It's Official: She's Batty

My little furball now has a name: Bathsheba AKA Batty.

Kill the fatted calf, break out the best champagne, summon the musicians and dancing girls, let church bells ring throughout the land - we are going to have a celebration.

Celebration-shmelabration, Batty is telling me. Drop that extra morsel of salmon in my bowl right now and be quick about it.

Batty or Jazzy - Decisions, Decisions

As you are aware by now, this gorgeous little furball promenaded into my life and decided to keep me. In the process of falling under her spell, I ceded to her dominion of the premises. Thus, only an enchantress name or something regal will do. A friend suggested Sheba, which I modified to Bathsheba, the Bible babe responsible for God visiting calamity upon the House of David. And, of course, I could call her, Batty, for short.

I was all set to go with Bathsheba/Batty when Jen wrote in with the suggestion of Jasmine/Jazzy. The eight-year-old kid next door simply loved that recommendation. So, here I am, four or five days later, still agonizing.

"Poop or get off the litter box," my nameless wonder keeps telling me.

So what is it: Batty or Jazzy?

Readers, I appeal to you. Help!!!

Thanks to all of you thus far. Please respond via posting a comment ...

Name My New Cat - Update

Thank you, all, very much for all your great suggestions. As you know from a recent blog piece, a stray cat adopted me. Okay, here's where I stand. This little furball very much has a queenly aspect, at least till she hears the crackle of the cat food bag crinkling in my hand. The catch is the queen names have been done to death: Cleopatra, Nefertiti, and so on.

Little meowgirl also has the way of the enchantress, so I'm also thinking along the lines of Sappho (ancient Greek erotic poetess) and Circe (who beguiled Odysseus and crew).

Yesterday, a friend took a good long hard look at the photo on my iPhone and came up with Sheba. Another done to death queen name, I'm thinking. Then, suddenly, Bathsheba popped into my head. Bathsheba, as you may recall, is the Bible babe (pictured here) who made the mighty King David all weak in the knees (but strong in the loins), which kicked off a sequence of events that involved the usual lust and bliss followed by an unwanted pregnancy, which resulted in David dispatching husband Uriah the Hittite to certain death in battle, thereby incurring the wrath of God, who visited ultimate calamity upon the House of David.

(Something we can all identify with, obviously.)

The next thought that popped into my head was that a good shortened name for Bathsheba would be Batty.

As things stand right now: I'm leaning toward Bathsheba and Batty, but nothing is final yet. I've narrowed my choices to queen names (the more obscure the better) and enchantress names. So - feedback on Bathsheba and Batty, please, and ideas on queen and enchantress names. Please use the comments below ...

Name My New Cat

A month ago, I arrived back home from a day of water volleyball and recuperative chilling out only to discover that my cat Bullwinkle was not there to greet me. Immediately, I knew something was wrong. The little furball literally attaches herself to me like velcro. Every morning at 3, she would demonstrate the strength of our karmic bond by climbing into my bed and affectionally jamming her paws into my eyeballs.

I acquired her as a kitten some 10 months earlier. She is not the type to run off. I live 3,500 feet up in the mountains and not all the animals are friendly.

A friend asked me if I wanted another cat. No, I said, still grieving Bullwinkle. I'm not ready. Same answer to another friend.

Two weeks went by.

Me-owww!

A very sad meow. Bullwinkle? Couldn't be.

I looked out. Nothing. Then another meow.

Hey, Little Guy, I called out. A huge pair of pointy ears connected to a tail walked into view.

Me-owww!

The poor little thing looked like she (definitely a she) hadn't had a bite to eat in weeks. I grabbed a handful of dry food intended for Bullwinkle and emptied it into a dish and set it outside the door, along with a dish of water and a dish of milk. The food was gone in a micro-second, along with a second helping.

Then the little waif walked in the door and made herself at home. In nothing flat, she was sleeping on my lap. That night, she curled up in bed with me.

That was two weeks ago. This little furball isn't going anywhere. Ready or not, I have a new cat in my life. Time to set up an appointment with the vet. Time to give her a name. That's her in the picture. Names, please? Comments below ...