The Feline Thread

[Mayfayre]

I know cats called Frodo, Arwen, Tom Bombadil & Pippin. There may be a theme going on there as well..

[chariset]

Pointy ears. You know.

My childhood cat growing up was Black Velvet, or Velvet for short

[dit]

I didn't meet a cat till I was 18, they were something my dad chased out of the garden! Ten minutes with one and I was hooked for life (and I was always dogs up till then).

[eshalda]

The cat that came into my life I named Sidney. He kept arriving on our window sill as a scrawnwy little kitten. He kept looking at us pitifully and gave the odd meow. We eventually relented and gave him a saucer of milk, but he was strictly kept in the back yard and told to go, to a home he didn't have. Then Autumn came with light frosts, and he was let into the conservatory Then Winter came... you can guess the rest of the story.

[chariset]

Much like James himself... they get into your heart in all sorts of ways, but once they get in they never leave.

[Mayfayre]

My Dad was (and still is) scared of cats but when the cat over the road had 4 kittens in our old coal shed, he was kinda stuck with them. They were never really tame and didn't come into the house but we put out food for them and put cardboard boxes in the back porch for them to sleep in. The next year Mum cat chased them all off (they moved en-mass 4 doors along) and she had another 3 kittens under the garden shed. We ended up keeping those ones. There was a fat, lazy light ginger one called Tiggy, a dark ginger called Gin and a tabby called Tabitha.

I was 10 when the first litter was born and I've hardly ever been without a cat (or several) since. At one point my Dad had to share the house with 5 adult cats & 4 kittens. I think my brother has 6 cats at the moment, 4 of which are all black. I can tell Ratchet apart because he's a huge tomcat, but the others are all tiny females and I have no idea which is which of them!

[devil-may-care]

Found this link for IKEA letting 100 cats loose in their Wembley store to see what furniture they like as well as just what they would do. Love the video of them making their commercial!
Loved the cat stealing from the sound man!

www.tonic.com/article/100-cats-ikea-happiness/

[jacqui]

Awww that was so cute ;D
Thanks for posting DMC

[dit]

I adore all pusscats, especially my own, but I must draw the line at next door's ginger, Sandy, who sleeps on the roof of my convertible in the drive. Nothing seems to put him off except activating the central locking, and I can't be out doing that all night!

My roof now has a permanent furry look.

[devil-may-care]

Sept 14, 2010 18:41:36 GMT dit said:

I adore all pusscats, especially my own, but I must draw the line at next door's ginger, Sandy, who sleeps on the roof of my convertible in the drive. Nothing seems to put him off except activating the central locking, and I can't be out doing that all night!

My roof now has a permanent furry look.

Think of it as water-proofing! ;D ;D

[Mayfayre]

I'm going to have to start watching adverts now!

I'm not so keen on cats when I have to put my duvet in the washing machine at 2am because one of them's puked on it!

[aeromanda]

Well, I have lost a total of three cats this year; all of them to complications from old age. So I thought it was time to get some new energy in the house. So here he is, my own "little Fusker"



We just got him last night and he doesn't have a name yet. Boy is he energetic!

[chariset]

Aww... what a little devil. We'll help you name him. How about "Meccano"?

Edit: What is the furry thing behind him? Is that someone's head?

[aeromanda]

"Meccano" would be a cute name. I'll have to think about that one! (Any other name suggestions would be welcome.)

The fuzzy thing behind him is my dog Shakespeare. He likes to lay on the arm of the couch.

[devil-may-care]

What an absolute sweetie! ;D ;D

If you have a Shakespeare, why not a Chaucer? ;D ;D

[aeromanda]

Chaucer...that's a good one too!

[eshalda]

What a beautiful kitten aeromanda. How about Eliot for a name (thinking of T.S.Eliot's 'Old Possums book of Practical cats.')

[dit]

I reckon Fusker is actually quite good, on the basis that when you call him, no-one around will have the same name!

