[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference misery::feline_v1

Title:Meower Power is Valuing Differences
Notice:FELINE_V1 is moving 1/11/94 5pm PST to MISERY
Moderator:MISERY::VANZUYLEN_RO
Created:Sun Feb 09 1986
Last Modified:Tue Jan 11 1994
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5089
Total number of notes:60366

134.0. "Name that Cat !!" by JANUS::FRASER () Thu Aug 22 1985 09:13

Hello cat-people, this is andy fraser from Reading, England (eureka:whoareyou
-#416). Our lilac-point Siamese is due to produce in a few weeks, and i'm
looking for suggestions for names for two kittens we'll be keeping.

 		Any good ideas out there?

			andy

T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
134.1EDEN::CWALSHThu Aug 22 1985 15:1813
What other cats do you have, and what are their names? 

My current cats all have names taken from Robert Heinlein's _Glory Road_, so I
have the Empress Star, Oscar Gordon, Rufo and Muri.  Others I know have taken
names from Tolkien, Anne McCaffrey's Pern series, etc.  Interestingly enough, 
most names like this seem to come from science fiction and fantasy series.  
Maybe because only high adventure is lively enough to capture the spirits of 
cats?

So, do you have a favorite fictional series?  Maybe you can get the names from 
there...

- Chris
134.2PEN::KALLISThu Aug 22 1985 17:2114
I sent a response, and the system crashed in the midst.  Many cat "owners"
lean to literary/history.  Examples from my cats:

Morgan (from _ le Fay, of the King Arthur stories)
Vivianne (one of the names of Merlin the Magician's girlfriend)
Nianinne (another     "     "   "     "     "         "       )
Angelica (Princess of Cathay in _Orlando Furioso_)
Karamaneh (wife of Dr. Hannibal Petrie, of the Fu Manchu stories)
Merlin (the Magician)
Morlock (mostly from the underground-dwellers in _The Time Machine_).

Hope these help.

Steve Kallis, Jr.
134.3USMRW1::JTRAVERSFri Aug 23 1985 11:557
Add Pywacket to the list.  The name comes from "Bell, Book and Candle"
starring James Stewart, Kim Novak, Jack Lemmon.  Bewitching siamese kitty casts
a spell on Stewart...the rest is history.

 ^_^
(>.<)
 ) (
134.4FRSBEE::ELLIOTTFri Aug 23 1985 12:0616
my cats' names all just came out of my head...they are (or were):

	Prumphrey (died 3 years ago)

	Miss Meagan (sister of Prumph)

	Rudi (Strudel) <----------
				   \
	Fritz (Schnitzel) <---------\
				     >these are optional middle
	Benjamin (Elmo Bear) <------/ names, of course...
				   /
	Beasley (Lee Weasel) <----

get to know your new kitties when they arrive...maybe names will just sort
of "happen", like they did with ours!...
134.5JANUS::FRASERFri Aug 23 1985 14:3917
My thanks to all so far for the ideas - Siamese being what they are, they
do need unusual names.
re.1 we have two lilac points at the moment, Kalamazoo( kali) named by my
lady as he's her cat after the song.....

		"Della & the Dealer &a dog named Jake
		 and a cat called Kalamazoo......"


and my little female - Barcarolle (cleo).

Carol just called, and Pyewacket has the vote! She's hoping for a seal point
in the litter so that's his/her name - only one to go now.

thanks again friends

andy  {wru#416}
134.6NISYSI::KINGFri Aug 23 1985 17:134
   I named my kitten (a yaer ago) Atreyu - after the movie "A Never-ending
Story. It is a pretty name and it is pronounced A-tray-u.

                                 REK WRU # 389
134.7USMRW1::JTRAVERSFri Aug 23 1985 17:3011
Yeh!!! Thanks for the Pywacket vote!  I've never won anything in my whole
life, except once I had my name chosen for an eighteen month stint on jury
duty...

  ^_^
 (>.<)
  ) (      

WHOAREYOU #419


134.8AURORA::RAVANFri Aug 23 1985 19:2716
Well, let's see. We had a Siamese called Yum-Yum, from "The Mikado"; seemed
to fit her, as she did enjoy her food! And of course there's Maggie, short
for Magnifi-cat, which is fun if you're bringing your kitty into a religious
household...

I enjoy naming things, but I don't stick to a system. It depends on the
cat's characteristics, and sometimes the names of the other cats in the
house, as well as the books I've been reading most recently. Let me see
now... from John Varley's "Millenium" comes the interesting word "twonky",
which might make a very entertaining name for your pet. (It means, roughly,
an item which, when sent back in time, causes disturbances in the normal
time flow by its anachronism.)

Anyway, have fun picking the names!

-b
134.9BERGIL::WIXSat Aug 24 1985 21:399
The problem with naming kittens is that the cat personality is not fully
developed for quite a while. I have never wildly misnamed a cat but I wish
I could wait a few months until their character is in full swing.



							.wIx.


134.10SPRITE::OSMANMon Aug 26 1985 16:3326
Here's what happened to me.  You may want to try it.

I adopted a cat that didn't have a name "yet".

I decided not to name it either !

At first this seemed strange.

I now have an older kitten from her first litter, and a bitty thing from
her second, so I have three cats now.

Still no names !

It's become kind of nice.  First of all, no problem of mismatching a name
with a personality.

Secondly, I tend to call them whatever I'm feeling about them at the moment.
When I feed them I whistle for them.  When I talk to one, it's how I feel
about it at the moment, "hey mama" or "oh you little rascal" or "hi cutie".

It almost feels like a Zen-type thing now.  By NOT naming, I'm not covering
up anything !  Besides, they haven't complained.

If someone else has experience with not naming cats, what's your experience?

