How did you come up with cat names for your feline family members? Did you name your cats after particular physical characteristics or behaviors? Or because of how they found you? Did you pick a name because it was cute, or name your cat after another you’ve known?
I have a friend who believes in reincarnation. She has one cat at a time, and all of her cats are named Mittou. She is absolutely certain that every one is the reincarnation of the cat she had before. It’s a karmic thing. Every one of them is a me-too.
My friend and Mittou have been together for lifetimes. Mittou is now in her seventh incarnation this human lifetime. They say cats have nine lives. Will she get more than nine? She may. My friend is only 52.
Another woman I know, a linguist, named her cat ‘Parenthesis.’ Why? Because she came to her at a time when she was between marriages. A parenthetical time, between two main clauses.
Think back to the cat names you’ve handed out over the years. Or think back to the names that others you’ve known have given their cats. Do they tend to reflect the character of the cat, or of the person who named it?
The cat that lives in the house behind me is named Gitsum. What the heck is that about? Well, Gitsum gets everyone in the neighborhood to feed him tidbits. He’s always got his paw in one honey jar or another, metaphorically speaking. He never fails to get some. And his human’s sort of the same way. Which one learned it from the other? I wonder.
One man I know has three cats, all with rhyming names. There’s Chitty Kitty, Furr Purr, and Smokey Dokey. Does that tell you he’s a bit of a poet unrefined? He’s always spouting doggerel.
Skitters and Jitters are twins. Total misnomers. They’re both really calm cats. But Mr. Brown, their human, is on edge most of the time.
These are mostly silly stories. I hope they made you smile. Cat stories have a way of doing that. Unless, of course, they make you cry. One thing’s sure: a good cat story will evoke emotion of some sort. And that, my friends, is the essence of every good story, cat or otherwise.
Think of the cat stories you could tell. Whether they’re stories of cat antics, cat heroism or kitty love, there are thousands of readers who would adore them. CLICK HERE to become a Pet Writes Member and discover new ways of sharing your stories.
Who Knows? What if your stories of how you chose you cat names turn out to be your ticket to fame and fortune? It has happened.
Pawsitively,
Chiwah Carol Slater
The Pet Story Passionista
Word Weaver Chiwah
Founder, PetWrites.com, WordWeaver4U.com