the naming of cats
Aug. 20th, 2001 09:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pywacketHow did you get your cat's names--of course they "told" you (or agreed with your choices) but was there a particular way you got to the names?
I'll tell mine.
Hotspur is my favorite (and under-rated) character in my favorite (and under-rated) Shakespearian History play 1 Henry IV. I wrote papers upon papers about his character when everyone else devoted time to Prince Hal--an obvious and easy choice in my opinion.
Mr. Newguise is more round about. I had a cat back in Arkansas, named baby Jesus. He was incontinent (would never use a box) so when I moved I had to give him to a friend with a farm where he froliced and pooed outdoors happily. Mr. Newguise followed me home one night from the donut shop on a Tenderloin corner that was a front for prostitutes. I was leaning down talking to the wee tuxedo guy when a HUGE german hooker came up and said--YOU TAKE SIE KITTIE? I said yes, if he followed me home, which he did, down the block, around the corner and up the two flights of stairs to the pathetic studio apartment in Hell. I named him Baby N Judas after the train I road all the time and because of baby Jesus. I was corrected about my 'racism' by someone (black judas goat apparently, but gee that wasn't the point and he was a jellicle)So I started calling him Judee. He is a girlie boy anyway but I got tired of correcting everyone (yes i KNOW he's a boy, but you tell HIM that) and one day, after reading MANKIND (one of my favorite medieval morality plays) and the pronunciation could sound close to Judee (noogeeze) and it just happened one day.
Miss Ninny's super special breed name is Lumen's Jennyanydots Calliope. Yeah like I'm going to get to call her that--I did get to pick out the name, from my favorite muse and The Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats but of course it wasn't practical to call her that long name. I had a dream about her when she was a kitten, riding around on a fire truck, ringing the little bell (she was a holy terror) "ning ning ning ning" and then she did something very silly so I called her a ninny, which fit better than Jenny and she was trying to be a lady (which she did grow into, a crotchety old lady) and she became Miss Ninny, everyone's maiden aunt.
Zachary was going to be Bertram because of a dream I had, but I came across the name Zachary and took it with a list of other names to meet him, with James in the airport in Orange County. We tried calling him Bertram on the way home, but it was too calm, and pretty soon I started heaing in my head "I'm ZACH!" so he became Zachary Bertram and it fits perfectly, his fancy name is Hyecatz Zachary Bertram. It's kind of a space age name too, very effective when he's playing invader Zim games (I'm Zak!!! prepare my bladder for imminent release!).
Mr. Teatime was all James. I had a list of Irish Boys names that meant things like 'gift"
and 'protected' and 'rescued'. But James saw his picture called him Mr. Teatime (we both love the discworld novels (thanks Andrew!)but we pronounce it Tea-time and not
teh-ah-teem-ah, as in the book HogFather . I wasn't sure another cat was the best idea, but once named and we knew it was the right name, he was destined to become Zach's bane.
There you have it. So how did you name YOUR cats?
I'll tell mine.
Hotspur is my favorite (and under-rated) character in my favorite (and under-rated) Shakespearian History play 1 Henry IV. I wrote papers upon papers about his character when everyone else devoted time to Prince Hal--an obvious and easy choice in my opinion.
Mr. Newguise is more round about. I had a cat back in Arkansas, named baby Jesus. He was incontinent (would never use a box) so when I moved I had to give him to a friend with a farm where he froliced and pooed outdoors happily. Mr. Newguise followed me home one night from the donut shop on a Tenderloin corner that was a front for prostitutes. I was leaning down talking to the wee tuxedo guy when a HUGE german hooker came up and said--YOU TAKE SIE KITTIE? I said yes, if he followed me home, which he did, down the block, around the corner and up the two flights of stairs to the pathetic studio apartment in Hell. I named him Baby N Judas after the train I road all the time and because of baby Jesus. I was corrected about my 'racism' by someone (black judas goat apparently, but gee that wasn't the point and he was a jellicle)So I started calling him Judee. He is a girlie boy anyway but I got tired of correcting everyone (yes i KNOW he's a boy, but you tell HIM that) and one day, after reading MANKIND (one of my favorite medieval morality plays) and the pronunciation could sound close to Judee (noogeeze) and it just happened one day.
Miss Ninny's super special breed name is Lumen's Jennyanydots Calliope. Yeah like I'm going to get to call her that--I did get to pick out the name, from my favorite muse and The Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats but of course it wasn't practical to call her that long name. I had a dream about her when she was a kitten, riding around on a fire truck, ringing the little bell (she was a holy terror) "ning ning ning ning" and then she did something very silly so I called her a ninny, which fit better than Jenny and she was trying to be a lady (which she did grow into, a crotchety old lady) and she became Miss Ninny, everyone's maiden aunt.
Zachary was going to be Bertram because of a dream I had, but I came across the name Zachary and took it with a list of other names to meet him, with James in the airport in Orange County. We tried calling him Bertram on the way home, but it was too calm, and pretty soon I started heaing in my head "I'm ZACH!" so he became Zachary Bertram and it fits perfectly, his fancy name is Hyecatz Zachary Bertram. It's kind of a space age name too, very effective when he's playing invader Zim games (I'm Zak!!! prepare my bladder for imminent release!).
Mr. Teatime was all James. I had a list of Irish Boys names that meant things like 'gift"
and 'protected' and 'rescued'. But James saw his picture called him Mr. Teatime (we both love the discworld novels (thanks Andrew!)but we pronounce it Tea-time and not
teh-ah-teem-ah, as in the book HogFather . I wasn't sure another cat was the best idea, but once named and we knew it was the right name, he was destined to become Zach's bane.
There you have it. So how did you name YOUR cats?
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Gentle Giant Ashes - Russian Blue weighing in a 19 lbs, but will lick your feet until you tell him to stop..
Shubunkin da Punkin - A shubunkin is a Japanese carp, like Koi.. I just thought it would be kinda cute to be calling "Shuuuuuu-beeeeeeeeeeeee..." Of course now he has Shuberunkin de punkin, shubes, shuby dooby the boobie, snoobs, boobs, shoo doo the boo, boo.. :)
Lady Sassafras Rustbucket - The only girl! She a cross between a ginger tabby and a red tabby, giving her the rusty colour.. and Sassy because when I got her, she was sitting in my shoulder, and in PetSmart, she farted on my face and ran under a shelf.. it took myself and 3 clerks to get her out.. on the advice of the clerks, I got her nails trimmed right away.. :)
Dodsworth - from the cartoon... :)
Bagel T. Huffnagle (passed away).. - BIG Scottish Fold lady that had a circle on her side.. I was eating a bagel trying to figure out a name for her, and she started licking my cream cheese.. she was a beautiful girl, and answered to Bagwoman, Bagley bagley, Bagelstee, Bagelschmee, Teabag, Bagels Thelma.. :)
.. and I won't go in to total detail, but my friend's sisters dogs were Fred, Valentine, Taxicab, and Squidget.