“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
@maggiemae Good insight, Maggiemae! Actually, we have several cats, some "really ours" and some who stop in for meals! Knowing cats as I do, I know every word of that poem is true!
@veengupta@danette Thank you both so much for the favs! I worked a long while creating a collage, and then I put it through a process that muted most of it! All part of the fun, and I never know where I'll end up! Thanks for your approval!
What a marvelous poem! Is this Not George, or is it Not Fred? I forget! I love, love the poem and the image, a wonderful compilation. My sweet boy was already named Simba, so I let sleeping cats lay and didn’t change his name when we adopted him. 😊
What a wonderful kitty and poem! Fav.
Katniss has several names..."Beauty" for Katniss and "Cutie" for Sophie. Also KitKat for Kitty Katniss, Sunshine, Precious, My Love and Sweetheart. :)
Great cat capture and love the poem!
The neighbour's kids helped me name my cat when he was an 8 week old kitten and also insisted he have three names!
His full title is Archimedes Hippocrates Socrates (no, seriously).
Or Arky for short :)
Katniss has several names..."Beauty" for Katniss and "Cutie" for Sophie. Also KitKat for Kitty Katniss, Sunshine, Precious, My Love and Sweetheart. :)
The neighbour's kids helped me name my cat when he was an 8 week old kitten and also insisted he have three names!
His full title is Archimedes Hippocrates Socrates (no, seriously).
Or Arky for short :)