Thursday Thirteen 278: My name is...?

As some of you know, one of my best friends recently lost one of her cats to cancer (A Sad Day). Calvin was the elder of a pair of black cats she brought home ten years ago. He had been in excellent health for a male of his "advanced" age and size (18 pounds of muscle), but then last autumn he was diagnosed with diabetes, and at the beginning of February they found a tumor in his right ear.

Calvin left behind a little brother, Magic, who was missing his brother so much that he started crying incessantly. He cried when they got up in the morning. He cried when Mama put her coat on to go to work and when she came home. He cried at bedtime. And he cried at random points in between. In short, he was lonely and was driving his mama crazy. So, whether she was ready or not, after two weeks Mama decided she had to find Magic a companion.

Last Saturday, February 23, a couple of us accompanied K. to Angel's Wish to peruse the selection of shelter cats up for adoption. We decided that a young female would be better than a male, as that might lead to fights over territory and dominance, she had to be about his size (10 pounds), and outgoing, as Magic can be a bit skittish and antisocial. As K. is partial to black cats, she naturally had to look at them first. One she ruled out automatically as her markings were almost exactly like Calvin's, and the others just didn't seem to fit personality-wise. There were two calicoes, both about a year old, we all liked, but K wasn't sure.

And then we met a pretty grey tabby whose shelter name is "Rawnie."

Rawnie is about ten months old and had been at the shelter for several months as she "doesn't show well." Apparently, she hates it there so much that her sweet disposition and playful nature didn't come through when people met her. She was ornery and just wanted to hide in a corner. And then we walked in. Since there were four of us and the isolation rooms are smallish, K and one other went in with her at first. She took to both right away, playing and letting both pet her. The other two of us rotated in with the third friend, to see how she would take to different people -- and she came to both of us as well. Her foster mom couldn't believe it -- said she had never seen Rawnie accept anyone before, let alone an entire group.

So, an hour and a half after we entered, we left with a pretty grey tabby. K was going to ask about taking her on a foster basis, to see how Magic adjusted, and was pleased when it was suggested to her. Incidentally, the same woman who had been fostering Rawnie fostered Calvin and Magic ten years ago. The first point in her favor is that she entered the cat carrier on her own and dozed all the way home without so much as a peep. With the boys, it was always a chore getting them into the carriers for vet trips, and they cried coming and going. As soon as we set the carrier down in K's living room, Magic was there to investigate, sniffing the new arrival through the wire door. The first couple of days there was a minimal amount of hissing, but no growling and no fighting.

The biggest miracle of all? That first night, before he had even accepted her, the incessant crying stopped. Just from having another cat in the house! By Tuesday night she had him playing tag through the house. They aren't curling up together for naps as yet, but it is amazing how fast this cantankerous male has taken to Rawnie. On Saturday, K called the shelter lady and told her she needed to adopt Rawnie.

And now begins the quest for a new name. None of us, especially her new mama, likes the name Rawnie. It doesn't suit her in the least. So, we (as in friends and coworkers alike) have been brainstorming new names. Which finally leads me to this week's Thursday Thirteen. Here are some of the top names currently being considered for the new kitty.

1. Pearl (because she is a pearl grey)

2. Opal (another gem name)

3. Ashes (but not Ashley, because of a friend's daughter)
4. Cinder (synonym for ashes)
5. Sylvie/Sylvia (because you could say she is a silver grey)
6. Gracie
7. Harmony (both 6 & 7 because she brought peace to the house)
8. Serena (derived from 6 & 7, plus--look at that sweet face)
9. Mayhem (May for short, because she is mischievous)
10. Mouffette (French for skunk. Not because she smells or looks like one, but according to K, No-name struts and prances the way a skunk does)
11. Minou (French for kitty)
12. Colette (after the French writer who loved cats)
13. Peri (One of the traits exhibited is the way she pops her head up, scans the horizon like a periscope, then ducks back down. Apparently, it also means "mountain dweller" in Greek and "Fairy Queen" in Turkish.)

So far my favorites are Pearl and Peri. Which do you like? Would you suggest something different?

Other Thursday Thirteen participants.