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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

992.0. "A gaggle of geese, a ____ of cats/kittens???" by GLINKA::GREENE () Tue Dec 29 1987 15:21

    Okay folks, quiz time:
    
    What is a group of cats called?
    
    	    a group of kittens?
    
    Surely *not* a gaggle of cats!
    
    I've recently been told that the appropriate terms
    	are something like a kettle and a clutter, or
    	something vaguely resembling those words.
                                    
        "Clutter" I could certainly believe, or maybe
    	it is better stated a "mess" of kittens.  ;-)
    
    Anyone have a definitive answer?
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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992.1PrideTOXMAN::MECLERFRANKTue Dec 29 1987 15:298
    Penelope,
    
    The group noun for cats that I heard is a pride (as in lions). 
    A kettle of kittens sounds good and conjures up wonderful mental
    images but I'm not certain what the common term is.  When they are
    all related could they be a litter?
    
    Frank
992.2a skulk of foxes, a sleuth of bears, a band of gorillas, ...ERASER::KALLISHas anybody lost a shoggoth?Tue Dec 29 1987 17:5716
    Re .1 (Frank):
    
    Sorry.  Definitively, the collective for cats is either "clutter,"
    which is mildly derogatory, or the more accepted "clowder," which
    means "clutter," but sounds better.
    
    Kittens is nicer: "kindle."
    
    So it's a clowder of cats; a kindle of kittens.
    
    "Pride" is strictly for lions.  The leopard collective is "leap."
    
    The reason for these collective nouns is that they came from English
    hunters.
    
    Steve Kallis
992.3A bunch of cats...JAWS::COTESo I'm back to the velvet underground...Tue Dec 29 1987 18:043
    Isn't some collection of beasties referred to as a "murder"?
    
    Edd
992.4yepTOXMAN::MECLERFRANKTue Dec 29 1987 18:258
    Re: .2
    Thanks, Steve, clowder and kindle ring all the right bells.
    
    Re: .3
    Edd,
    Crows
    
    Frank
992.5THANKS for the informationGLINKA::GREENETue Dec 29 1987 23:523
    Any idea just where/how those English hunters coined the terms?
    
    	Penelope and clowder (kindle on-the-way, we think!)
992.6CIRCUS::KOLLINGKaren, Sweetie, Holly; in Calif.Wed Dec 30 1987 00:593
    Surely we can do better than this -- how about a cuddle of kittens
    and a purr of pussycats?
    
992.7TOPDOC::TRACHMANWed Dec 30 1987 12:503
    I have a furry dozen - sorry, couldn't resist!!
    
    E.T.
992.8BUSY::MAXMIS11She chortled in her joy.Wed Dec 30 1987 13:197
    
    There really _is_ a special word for a group of felines, but I don't
    think the one I've heard is among the ones already mentioned.  Gerry,
    my fiance, knows what it is.  He's out of town for a while, however,
    but I'll ask him what it is when I talk to him later on in the week.
    
    Marion
992.9Works for me....JAWS::COTESo I'm back to the velvet underground...Wed Dec 30 1987 13:367
    
    
    .8> There really _is_ a special word for a group of felines...
    
        Heaven.
    
    Edd
992.11Cluster?!GRECO::MORGANDoris Morgan DTN 223-9594Sat Jan 02 1988 03:341
    Is it too DECie to say a "cluster" of kitties!!
992.12That was GREAT...GLINKA::GREENEMon Jan 04 1988 02:113
    We've DEFINITELY got a Local Area Cat Cluster here!
    
    	[insert BIG smiley face here]
992.13No that's RavensNRADM::WILBURWed May 11 1988 13:556
    
                  
    
                .3
    
    		A Murder of Ravens
992.14A Furrball of kittens ;')HILLST::MASONExplaining is not understandingWed May 11 1988 14:021
    
992.15EDUHCI::SHERMANBarnacle 1Mon Jan 16 1989 18:165
    Plague. Cats definitely travel in plagues.
    
    
    KBS