Okay, so I am mostly caught up on blog reading now, and I read on only ONE SINGLE BLOG that Proposition 8 was overturned, so I am mentioning it here for those of you who, like me, get most of your news from other people’s blog posts.
In other news, our kitten is still nameless. We have a hard time naming our cats. One of our biggest hurdles is that I really enjoy thinking about and choosing names (duh?), so I don’t like to CHOOSE because then it will be OVER.
Also, Paul and I come from different Naming Backgrounds, which is roughly as complicated as coming from different religious backgrounds. Paul’s family names their cats based on fur color or Disney movies, so for example a black cat is named Licorice and a golden cat is named Butterscotch, and a cat whose fur doesn’t bring a noun to mind is named Milo. I come from a family that names cats using quirky human names, which we then later regret because a decade or two later those names come into fashion and we want to use them for children but now feel like we can’t. Examples: Keegan, George, Oliver.
I also want to avoid any name that sounds like it’s from our runner-up baby names list, because combined with my well-documented interest in having another child I think it looks pitiful.
Our goal is to instead choose the sort of name that is neither commonly used for people (or about to be) NOR based on the cat’s appearance. So Agatha is probably out, but we’re considering Marple; and Penguin is out but we’re considering Pigeon; and Oreo is out but we’re considering Daisy. I consider nickname-names fair game for pets, so Maggie and Bonnie and Birdie and Dolly and Flossie and Gussie would all be fine. But we crossed out Ramona and Eloise and April and Ginger.
Paul suggests:
SaNdEe*
Eulalie Mackechnie Shinn
Zaneeta
Bronze Thunderpaws
Granite Firefur
Hardcastle McMeow
And of course the last three are BOY NAMES, so Paul is not much help. Paul also likes Juniper, but withdrew it when he found out it was thisclose to being on the Top 1000 names for girls in 2009 (and I bet you fifty bucks it makes it for the 2010 list).
So far the kitten is affectionate with people (likes to sit on laps and will hop up), but is standoffish with the other cats. She’s not as playful as the average kitten, nor as wild; she walks around like she’s a grown-up. Her fur is half black and half white, and she has a tail that is longer and fluffier than I’d expect, almost like a feather boa (who’s famous for a feather boa? Mae West? others?). When she purrs, she sounds like she’s going to sprain something. I think her face looks birdlike, probably because of her bird-of-prey eyes. Also, she’s an Aries and enjoys tuna.
I like the name Omlette for a cat. It rolls nicely off the tongue and is French, in a silly way.
I think Jessica Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit has a feather boa. You could name her Rabbit!
SOMEBODY likes The Music Man! I recognized the names only because my 1.5 year old is obsessed with the music and the movie, and we watch it all. the time. I like Marple.
Sarah- Oh, I LIKE it! That’s just the sort of name we’re looking for!
Marilyn- YES, another of exactly the sort of name we’re looking for! That’s particularly awesome with our cat named Mouse! Our vet is going to start thinking we’re a little…confused.
I think you should name her Walker in honor of the Prop 8 judge. You can then call her Walker, Texas Ranger even though it makes no sense at all because that’s what I would do.
She looks like a Lucy to me. (And then when she’s being bad, you can call her Lucifer. haha) Even though it’s a human name, I don’t find it to be all that common.
Or Cassie (Cassie-us Clay).
I like rabbit. two cats named rabbit and mouse; makes sense in a fun, silly way:)
Also, am so happy on prop 8 overturn and posted that story on facebook – it’s about freakin’ time. however, you know the fight is not over….the overturned ruling could get overturned…sigh.
LOVE the second pic:)
I think the cat looks like Pepe LePew.
I don’t even like cats and I love your blog posts on this topic! :)
Flash back a decade: I was very . . . ummm . . . sexually inexperienced and about to be married. My older, much more . . . errr . . . experienced sister took me shopping for honeymoon lingerie (had to google how to spell that word correctly). We ended up in absolute hysterics (her)/mortification (me) at Frederick’s of Hollywood, modeling utterly tasteless, trashy numbers, many of which involved a long-ish, feline-tail-ish boa.
So I’m going to have to suggest “Hollywood Fredericka.”
The purring makes me think of motor, which makes me think of motorcycle, which brings me to Harely Davidson and the cute cat name: Harley.
I also like the name Giblet (soft G), just because it’s cute.
In addition to Mae West, there were also Isadora Duncan, Celia Cruz, Cher, Elton John, and Hulk Hogan who have famously worn feather boas.
Wikipedia, gotta love it! :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feather_boa
How about simply Boa? It’s cute and rolls off the tongue easily. Although Boa might be confusing with Mouse, because then your mind goes to boa constrictor instead of feather boa? Too bad, because I like Boa alone, it’s like the made-up female version of Beau…
I like Pigeon and Rabbit too. Or Sparrow?
