measi's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Naming of Cats The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter, It isn't just one of your holiday games; You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES. First of all, there's the name that the family use daily, Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James, Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey-- All of them sensible everyday names. There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter, Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames: Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter-- But all of them sensible everyday names. But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular, A name that's peculiar, and more dignified, Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular, Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride? Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum, Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat, Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum- Names that never belong to more than one cat. But above and beyond there's still one name left over, And that is the name that you never will guess; The name that no human research can discover-- But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess. When you notice a cat in profound meditation, The reason, I tell you, is always the same: His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name: His ineffable effable Effanineffable Deep and inscrutable singular Name. ~ T.S. Eliot Little One (temporary nickname) is male... and yes, we're sure this time... between four and five weeks old, and weighs a pound and a quarter. His lungs and heart sound strong and healthy. He's alert, quite friendly, and active. Had some worm problems in his tummy, but the vet just gave him deworming fluid and said it's pretty typical with kittens, and especially ones that were outside. One of the topics of conversation we had last night was how uncanny the resemblance is between Fizzy and Little One. Same color, same white splotches, even the same faint, mink-brown stripes and glow reddish brown in sunlight. If I didn't know better, I'd say Little One was the one kitten in a litter from Fizz who got her coloring. But of course, that's not the case, with Fizz being neutered... not to mention she hasn't been outside. Little One still doesn't have a name. Erich, LGM and I all threw some names out last night, but it's tough to pick a name that fits until you see the personality of the cat. Things we're avoiding, if at all possible: ~ names beginning in a hard K sound. I've had so many animals that started with that (Katie, Callie, Kelim, Kashan, Kulah, Colorado) that it's somewhat off limits. ~ Nicknames ending in an -ie or -ey. Same reason (Katie, Callie, Kulie, Colley, Bigi, Archie, Fizzy) Names that have been tossed around: Chance, Lucky, Othello, Odysseus, Prospero, Shadow, Agememnon, Augustus, Drizzt, various names from T.S. Elliot... Until we know for sure, Little One, I suppose, will do. I like more unique, colorful names for pets... and then have personal nicknames for them... most pets, I find, have at least a couple nicknames. I blame my mom for the love of unusual names for pets. My mom named four of our cats, 3 Himalayins and one Persian, from an oriental rug book (Kashan, Kelim, Bijar, and Kula). Archie, was named because that's ALL HE DID for the first few days we had him-- it just fit. Katie was Lady Katherine something or other. She was a purebred and papered Collie dog-- looked just like Lassie. Colley was not of my doing. He was named (and recognized his name) Colorado before I got him. Fizzy thankfully withstood a slight name change due to the gender mix up, going from Mephisto to Mephista. But what to name this little guy... I guess time will tell, eh? 10:12 a.m. - 29 August 2003 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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