Pumpkin has a lot more than 3 names if you include nicknames like, “Pampukin”, “Wiggler”, etc, but these are his top three.
Happy Caturday!
The Naming Of Cats by T.S. Eliot
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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, 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.
7 Comments
Sarah
16 Jun 2012 at 11:40 pmWhen I was younger (and all right, today too), I used to wonder what my cats’ actual “name” were. 🙂 TS Eliot’s Book of Practical Cats is brilliant, ha.
Dottie
15 Jun 2012 at 10:03 pmBeautiful, light-filled photos.
I’ve always loved this poem. My cats have many nicknames, as well. 🙂
Kathryn
12 Jun 2012 at 10:44 pmwonderful poem and of course, Pumpkin is a sweetie. 🙂 Our puppydog also had multiply names.
Samantha
11 Jun 2012 at 7:20 pmI will have to come up with 1 more name for my little conquerer now… poor thing only has 2! Love the poem and the light in those 2 photos!
Emily
11 Jun 2012 at 6:38 pmI love these photos. He looks like a cat I once had. 🙂 <3
Ashley
11 Jun 2012 at 2:54 pmI love that poem. I have so many nicknames for my cat depending on my mood and his mood.
Vickie
10 Jun 2012 at 7:46 amadorable 🙂