In a message from Pet Talk's "Cat Behavior" section, you can discover how Burrl used to be Purrl... Later down on the board, it was suggested that "name origins" might be a good topic for a new thread, so here it is!
My two cats are both solid black with gold eyes. There is two years' difference in their ages. They are completely different with respect to size, body type, fur texture, and temperament.
When the older of my cats was rescued as a tiny kitten, I knew I was in trouble because I'd been considering getting a black cat. I have navy-blue furniture, and got this brilliant idea that a camoflague effect would happen, yeah right. I had been catless for a few years following the cancer death of the most wonderful cat EVER, who had owned me through junior high, high school, college, and my first job. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/frown.gif His name was Huckle, after the Richard Scarry character in children's books. So I was ready for a new companion.
A stray mama cat had this litter of three kittens in someone's garage during cold, rainy weather. (The other two were yellow tabby.) That homeowner was cat-phobic, freaked out--[insert long story here]--so my co-worker Jo Ann ended up rescuing the whole family, some from the gutter and the black one from the TRASH. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/eek.gif The tiny kittens, eyes still closed, and the mama cat lived in Jo Ann's house until the kittens were old enough to be on their own. I knew I'd be getting the black one, and I looked up a lot of possible names related to color, but then one day, the perfect name popped into my head. His original "home life" was unbearable, and he was taken in by a loving family until he could be adopted out, so I named him Foster. He's turned out to be a hulking, beautiful, panther-looking cat who could be the poster child for the saying "nervous as a cat." If he sits on my lap, it's a rare occasion and on HIS terms. He will "sit up" for a snack. He loves boxes (see the Pet Talk "Cat Games" section). http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/cool.gif
A couple of years later, another co-worker was leaving her driveway when she saw that her cat-hating big dog had treed a kitten and intended to kill it. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/eek.gif She managed to rescue him, and brought him to the office until she could figure out his next step (she's highly allergic, plus has the anti-cat dog). One look at this kitty and Jo Ann made a beeline for my office: "I've found the perfect 'little brother' for Foster!" I managed to resist all day (apartment lease says 1 pet max.), but then at 3:30 or so, I said "Well, I can just go SEE him." And that was the end of that. http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/rolleyes.gif He'd been starving alone in the woods for who knows how long, had almost killed by a dog that morning, had been in a cardboard box all day. You would expect that he would hide, be afraid, etc. But not this one! As soon as I lifted up the box flap to say "hi" he started PURRING. So, I ended up naming him Evinrude, after the brand name of those boat motors. He has such a great personality--an outgoing, unflappable snuggler. He has an unusual voice (see the Feline Linguistics topic in Pet Talk's "Cat Behavior" section). http://PetoftheDay.com/talk/biggrin.gif
Other cats in the family past/present:
* Linus was my sister's cat when we were kids. He was yellow. The baby-name book said that Linus meant "flaxen-haired" so that was close enough for us. (Huckle and Linus were brothers.)
* Twinkle was named after a character on Speed Racer, I believe.
* My niece now has a cat they named Annie because she'd been orphaned.
* My mom adopted a cat who came already named Emily. I took a while for Daddy to get it right and quit calling her "Evelyn."
I'd love to hear other cat-name stories!
[This message has been edited by Lucinda (edited July 13, 2000).]