When you mentioned the boa, I thought of Gypsy Rose Lee, any of which would be good names for cats. I may be partial, though, since we have a cat named Gypsy. We’ve been thinking of getting another cat, and I really like the name Cricket. I love naming, too, it’s one of the best parts of getting a new pet!
When you mentioned the boa, I thought of Gypsy Rose Lee, any of which would be good names for cats. I may be partial, though, since we have a cat named Gypsy. We’ve been thinking of getting another cat, and I really like the name Cricket. I love naming, too, it’s one of the best parts of getting a new pet!
I love LA Story, but I can’t get behind naming your nice kitten after SaNDeE, she seems more serious than that. I like Lucy, but then I wanted to name our dog that so I could say “Lucy, you’ve got some explaining to do!” when she did something bad.
I guess we’re from BOTH schools of pet naming, because we had cats named Oreo and Phoebe. We also had a Keri, Dickens, Macabre, Collier, Sadie, Lucy, Linus and Fatima.
Isn’t Zsa Zsa Gabor known for wearing boas? I think she looks like a Zsa Zsa!
Or, when I looked her up Wikipedia says “Zsa Zsa Gabor was born as Sári Gábor (Sári is the diminutive for the Hungarian first name Sarolta)”. So there are some other ideas too.
You look like you are all enjoying the kitty. It’s unfortunately that you don’t like Oreo, because I love it!
Here in Upstate Ny we have whats called the black and white cookie or “half moon” as most people call them . Thats a cool name for the cat, half moon!
It’s not as original as many of these other comments, but I keep thinking ‘Maude’ when I look at her….
If I had a blog, and if you read it, you’d have read two blogs about Prop 8. I don’t know how big that news is outside of CA. I live here and I cried when that decision came down. I’m hoping the facts that Judge Walker outlined in his decision will be strong enough to uphold it all the way to the Supreme Court. If not, we’ll put it back on the ballot and go around again!
I like Zaneeta b/c you could think nick name her Zan which would be cute and different.
I also like Zsa Zsa b/c of that boa tail…reminds me of Zsa Zsa Gabore!
lol
What about Birdy? Because of her eyes. We have many naming schools of thought in our house. Simple names like Cat and more interesting names like Natalie Gold.
Ok, just realized you already mentioned Birdie. Need coffee.
I like Zsa Zsa as well. I always think of her when I think about feather boas.
Also, what about Checkers?
I’m jumping on the Gypsy Rose Lee boat. It was the first thing I thought of when I read your post (I’m a little bummed that I’m not the first to suggest it though). I think Gypsy would be an adorable name for your new kitten and meets all your criteria (not based on coloring, not likely to become a common name, etc.)
We name our cats after carbohydrates, not really on purpose, but just because it worked out that way. We have one named Cheerio (he was a super-active kitten and one day was sitting next a box of…well, you get the idea) and one named Triskit (misspelling deliberate; also a play on the fact that she’s a tri-colored cat). So maybe Biscuit?
Pigeon is a super cute name. I can hardly think of any more because the adorableness of that second picture is stunning my functioning brain cells. (Happy little boy with blue fingernails and blissful look on face PLUS cute kitty = death by cuteness.)
Love the LA Story reference! I want to name our next cat Gordon, regardless of the sex of the cat. Just to mess with people. :)
I am not a huge fan of cats, but that last picture is so pretty. I’d like to throw the name in of Whisp, Wisp, or Whisper. She just looks it to me.
good luck!
If you don’t call her Bronze Thunderpaws I am totally stealing that name for the next kitty we get.
Our two are called Pepper (my choice) and Fluffy (his choice). Fluffy’s initial name was ‘Cave Troll’. I was not amused.
I have zero suggestions because I am unhelpful, but I want to point out that, while “SaNdEe*” is awesome, it *sounds* like “Sandy” which is a normal human name, so I don’t think it meets your criteria.
Also, how ridiculously cute are your children with the kitten? Very. That’s how.
I didn’t see in your post that you were specifically soliciting naming suggestions, but I’m giving mine anyway. And if you’re surprised by this, then you’re dead to me.
I immediately thought of Penelope when I first saw her. And very quickly after that, I thought of Calliope. She just looks like an “oh pee” to me for some reason.
Also, I LOVE LOVE LOVE Henry’s blue nails and Elizabeth’s perfect bangs.
I have a thing about naming animals human names. Our cats are named Gonzo and Shanks. So I am going to suggest—
Nurdle
Pogogee Quacamole (My dad actually used to call me this when I was a kid)
Riddle Ma Riddla Ma Ree
We always named our cats after grandparents. But not one of my grandparents went by their legal name and more than one had several nicknames, so we used only names not in use: Buffy, Harry, Minnie.
Good luck naming the kitten!
I love the Zsa Zsa Gabor suggestion- you could pick a variation of that name like Zee Zee (or just Zee??) or Gabby.
