With all apologies to T.S. Eliot, the naming of cats is not all that delicate a matter. But some thought should certainly be given to it. Giving the cat a foolish or ugly name on the spur of the moment because it sounds funny is no way to start a relationship. It encourages a careless and disrespectful attitude toward the cat not only in yourself, but in other people as well. A bad name encourages a bad attitude toward the cat. Fortunately, coming up with a good name can be fun and there are endless possibilities for ideas.
One very popular way for finding a good name is to look up the names of stars, galaxies or constellations. You don’t have to stick with just the major ones. Look up some of the minor constellations and stars as well. You could find just the perfect name in a constellation you had previously never heard of. You too may find you have a Dorado or Indus on your hands. Another popular means of naming cats is using human names. Matilda, Annie, Pete and Bobby are all quite popular. Some people name their cats after movie stars or characters in a favorite film or book. I’m certain that at this very moment, there are a large number of Frodos purring contentedly on their favorite windowsill right now.
More on Naming Your Cat
Cats as deities are most closely associated with ancient Egypt. The ancient Egyptians had several feline gods and goddesses. Lions were said to guard the great god Ra during his nightly journey through the underworld. The Egyptians had a fascination with lions. They created their sphinx with the body of a lion and the head of Pharaoh. Three lion goddesses existed in ancient Egypt. Sekhmet was a fierce and powerful goddess. She was a war goddess who was sent by her father Ra to earth to destroy his enemies. She is usually depicted as a woman with the head of a lion. Another lion headed goddess was Tefnut whose name means moisture. She represented a primeval force of nature. The third lion goddess was Mafdet who was the goddess of protection.
Among her fierce sisters, gentle Bast may seem a bit out of place. Often shown as a graceful cat wearing bracelets a broad collar and earrings, Bast was the protectress of domestic cats and those who cared for them. Her principle gifts to the world were joy and pleasure. She was a much beloved household deity. Her principle temple was at Bubastis and was said to be one of the most beautiful and popular in all of Egypt. She had a secondary seat in Memphis as well. There is some evidence to believe that the ancient Egyptians believed that Bast and Sekhmet were actually two faces of the same divine force. Sekhmet representing the violent aspect of the divine, and Bast, the gentler qualities.
More on Cats as Deity
Cats are known as solitary animals. They don’t hunt communally or share the spoils of a hunt. Sometimes cats with adjoining territories will get together for a pleasant evening grooming session, but on the whole they are not the most social creatures with others of their kind. This general wisdom does not always seem to hold up.
My barn cats are a single family descended from a lone female who wandered onto our place one day and decided to stay. She and her children and grandchildren police the local rodent population. Their behavior doesn’t always match the solitary hunter of common wisdom.
The original female, Patch, used to like to take her kittens for day trips around the area. I’ve watched her bring her little brood back from wherever they’ve been in the evenings. One evening I watched her stop and sit down near the edge of a small, lightly used road running next to our farm. More on Cat Behavior
