called tom cats?

[shaunzy]

Just wondered why tom cats are called tom cats lol

[fredpuli47]

In the Middle Ages, Tom , the abbreviated form of the name Thomas, was used to mean a representative of the ordinary common man, a name for an ordinary man. ('Tom, Dick and Harry' meaning any and every man is an elaboration of this ) From the mid-C18 Tom had moved on to being used, with a small 'T'' , for the male of various animals , notably the cat.

[Squitty]

I beg to differ - tom is short for tombola - in the middle ages it was illigal to buy or sell cats because they were considered a pest. So the street traders got around it by selling tickets. As they only sold one ticket per cat you were guaranteed a win. Male cats were more desirable because they caught more mice.

I appear to be in a frivolous mood today so you choose which story you like the best. ;-)

[wolf63]

Squitty
Sun 15/03/09
09:47 I beg to differ - tom is short for tombola - in the middle ages it was illigal to buy or sell cats because they were considered a pest ...

They are still considered to be pests - my two are definitely mega pests.

[wildwood]

Probably for the same reason that a male turkey is also a tom.... it is just one of those words that just developed and nobody knows for sure, except perhaps questionmonster who appear to have an extended holiday..

But it appears as if we are allowed to make up our own theory so mine is..... as originally only entire male cats were called toms and tom means twins it must refer to the presence of the orchises.

[fredpuli47]

Leaves us the question of why we call a cat which has a litter ' a queen' ! Any theories?

My answer above on 'tom' for tom (cat )was lifted verbatim , apart from the gloss on 'Tom, Dick and Harry', from the Oxford English Dictionary.

The OED is no help on 'queen (cat)', save to say that it dates, in print, from the late C17 and that, inter alia, 'queen' is also used for the reproductive female in some social animals ['queen bee' etc] and the female monarch or a woman who is pre-eminent.

[wildwood]

It sure is puzzling Fred. My understanding is that a 'queen' was only a female cat that is used in breeding programs. All other females were just... well, female cats.

Amazing that the most popular pet in the Western world hasn't got common proper gender indicating nomenclatures.