cat nicknames

we have a cute little gray and white tabby cat named jingle bell. i know that jingle bell is NOT the best name for a cat, but we got her around christmas time when s was about 5. it was the most magical name she could consider at the time, so the unfortunately named jingle bell came to be.

now, jingle has a little issue with corpulence. such an issue that she cannot reach her nether regions in order to clean herself. this has led to hundreds of dollars in veterinary bills for urinary tract infections. yeah, i know, great. TMI.

she's the sweetest little tolerant kitty. the kind of kitty that follows you around and gazes up into your eyes. the kind that licks your fingers and toes until they shine. the children absolutely adore her because she lets them carry her around and tease her about her weight.

which brings me to the topic. jingle bell is not the greatest name, and i am prone to calling her bell or bella or bellina. bellicose would be more apt, but i digress. the kids have come up with the oddest names for this poor cat. mostly h. his names for her include belly eller, bellorgin blub, blubberg meowgen, bellee- bellew-bellub and bellatin gelatin. s calls her dinda bueller.

WHERE ON EARTH do they come up with names like this? and what on the earth do they mean? i've asked them, and they just shrug, content in their own little world of imaginary nicknames. the other animals and people in the house are not nearly so nickname-endowed as poor jingle bell. otherwise, you'd probably be wondering what they call ME.

vibrating shiatsu bed with built-in footwarmer!

while lying in bed this morning, somewhere between consciousness and sleep, i thought, "how lucky am i?"

one cat on the bed purring loudly, the other cat on my back purring almost as loudly, and the two of them together making the whole bed seem to rumble. the cat on my back is massaging with his front paws, nice and relaxing.

upon my feet lies the nice, warm, furry dog.

do we live in the lap of luxury or what?

you look so cute in that hat!

i promise no more kitten photos after this. they are still a novelty, and SO DARN CUTE. they curled up today in h's "samurai jack" hat and my cowgirl hat. awwwww! just like a cheesy cat calendar!then orion curled up in the boughs of the christmas tree. more kitty calendar cheesiness! fun for everyone! now that you're all thoroughly sick to your stomachs, you can join t and s in their vomit-fest. h is only hacking up a lung. me?? i'm just fine, thanks, after 52 1/2 loads of laundry.

about these kittens...

the family is adjusting to the kittens really well! tibby is hissing and growling at them, but tibby hisses and growls at everyone and everything, so that's to be expected. jane follows them with loads of curiosity, and is starting to play with them. the kids have mini kitty scratches all over their hands and shoulders, but that doesn't deter them from loving these little guys to bits.

the kitties are adjusting to our home and family! they are eating more, playing more (the floor is littered with little kitty toys) and have done no major amount of destruction. we have discovered that they like people food, unfortunately, because i served up pumpkin pie with whipped cream and they both wanted their helpings.

however, the cutest thing is that jingle bell nurses on orion's ear when they're snuggled up together. it is so cute! tibby has always suckled his back foot, but i'd never seen a cat do that to another cat. orion gets a little irritated, but gives her a few minutes before he shakes his head and stalks away. very funny.

orion and jingle bell

yesterday there was a flyer in the mailbox from a foster home for cats. seems the county shelter was so overrun that the foster mother had somewhere around 60 cats at her home and pottery studio that needed adopting. one of our two cats died last summer, and the other cat is just pure evil, so i'd been considering another kitten in the back of my brain for awhile.

when this flyer appeared, i showed it to t, and he thought it might be a good idea to get a kitten for jane. she wants SO BADLY to be friends with the devil cat, but tibby wants nothing to do with her. i called the foster parent, her name is siglinda scarpa, and she also happens to be a reknowned italian-american sculptor. if you need to rent a villa in tuscany, give her a call!

we agreed to meet the cats today when i got done volunteering at the school christmas parties. i went home, grabbed t, and away we went to the goat house gallery. it is a beautiful goat farm, with dogs, cats, and peafowl running around, and fountains trickling behind bent-wood fences along the path from the house to the studio. the studio was almost infested with cats of every size, shape and color. i am a "cat person," so snuggling a zillion sweet kitties was heaven to me. there were several possibilities in the kitten department, but i left the ultimate decision to t. it came down to a sweet, trilling black female or a brother and sister grey tabby set.

t decided on the siblings.

we brought them home and let them get used to some sounds and smells on the back porch, including jane. jane was far more scared of them than they were of her! she cowered when they growled, but within minutes they were all doing fine. the kids got off the bus, and we blindfolded them to surprise them and put one kitten in each of their laps. they had NO IDEA this was coming, so their little faces lit up, and then the laughing ensued.

s claimed the girl and christened her "jingle bell."


h claimed the boy and named him "orion."

they're terrorizing the christmas tree as i type, but there is loads of giggling involved so i am happy. i'll keep you up to date on our new arrivals as the days go by!