Mini-quiz: apodos para mascotas (España)

In Spain, "misi" is the classic vocative form people use to call a cat: "misi, misi". "Minino" is affectionate but neutral, "michi" came from Latin American internet memes, and "lomito" is used for dogs.

"Minino" is affectionate and classic; "misi" is more often used as a way to call a cat; "michi" is internet slang; "lomito" is used for a dog, not a cat. In Spain, "misi/minino" are the traditional options for a cat, while "michi/lomito" come from meme culture.

"Misi" is the traditional vocative form and sounds very natural for older people. "Minino" is affectionate and neutral; "michi" is a Latin American meme; "lomito" is used for a dog. These differences are described in our collection on colloquial Spanish about pets.

Among young people on Spanish-speaking internet, "michi" (a Latin American meme) is very common, while "minino/misi" are more “offline classics”. "Lomito" is a meme word for dogs, not for cats. This is mentioned directly in the section on onomatopeyas y memes: "michino/misi/minino" – classic calling words; "michi/lomito" – spread through social networks.

"Lomito" is a warm meme-word for a little dog that has spread through Spanish social media; older generations don’t usually use it. Offline in Spain people would normally say "perrete/perrito". For a breakdown of "lomito" as internet slang and "perrete" as a local affectionate form, see the guía de coloquialismos sobre mascotas and the section on "perrete".

"Lomito" is specifically used for a dog (in meme/internet style). "Misi", "minino" and "michi" are used for cats (traditional and/or internet). See the differences highlighted in our section on animals and memes.

In relaxed offline speech, "minino" sounds natural and affectionately neutral. "Misi" is more for calling the cat; "michi" is a word from social-media memes; "lomito" is used for a dog. These guidelines appear in the section on classic onomatopoeias and internet slang applied to pets.