Most of five months after Oliver died, we have a new cat. Here she is:
She is 15 weeks old. She doesn’t have a name yet.
She is mostly Aaron’s cat. Aaron came home from our friend’s who was fostering her saying her name was Mary Ann.
Meh.
Nobody likes Mary Ann but Aaron. I think we’ve convinced him that that’s a very people name, and not so much a cat name.
I absolutely fell in love with Harper over dinner tonight, on account of it’s forceful, feminine, iconic, and Southern. But I pushed too hard for it, and I think Aaron will reject it just on that basis. If Daddy wants Harper, then it must suck. Sigh.
Other frontrunners include Isabel, Agatha, Felicia, and Mackenzie. I’d be OK with any of those. Aaron has a little too much affection for Esmerelda, which is pretty but unwieldy. I’m hoping his mother, who enjoys significantly more influence than I do right now, successfully squashes that.
So I guess I’ll tell you what the cat’s named sometime this week. In the meantime, she is beautiful and very lovey. Glad to have her.
I’m amazed and appalled at what a cat person I am.
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Ah but Esmerelda has such great nickname options. Esme, Emmy, Mere (pronounced Mare)…
If it’s to be his cat, why not let him name her?
And why be appalled? Cat people are awesome. Cats are the most lovely pets. Independent and still affectionate. Cuddly and furry and opinionated. <3
Amanda, Emmy’s pretty cool. I hadn’t considered that.
The reason for not surrendering total naming rights to him is that he’s 9 and irrational. He’s got good ideas, but bad ones too, and he’s liable to put the accelerator on the floor for either sort. Guidance is indicated.
Making peace with being a cat person is my demon, and yes, I’ll put him to rest. I didn’t believe I was a cat person until Oliver touched me. And it’s taken just about a lap cuddle and a half for the new cat to win me.
My larger point re letting him name the cat was that it’s a pretty low consequence decision. If he names the cat something that is a “bad” name (which is really subjective and I can think of only a few things that would really qualify), then the cat has a “bad” name….and nothing else really happens.
Other people who don’t like the name will either adjust or find nicknames to call the cat. There’s value in learning to negotiate and considering the opinions of others but I think there’s a lot to be said for respecting kids’ choices when possible.
Not arguing with your decision, just curious to understand how you arrived at it. : )
When I sold cars, the business manager owned a white Maltese named Batman.
I rest my case.
Esmeralda is a fine name for a cat. You can call her Essie. You should trust your son.
Susan, I will. I’ve exited the dialogue. I didn’t realize I was influencing it quite as much as I was until I eavesdropped tonight.
I will enjoy and celebrate whatever her name is.
I promise I stepped all the way away from the discussion last night.
Aaron just told me the cat’s name is Harper. Very cool.
A black kitty! I love black cats. We have a black cat. But look at her ears! Very distinguished indeed. She’s so beautiful! Can’t wait to hear the name.
Ooops, I see in the latest comments that you all went with Harper. Very good choice!
We were going to name our Black Cat : Inky…But Noel won out. Harper is good, but is that too Masculine ?
Screw you, Bo! I knew Aaron was my favorite. 🙂
Thank you, Carol! We all just love her face.
Fred, I think Harper Lee would disagree. 🙂
Marianne, it might surprise you how far apart “Mary Ann” and “Marianne” are to me. 🙂
Me, you, and Amanda have black kittehs!