Rita

Rita is most commonly a short form of Margarita (Margaret), from Greek Margarites meaning 'pearl.' It is also used in some traditions as a form of names from Sanskrit rita, meaning 'truth, right order' or 'divine law.' Saint Rita of Cascia, the 15th-century Italian saint, is the patron of impossible causes.

Rita is a name that has been worn by remarkable women — Rita Hayworth, Rita Moreno, Saint Rita of impossible causes — and that history gives it a lived-in glamour that more recent names simply cannot replicate. On a pet it works with particular charm for female cats, where the slightly vintage Hollywood connotation suits animals who move through the household with a natural star quality. Rita is the kind of name that sounds like it has a story attached, which tends to be accurate: pets who end up named Rita usually have one.