By any other name would smell as sweet."
-- Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
While the kitten is still largely referred to as “the baby” by both the mother and I, there has been a virtual tug of war going on for weeks now as to what to name him. And I beg to differ with Juliet. There's a lot in a name.
I like my name. I didn't when I was little. Kids used to make fun of it. Then, when every other female child on the planet starting being named "Nicole," the teasing ceased. So, I have always taken naming seriously. And I was feeling bad that our newest little guy has been around for weeks with no clear identity.
Part of the delay has been that his gender was unclear. That’s no longer an issue. He is clearly on his way to male catdom! The other part has been the mother’s insistence on giving him a “T” name. Tigger (1992-2009) was our original T-man, followed by Toby in 2006. “All our cats have T names,” quoth the mother.
We went through a list of names ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime before squaring off with our personal favorites. The mother was stuck on Todd/Toddy. (Immediately made me think of Robert Preston’s character of the same name in Victor/Victoria. I’m sorry. This little guy is not a gay showcat. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just not him.) Also, my mother had an aunt who went by Toddy. “My aunt was not gay or a showgirl,” insisted the mother. "I like that name."
Still, I would not give up on Taz. I think Taz is a perfectly adorable name and to me, it brings to mind images of the Tazmanian Devil of Bugs Bunny fame. This seems to fit our little resident ankle-biter to a T. (Pun intended.)
I was even more encouraged by Vicki over at NotSoSAHM who reported that she and her hubby’s first kitty was dubbed Taz as a unisex name. And Why from the House on Red Hill pointed out that Ozzie, Toby and Toddy just did not have the proper ring to it. How right you are!
Even so, the battle waged on. I have been defiantly calling the kitten Taz and he has even started to respond to it. Meanwhile, the mother has been decrying the name as stupid. But finally, last night, I heard for the first time, the mother call him Taz! “It’s like the Tazmanian Devil. He kind of is like that,” says the mother. (Seriously, he is. Don't be fooled for a second by that cute face.)
Yes! The V in NV today stands for victory …
