What’s in a name?

What’s In A Name?     

I have jokingly told veterinary students that in order to be a great cat veterinarian, you need to know your operas, Greek and Roman mythology and literature well, because many cats have names drawn from those sources and it’s always a good thing to be able to appreciate that and convey your appreciation to clients.  

A few days ago I was thinking about the names of cats I have had and have known. Some cats get “human” names. Our cats have tended towards these ypes of monikers, so we now live with Albert, Mikey, Gwen, Emmy and Ginger. Other cats are graced with names that refer to their coloring (Cinnamon, Blackie, Anisette, or how they look (Squirt, Stubby and Moo – the latter was a white cat with black spots who looked like a Holstein cow). Still other cats are named for the holiday during which they entered their home. I once knew a lovely kitty named Menorah, who graced her family right around Hanukah; there have been a few Christmases, too; as well as a Bunny, who joined her family on Easter Sunday.     

Like their canine counterparts, some cats are named for a popular movie character. There was a time in the later 1970s and 80s when it seemed like almost every Himalayan cat was named “Yoda,” after the alien-cum-Zen-master from “Star Wars.” There were some “Chewbaccas” then, too, and they were usually very furry orange cats.     

Sometimes a cat’s name gives a hint into their human companion’s interests. Several years ago, I had a new patient come to me whose name was “Traveler.” I thought it an unusual name for a chocolate point Siamese until I remembered that the Civil War general Robert E. Lee had a beloved horse of the same name. As is usually the case, the client and I exchanged some pleasantries and I asked if he was Civil War re-enactor. Indeed, he was, and he appreciated that I knew that his kitty was named for a famous horse of the Confederacy.     

Another one of my patients was named Rorschach and he sported a gorgeous black blaze on his face that looked for all the world like one of those esoteric ink blots that are used in psychological testing. Then there was Shabriar, a too-beautiful-for words peach colored Persian who was adored by my client Cindy. His “call name” was “Boomer” and that how we knew and loved him.     

Sometimes family members don’t agree on names for new kittens or cats. A former client of mine was a psychoanalyst and when he and his wife brought home two kittens (one grey; the other, white, for his son, they were thinking of some very grand names, including Abelard and Heloise; Sampson and Delilah and those of various Greek and Roman gods and goddesses. I think their son knew best and pointing to the white kitten said “She’s Snowy” and (picking up the grey one) “He’s Smokey.”     

Case closed.