/Eric
134.11SMILEY::EPPESMon Aug 26 1985 20:1928
I name my cats according to what they look like, in the sense of "he *looks 
like* a 'Fred'."  Sometimes it has to do with their actual appearance; I
once had a cat named Penuche, or Penny for short, because she was the color
of penuche fudge.  Mostly I just pick names out of the air, with no rhyme
or reason.  Though the last time I named a cat (last fall), I used a book
of cat names (along the lines of baby-name books).  This book lists names
by category -- literary, mythological, floral, etc.  It has a LOT of names
in it.  From it I picked "Jasper" for my Persian because (you guessed it)
he looks like a "Jasper."  (also, "Jasper" comes from "Casper," which is
a Persian name, according to that book.  But I didn't like "Casper.")

Other names I've used -- Candy (female black & white shorthair)
			 Arthur and Willy (short for Sir Arthur Sullivan
			 and Sir William Gilbert)
			 Penuche (mentioned above)
			 Gabriel (pure white male shorthair)
			 Solomon (gray and white male shorthair)
			 (this may seem like a Biblical theme, but it really
			  isn't...)
			 Harlequin (calico-ish)
			 Polka Dot (white with black dots)

If you like somewhat bizarre names, T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of 
Practical Cats" is a good source (it is the source of the musical, "Cats").
I don't know whether any of them would fit a Siamese, though.  "Rumpleteaser"?
"Grizabella" ?  "Jennyanydots" ?  "Growltiger" ?  "Bustopher Jones" ?

							-- Nina
134.12BERGIL::WIXTue Aug 27 1985 12:2014
re: .11

Malcolm's middle name is Growltiger, but because he is a domestic feline
he doesn't have much of a growl. At our last home he was nicknamed 'squeaktiger'
because of his fearless battle squeak. The reason for his name is Growltiger's
ultimate fate was to be marched off the plank by an army of Siamese. He was
the terror of the two Siamese already resident who would have gladly pushed
him off the swimming pools diving board if they could have figured out how.



							.wIx.


134.13USMRW1::JTRAVERSTue Aug 27 1985 20:1012
My cat's new "middle name" is Mouse-breath.  She has been bringing home
mice almost every day!  What wonderful presents.  One of these days when I
have some time, I'll type in the "Case of the missing mouse in the bed"
story.  Actually her name is Figaro and she is named that because she 
is the spitting image of the kitty in Walt Disney's Pinocchio.  (Remember 
Jepetto had a kitten who kept trying to get the goldfish.)  She is jet 
black with HUGE white paws,(double-paws all around) and a bright white 
chest that comes up under her chin and right to the tip of her nose.  

  ^_^
 (>.<)
  ) (
134.14WHOARU::GOUNWed Aug 28 1985 21:334
Loiosh has recently been nicknamed "Purrvert" for his obsession with trying
to suckle on nipples (see note 101.3) while purring at the top of his lungs.

					-- Roger
134.16XENON::EPPESThu Aug 29 1985 20:203
How about Scratch 'n' Sniff?   :-)

						-- Nina
134.17RAVEN1::HEFFELFINGERFri Aug 30 1985 01:005
    Scratch and Sniff would be appropriate for Gandalf our gray cat who's
favorite occupation is to get his nose right down into the litter and scratch 
as fast as he can for *hours* on end!

tlh
134.18THESUN::CCDFri Sep 06 1985 03:3711
Well, Andy, my Lilac-Point Siamese kitten's name is Xerxes!  My goddaughter
calls him Jerky!

I've got a book called "What to Name the Cat!".  If you mail me on
RDCUK1::JFOX with your mail stop in Reading, I'll pop it in the internal
mail for you.

Regards
John (WRU #191)
Support Centre
 Basingstoke
134.19THESUN::CCDSun Sep 08 1985 01:293
I understand from Andy that three kittens were born on Friday morning!

John
134.20NZO75A::REWCASTLESun Sep 08 1985 07:3514
Andy,

Greetings from Downunder. Firstly, congratulations on your new additions.
Can I suggest something with a slightly New Zealand flavour ? Kiri Te Katawa.
Failing that a more oriental flavour - Chairman Mieow.

We actually named our two - Sebastian - he really is a little Sebastian and
Edwina. We have made sure that she doesn't live up to the reputation of her 
namesake Lady Edwina Mountbatten. So far so good.



Claire

134.21JANUS::FRASERMon Sep 09 1985 10:0721
  finally got back into feline.not..i've been unable to access it for some
time now...

meawhile, as john said, we now have three beautiful siamese kittens with
a better pedigree than i have...look forward to getting the book, thanks
john.

ideas from down under..like the idea of kiri...i'll put it to the cats, when
their eyes are open, and see if anyone responds! i was planning to keep two
from the litter, but i might make room for three..we'll see how it all turns
out in a couple of months time!

meanwhile, thanks to all for the suggestions, i'll keep in touch with the
eventual names, and if anyone would like an option on a pure-bred kitten

from this litter or from future? litters, mail me on janus::fraser, and we'll
see how it goes.
cheers...andy.



134.22PEN::KALLISMon Sep 09 1985 14:473
As a late thought: I read someone had two Siamese named Kubli and
Khan.  Although by this time, the kittens are doubtless names, etc.

134.23NERMAL::STAATSFri Oct 18 1985 22:1413
An even later reply!!

Just thought I would mention a few names, and maybe continue the subject
on interesting cat names.  Over the years we have had five siamese, with
some interesting names.

Meow-see-tongue (While China had a ruler of similar souunding name), Judo 
(he was a big stocky Siamese), Alustra and Lazar (From a SF book whoses name
I can't remember-- pronounced All-loose-trah), and Sy (short for Siamese)--
sometimes I wonder if Sy shouldn't have been named vacuum cleaner-he'll eat
anything, anything at all.

sTaaTs