“The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
It isn’t just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I’m as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.
First of all, there’s the name that the family use daily,
Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,
Such as Victor or Jonathan, or George or Bill Bailey –
All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:
Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter –
But all of them sensible everyday names.
But I tell you, a cat needs a name that’s particular,
A name that’s peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?
Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum –
Names that never belong to more than one cat.
But above and beyond there’s still one name left over,
And that is the name that you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discover –
But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.
When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name.”
― T.S. Eliot, Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats
Beauty!
Lovely, Colette! For 10 years we’ve had a rescue, black short tail who was already given the name Noel. We call her Puddy Tat. And sometimes I call her Pretty Girl. This fall we gradually became servants to 5 more! They were abandoned and needed us. Moochie, Junior, Gigi, Mini and Missy. Women aren’t crazy cat ladies; they’re just caring humans who want to make the world a kinder, more gentle place.
What a delightful poem! I do love that you share poetry with us.
Gorgeous
Thank you so much for sharing your lovely home & family with me and countless others. You are so blessed to live in such a serene part of our sweet Mother Earth.
Rainbows forever,
Pam
Beauty <3 ………..Quite a name for a girl known around the world, a cottage cat of Irish decent…. May the Goddess protect her as she travels the fairy realms and softly roams the enchanted garden paths of her new Bealtaine home….. Beauty <3
She already looks like she knows that she owns you and the cottage.
Hope Sammy Bear makes her welcome.
Looking forward to more adorable pictures.
Wonderful! 🙂 Has Samy Bear accepted her or is that a work in progress?
It’s a gradual process…getting there!
Oh she is indeed a Beauty. Pure sweetness in a kitty cat suit. And I see that she has already told you her name. How perfect is the universe when a little furry soul abandoned or lost and wandering is found by the kindest lady in all of Ireland. There is perfect harmony after all. I just love the poem. Thank you for this post.
This is absolutely gorgeous 🙂
Beauty looks perfectly happy and content!! She is the lucky one to have been found by such a beautiful soul as yourself!!
She’s so beautiful!!! Did you discover if she was indeed pregnant??
Thank goodness she wasn’t…just had a rather distended stomach from eating so much in a hungry state! She’s a real treasure and I thank whomever it was who dumped her, for I’ve been blessed!
I loved this post….I am not a cat person…..more of a dog person. But I do love how independent cats are and how deep they can be. A dog wears its heart on its sleeve and you know exactly what is going on……..cats keep to themselves. Thanks for brightening up my lunch break!