Cat Naming and Other Fluffy Friends

We officially named the new kitty. We decided to take the democratic approach and put it to a vote. The list of names from which we chose was endless. In the past, all the animals and even stuffed animals which Eric and I have named have had musical names. For example (you're going to laugh a little at us), we own the following:

• Gershwin the gigantic Teddy Bear which Eric bought for me the summer before we were married. The back story to this name is actually pretty funny. Eric and I spent a lot of time together "not" dating. My voice professor,  Dr. Bell, was very aware of my personal desire for this "not" dating phase to end. I really think he was having a blast with the entire situation. He had me sing a Gershwin song for my voice recital knowing that Eric would be there to listen. "I'd like to add his initial to my monogram. Tell me, where is the shepherd for this lost lamb..." You get the idea. Dr. Bell was grinning from ear to ear as I sang while Eric sat to my left in the recital hall, where I didn't dare look. When Eric gave me the bear, there was no other name to choose but Gershwin.

• Bob (Hope) the stuffed dog. He liked to travel with me in college, just like Bob Hope traveled to all our troops but my Bob is a little less patriotic. I took his photo in many, many host homes on Wind Ensemble tour.

• Sousa (John Philip) the Elephant. What better name for an elephant than to name him after the march king?

• Billie (Holiday) the Duck. You know this one is clever. Billie? A duck? I make myself laugh sometimes over these little ridiculous things.

• Bach the stuffed Dog. This one is Eric's gift from the kids. It was chosen because a dog barks and Bach sounds almost like bark. Get it?

And that's off the top of my head. We also had real pets with musical names. Arietta the miniature rex rabbit (don't ask) was our first pet. Our beloved shih tzu, Chopin, was our second. Harmony was the cat my dad brought home to me when I was 19. You see the pattern.

So having a cat named Mochi just didn't fit "us." Still, we wanted to give the kids a chance to help name our new feline friend, so we spent the past week taking everyone's suggestions into consideration.

Mozart

Gershwin (this was eliminated due to the presence of the stuffed bear. He might get jealous, you know.)

Oatmeal

Tchaikovsky

Mr. Mistoffelees

Aslan (We're currently reading the Narnia series)

Fluffy White (Eric really did have a cat with this name, and he was NOT a small child when he chose to name his non-white, non-fluffy cat "Fluffy White")

When it finally came down to decision making time, we narrowed it down to three names. Oatmeal, Tchaikovsky and Aslan. Three of the four of us were anti-Oatmeal, so that was out the door. We passed out ballots to each family member (I'm sure there is a great lesson in the democratic process here), and everyone wrote either "A" for Aslan or "T" for Tchaikovsky. 

Ava lost the vote. She was very sad, so, with that news, I told her that she could choose the color of his collar (though I nixed the idea of pink since this is my first male cat ever and I keep referring to him as a she as it is).

The winning name for our new kitty is...."Tchaikovsky." A mouthful, I know, but we're calling him Tchai. Actually, for some reason, it seems like you have to say it more than once as in, "Here kitty, kitty, Tchai, Tchai, Tchai!!!" I don't know why, but most of the time, I just HAVE to say it more than once. Heehee!

So we have a cat. And he is becoming friendly and more bold each and everyday. He is learning not to drink from our cups, and he is learning not to climb on the dining room table and counter tops. And...he is learning his new name. Tchai. Welcome to the family.