A man like himself might have caused their banishment to this world and that required him to ensure their safety and well-being. He had a heart. He loved his cat . . . he could love!
It would have looked weird to me if I see a man . . . a powerful man like the king having such strong feelings toward a cat and I would have looked away immediately if I was on earth but I wasn't and this man could make anything good around him.
You could just say I was blinded by love to agree with the strong love my fiancé had for his cat. It was strong enough for him to force everyone in this world to have a cat. I would not have given them a simple name like that if I was in the position of the king.
