Looking for a good cat name?

Round 2

I once wrote a poem about The Cat, and in that case, it was just about cats universal. It got published in WITH, our denomination’s church youth magazine at the time. I was paid, and elated. In some ways that inspired me to keep writing.

Today, I’m writing about our cat. Her name is Pumpkin. I’m getting used to her. I would say in the years when our daughters were all excited and in love, so to speak, about cats, I was mainly the cat mother and dealing with too many cats, because they kept having babies. One cat in particular birthed babies that were almost like Siamese kittens—dark colors on the face, ears, feet and tail. This was due to crossbreeding I guess but they were easy to give away, because they were so cute. We tried to keep no more than 5 cats or kittens at our house for our 3 daughters. Needless to say, when a cat was having babies, the children not only learned a lot about babies, but had a lot of fun. Me? Not so much.

Back to Pumpkin. My husband has been a big cat fan all his life and always had a cat at his home.

When he bought his own trailer to live in, he kept a cat there who LOVED him but hissed horrifically at me if I entered (when we were dating). When we got married and in a year had found our own house in the country which was just a nice size for a small family, he had a cat we called Tigger. He was tame and friendly. Again, I tolerated her just fine, petted her, fed her, whatever.

There was also a large cat named Ceasar, part Himalayan, who Stuart’s brother suggested that Stuart bring Ceasar to our house for Tanya, our middle daughter. Stuart brought him home but somehow she was not able to make friends with Ceasar. He insisted on sitting on Stuart’s lap instead. And lived many years loving Stuart most of all, and tolerating the rest of us.

I’m not sure of the exact number of cats we had over the years (the records below imply 38, most of whom we gave away to friends or neighbors looking for a cat (we actually published little notices in the newspaper about free cats!)

About 5 years ago, a neighbor I was acquainted with mentioned that two of her daughters were needing to find a home for Pumpkin because they were investing in a house for themselves too. Pumpkin had always loved going outside, but eventually was attacked by two dogs. They took her to an emergency vet hospital 20 some miles away, and after that decided that expenses keeping dogs, cats and other farm animals needed to be lowered. My daughter in Ohio noticed an alert online asking for a home for Pumpkin so together we decided we would try this cat out. She had been healed, but the sisters were looking for a new home for her.

The cat hid from us in the basement for about two days, then slowly began to adapt to her new home. She was not very tame for us at first, but my husband kept working on her, luring her to his good graces. Again, I tolerated my role of feeding, watering and petting her occasionally.

At first she didn’t try to go out, but slowly decided that she would try the outdoors again. She still is hesitant, and probably wise about where she goes. She hunts for insects, critters and birdies, sorry to say, and makes a meal out of them if she has a chance. That is what cats do, I guess, much to my chagrin.

And now, she basically rules the house. She loves to be petted, but she also demands her breakfast, lunch and dinner and snacks in between. She owns the chair in our bedroom with two blankets on it, where she licks herself and basically sleeps for the night, occasionally hiding under the bed if that suits her fancy more.

I now buy her a relatively expensive brand of catfood that seems to keep those allergic to cats from being bothered with her furr or fuzz.

Did I add she runs the house??

The dog barks loud and long when she sees or hears Pumpkin at one door or another and insists that we let Pumpkin in. Which of course we do. Our dog Velvet is her master, her cohort in the house. Velvet is all business—when she’s not barking for food or attention or crumbs.

They both run the house. And here I am writing about a cat. Again. Only this time I’m not being paid for any “poetry.”

I must share, for posterity, my daughter’s “Davis Cat Genealogy” from 1977-1997 as told by Michelle Davis Jan. 3, 1997. So if you need to find a name for your cat, here are some lovely options, courtesy of our three daughters who named them.

Feel free to share the name if you’re in need of good ones!

Tigger – male
Bibbs – male
Sunshine – male
Puff – male
Shelly – female – which began the Shelly Dynasty (for many years)

Shelly begat: Darkhorse, male; Boots, female; Butterball, male; Squirrel, female.

Then came: Muffin, female; Sad Sack, female; Blackie, female; Wonder (no one remembers her gender); Perfect, male; Inky, male; Autumn, male; Sicky, male; Torty, male; Bossy, female; Comet, male; Cleopatra, female; Space Bars (a.k.a. Tigger !!); Midnight, male; Bubbles, female; Sage, female; Paprika, female; Brainy, female; Sniffles, female; Reebok, male; Nike, female; Kodak, male; Lucky, (a.k.a. Rose who went to live at a friends house who now raises horses!); Tie-Dye, female; Larry, male; Curly, female; Moe, female.

Attention: most of these kittens did not stay at our house but were adopted, killed on the road, or loved for many years.

Anyway. Who runs your house? Cat? Dog? Husband? Wife? Yourself?

And a few more photos my pets urged me to put in.