She’s so cute, I love cats. It’s making me want a new kitten! Although one crusty older cat and an 8 month old baby is probably not a good environment for a defenseless kitten.
My friend has a cat that looks like that – her name is Stimpy (the other cat’s name is Ren). With that fluffy tail you could name her Sqirrel – or, is there a cartoon character that was a squirrel. Zsa Zsa Gabor had boas, didn’t she? I suck at naming animals – our dogs name is Andrew, and the cats are Alex & Samantha. Alex is the only one with any meaning behind the name. Other cats I’ve had at various times in my life were named Star, Emily, Shaker, Foudini, Grace, & Petey. Sorry I can’t be more help.
Although I do harbor a fondness for Ramona as a name for all things, I think your kitten looks like a Chickadee.
Millicent!!!!!
My black and white cat is named Daisy!
Isn’t SaNdEe* supposed to have a heard drawn around it?
I knew some folks who named their cat Coucher. It was the perfect name for him as he was ALWAYS ON THE COUCH.
My wv is Nocken. That would be a cute cat name. “Nocken is knocking stuff over again, mom!”
That’s “HEART” drawn around it. Not heard drawn around it.
Geesh. It’s late.
wv is distizin. Potentially another interesting name for a cat!
she likes tuna…name her ahi…or yellow fin…
Inexplicably, when I think of feather boa-wearing women, I think of Dolly Parton and, er, Charo. (Remember Charo? On Love Boat?)
I snorted out loud at “Nurdle.” I kind of love that one.
We just put our black and white cat to sleep- and she looked quite a bit like your kitty. Her name was Coco, because I fell in love with that name after Courtney Cox named her little girl that, but I knew I would NEVER be able to name a child that.
I also like Birdie…
My tuxie is named Ramona (the Pest). The name fits because she was weaned too early so she kept trying to nurse on my tabby (who was covered in crusty little suck spikes). The only way he could get her to leave him alone was to lick her ears–she was such a pest that her ears were licked bald for the first few weeks.
Your kitten does look avian. Maybe Phoenix or ____ (what was the Phoenix in Harry Potter called? Sparks?)
and I *love* the blue nail photo–it shows perfectly a moment with the kitty and the sweet phase he’s in.
I really like the Boa suggestion for her. And Millicent, she looks like a Millie. :D Or what about Aries? When you mentioned she was one, I thought “Oh, what a pretty name for a girl kitty.”
we have a pretty little calico named olive… i just think it’s such a sweet name for a sweet little kitten. sadly, ours was only sweet while she WAS a kitten. now she’s a terror lurking in the night and waiting on top of the refrigerator when you get home to snatch your sunglasses off your head.
but still… olive and mouse are very cute together. :)
we have a pretty little calico named olive… i just think it’s such a sweet name for a sweet little kitten. sadly, ours was only sweet while she WAS a kitten. now she’s a terror lurking in the night and waiting on top of the refrigerator when you get home to snatch your sunglasses off your head.
but still… olive and mouse are very cute together. :)
Cleo. Short for Cleopatra as she has some egyptian eyes going on.
I like Muffin and Ruby.
Ah! “Big s small a small n big d small e big E!” GOD, I love that movie.
(I have no good kitty name ideas, but that made me smile.)
Temeraire (after the dragon in Naomi Novik’s books…)
My dad named their completely black cat “snow”. He goes for ironic names, apparently. I’ve always wanted to name a dog “stay”, but at this point, I never want to have a dog again, so that might be a moot point.
My suggestion, in the spirit of Dad’s ironic naming scheme is “Goldie”. Because she’s not.
Henry’s nails! Ha!
I like Juniper & Mae!
You must either name the cat Eulalie McKecknie Shinn or Miss Kitty Fantastico or I am never speaking to you AGAIN!! (Which since we have never spoken is not MUCH of a threat, but rest assured I am a delightful conversationalist and fun at parties.) You have been warned.
My childhood cat was named Pigeon! I loved her more than words and I am actually tearing up thinking about her and missing her so much it hurts. Poor thing passed away when I was in college and I didn’t get to tell her good bye. Anyway – I named her Pigeon because I was in kindergarten (yes, she lived a LONG time) when I got her and my favorite movie at the time was Lady and the Tramp – I liked the way the boy dog called Lady ‘Pidge’ as a nickname. Pet names are important to me however I have had two cats in my life time and the first (Pigeon) was called Ms. Kitty the majority of the time and the second (Addy) is Mr. Kitty 100% of the time. All that to say I vote for Pigeon because my Pigeon was the best cat a girl for ask for…the name has good karma!
Yes, he looks like he could be one from Stuffed’s litter. :) (I didn’t know until recently that cats from the same litter don’t all have the same coloring, but I still picture all of Stuffed’s siblings with varying patterns of black and white.) :)