Monday, October 13, 2014

Name the cat; win a book

We have adopted my son's eight year old cat because he did not make the adjustment when he went back home after being with us for five months. We went to visit him a week later and he was crouched under the bed, terrified of the dog and rambunctious kids he grew up with. He'd been under the bed all week. I couldn't stand seeing him so traumatized, and when Bill looked under the bed and saw him shivering, wide-eyed, he nodded. I scooted the cat out with a broom and he ran right to me and rode home in my arms.

He's home. He became accustomed to a quieter lifestyle, and must have wondered where the heck he was (they built a new home) and where we had gone. When I put him down in our house, he purred and rubbed against everything. He would not leave us alone. I'm sure it was his way of thanking us.

He's a big fat cat, with a hang down belly, although he looks smaller in the picture above. No matter how quietly I sneak down the basement stairs, he hears me and comes bounding after me with thump-thump-thump. He wants to be near us. Climbs on one of the office chairs to be next to me. He's a sweety boy.


He's so easy going, maybe even a bit slow in his processing, but he loves his toy mice and tosses them. He also likes to leap and catch a stretchy band toy. He's OURS.

I need your help. When my son and his family adopted him as a kitten from the Humane Society, they kept the name he'd had from his previous family. TWEENY sound silly. We've tried calling him Buddy, but he only responds to that high pitch "EE."

So, who has an idea for his new name?

Bill, who babies him to excess and sweet talks him, and takes him outside to sit with him and brush him on the patio table, calls him Queeny. I have called him Twinky, but I would sure appreciate YOUR ideas.

If I choose one of the names you suggested, I will send you a Chicken Soup for the Soul book or Not Your Mother's Book. GO!

18 comments:

Susan said...

Awwwww, he's sweetie. I'd keep him, too. You and Bill did the right thing to rescue him.

Here are my name choices. Take your pick as to which to enter in the contest!

1. Tweetie Boy
2. Tweetheart
3. Tweeter

Susan

BECKY said...

Aww, that's a great story, Linda! I can just see Bill with that sweet cat, too. My suggested name is Petie, like the Our Gang dog!
(I'm sure you know how it's pronounced, but for those that don't: PeeTee.. or even.. PeeDee!)

Julia Gordon-Bramer said...

While you might not feel that "Buddy" is the most creative name, I like it. It seems to fit him, and he knows it. Perhaps he told it to you and you intuited it. ;-)

I am forever reading books, or recollecting favorite books, and thinking that the characters' names will be the names of my next cats. Maybe you have one that is very meaningful to you?

Mevely317 said...

That's such a feel - good story Linda! For no particular reason, I'm drawn to "Sweeney O'Connell" ... good Irish lad that he is!

Optimistic Existentialist said...

How about the name, Dexter :-)

Bookie said...

What a great story...glad you and Bill have found a friend indeed! I will think on the name, but just so glad this little guy has found someone to love.

Joanne Noragon said...

Sounds like the Prodigal Cat to me. T.S. Eliot would approve.

Pat Wahler said...

My suggestion is find a name you think fits and use it. Kitty will eventually learn his new name. I've seen many critters who have been dumped and no one has any indication of what name they formerly knew. Animals are smart. They soon figure it out.

Congrats on your new addition! Pets add so much love to any home!

Pat
Critter Alley

Anonymous said...

I love this!
Twerp
Jimmy
Tommy
Timmy
Spottie, Spot, Tony
None of our cats go by their "given" name. Nicknames come out of the blue for them. One of our cats doesn't really even "have" a name. Nothing fit.

Lisa Ricard Claro said...

He's so beautiful! I think he deserves a dignified name, even if he's silly sometimes. I'd go with either Edgar, Charles, or Jules. Here's why:

I wish I could write as mysterious as a cat. ~Edgar Allan Poe

What greater gift than the love of a cat? ~Charles Dickens

I believe cats to be spirits come to earth. A cat, I am sure, could walk on a cloud without coming through. ~Jules Verne

Congratulations on your new permanent family member!

Chicken said...

He's handsome. I was going to suggest Woody Allen because maybe he's a little neurotic, but no EE sound. I agree with someone up above...how about Petie? Stevie?

Connie said...

Because he looks like he has been nosing through the ashes in a fireplace, I would call him Smoky. He looks like a very sweet cat. You have good hearts to take him in.

Kathy's Klothesline said...

Sounds like you have already dubbed him as a sweetie boy! My dad has asked me to take his cat back with me on my next visit. Mama is not a pet person and he knows I will take good care of her. All they ever call her is Kitty. She is small and has a pronounced limp, making me wonder if she met with a car on the road. Never has she been allowed inside and since my Dad doesn't go outside much, she has been mourning him. I suppose she will learn to come in and use a litter box soon enough. All my pets are inside creatures, just wonder how well she will blend with all my furry characters.

Val said...

Cats have a way of getting in and out of small spaces, or turning up when you have no idea they're around. So...I suggest "Houdini" for your furry friend.

Sioux Roslawski said...

Is Bill trying to give that cat a gender identity crisis?

Shame on him.

Or, is he a fan of the group Queen? If he is, perhaps the poor cat AND Bill would be happy with "Freddie" (for Freddie Mercury)?

Debra Mayhew said...

Oh, I'm kind of jealous, Linda! How nice to know that your cat understands he has come home. What a heartwarming story - I'm sure you'll use it later on somewhere. :) I'm drawing a blank on a good name, but I'll look forward to hearing what you decide.

Tammy said...

Sorry I missed this. He sounds a lot like my cat - terrified of parting with the people who made him feel secure. A sweetie by any name.

Jennifer Brown Banks said...

How about Forest... like in "Forest Gump?" Loved the movie!