Joe used to have two cats named Julius and Alexander. Julius’ nickname was “the Fat Bastard” because he had that squished fat Persian type of face. This was long before the Austin Powers movies came out.

And Julius had an obsession with Doritos and corn on the cob.

I have a literary bent - Tonio, from Thomas Mann’s story “Tonio Kroeger”, Eugene from “Look Homeward, Angel” and “Celie” from “The Color Purple”. Didn’t ask their permission. Assumed that getting them to come when called was an insult to their divinity.

My stepcat (inherited when I married my husband) is “Mouse,” so named when he got her almost 14 years ago as a tiny thing who fit in his hand and looked like a little gray mouse. She’s long-haired and dignified and serious, and the name doesn’t seem *quite* right to me. I often call her “Mousse” because she’s fluffy and luscious; “Moosika,” Sanskrit for mouse (and a homophone to “Musica,” from a round we often sing–now to her–that repeats “Viva, viva la musica”); and “Mausele,” Yiddish for “little mouse.” Had I the naming of her, she would have been Lady Jane Gray.

My “heart cat” who died last year was “Digory,” largely named because she arrived during spring break my first year in grad school, when I was anxiously awaiting an interlibrary loan of a book by Terrence Diggory that I desperately needed for a paper I was writing, or so I thought. I opened up the door to check the mailbox for the notice from the library, and there she was. (She proved to be much better than the book.) I don’t quite know why I went for the one-g spelling; wasn’t particularly influenced by C. S. Lewis (the only other Digory reference I know). She was asexual enough to carry it–kind of like Hemingway’s Lady Brett Ashley, said my former fiance, and so was called “Lady Digory” or “Digory Jane” on occasion.

My other dear departed was “Moon Sammy,” named after a song by Soul Coughing. I’ve heard that the Moon Sammy of the song was actually a fat black night watchman, but if you ever hear the lyrics, they’re very catlike (”and I wonder with great admiration”). She also had very moon-like eyes.

I harbor a secret ambition to have two males named from “The Usual Suspects,” one of my favorite movies: “Verbal Kitt” and “Dean Kitten.” I also would love to name a sleek black male cat “Neo” after the character from “The Matrix.” He could even say his own name.

He is known as Czar of all the Russias when he is in an imperious mood and trots off to his crate or favorite pillow in a huff. He is also known as Nicholas the Ridiculous — which needs no explanation.

BJ

I named my cat Maggie after the lead in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” and then my sister told me that Maggie was crazy in the play. Well, my cat’s crazy too, so the name fits.

Jane over at Acts of Hope has one of the greatest cat names ever: Maya Pavlova. An elegant name for an elegant feline.

I only knew Cynthia III, who was an animal of wonderful personality and presence; if Cynthia was not his Jellicle name, and I’m sure it wasn’t, he was much too self-secure to make a fuss about it.

I miss him terribly, he died just before we moved to our new house across the country from where we lived with him.

Just remembered, I have an aunt who used to live in Princeton, New Jersey who named her cats Daphnis and Chloe. Apparently D & C didn’t get along very well, so Daphnis found his way down the road to the Westminster Choir College. He apparently liked hanging out with the students so much that he decided to live at the college more or less full time.

Maestro Ravel would have approved.

Eddie (or Edwin, formally) was my Mom’s father (my grandfather). Emily was the woman who lived in my parent’s 100+ year old home almost her entire life. The names have stuck, and the cats seem to respond to these names.

When I do get a cat (can’t have one now in my present living situation), I’ve like the idea of giving pets a music related mane. So far, I like the idea of Oscar for a male cat (so named for Oscar Peterson-pianist and Jimmy Smith-organist whose middle name was Oscar. Both of these musicians died in 2007).

Another idea I had was naming pets after the “four brothers” of the saxophone section in Woody Herman’s Big Band of the 1940’s. The four brothers were Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Stan Getz and Serge Chaloff. I especially like Zoot and Serge!

T. S. Eliot is a FAMOUS UU! He even attended my church!

And… and…

The owner of Durgin Park STILL DOES!