But if you already have a Shakespeare, possibly a Romeo, or a Macbeth? Ajax, Angelo, Ariel, Lysander, Moth, Oswald (Oz!), Puck, (that's a good name for a cat!), Titus (as in Andronicus), Toby (as in Sir Toby Belch) or William (As You like it)

I've got 3 cats with rather dull names, wish I'd been a bit more (Shakespearian) imaginative!

[Wyvern]

As you have a Shakespeare, I'd go with Shakespeare's contemporary, Marlowe.

Remember whatever you choose, you may end up standing on the doorstep at midnight hollering it, so keep it simple and something that won't be too embarrassing.

Froufrou Pixiebelle would be a bad choice. So would Sir Digby Rufton-Tufton-Bufton. However, 'Cat' works quite well, as do names like Fred and Bert. Fusker's a pretty good option too, actually ;D

[grizabella]

Shouldn't have come here... I want a cat but I don't think my heart can handle the pain of losing it. I had 4 cats and lost all of them within a year due to various illnesses caused by old age (last one in December) and I still miss them so much. They were with me for 17 years and to suddenly live in a "catless" home is so strange. My son also keeps talking about how he wants a kitten so I suppose I must get one soon. But first I would need to afford a new sofa. One of the cats urinated on it since she had kidney problems and although it has been chemically cleaned so that people cannot smell it another cat probably would and we all know what that means

[devil-may-care]

Sept 21, 2010 22:47:48 GMT Wyvern said:

As you have a Shakespeare, I'd go with Shakespeare's contemporary, Marlowe.

Remember whatever you choose, you may end up standing on the doorstep at midnight hollering it, so keep it simple and something that won't be too embarrassing.

Froufrou Pixiebelle would be a bad choice. So would Sir Digby Rufton-Tufton-Bufton. However, 'Cat' works quite well, as do names like Fred and Bert. Fusker's a pretty good option too, actually ;D

I was discussing your cat name dilemma with my mystery reader's group last night. Thought of Marlowe too! Great name. The other members weren't much help, but I really like Chaucer and Marlowe. Perhaps you should get another kitten and use both names! ;D ;D

[jacqui]

Awww hes se sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!
Look forward to more pictures of...Marlowe, Romeo, William, Puck, Elliott, Angelo, Ajax...thingy.....as he grows older ;D

PS My vote goes to Fusker ;D

[SonicSophie]

I love the name Puck for a cat, if I ever get one I might name it Puck! But Fusker is also a good name...

[dit]

It would be interesting to know how many cats called Fusker there are out there. They could only be owned by James fans, as I seem to recall that he made the name up based on what someone he knew called cats (little fuskers). It's not a name a cat owner would come up with by accident.

So if you hear a lady calling her cat and recognise that name, you also know something about her preferences!

[jacqui]

Very good point Dit ;D

[chariset]

"Fusker" is the name of a web utility that's used to help... acquire.. naughty pictures. Or in James' cases, tasteful Victorian art models in states of undress.

[dit]

So I understand ....having Googled it!

However, I also Googled the quote from James as I couldn't remember the details and came up with this from an old column:

"This month, I have acquired a cat. He’s a black and white tom, eight weeks old, and I have named him Fusker in memory of the late Bob Cook, father of my childhood friend Robert Cook. He was a man who hated cats. In fact he would refer to any cat as ‘a little fusker’"

[jacqui]

I remember that column, so sweet to remember his friend..... i always understood 'Little Fusker' to be a misspelling of Little Fucsker ;D

[aeromanda]

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions ladies! I've been watching him to see if there is anything overt about his personality that will help me in the choosing of a name. So far his personality is all kitten and nothing overt has emerged. I am seriously considering Fusker. Because he does seem to be a little..."Fusker" if you know what I mean. Twice I have come into the living room to find him on the mantel meowing for help because he didn't know how to get down. I like the name Puck as well but I can't use that one. Some friends of ours had a black cat named Puck. (He just passed away.) So there goes that name. Marlow is a cool name too. Hmm...so many choices. I'll let you know when I decide.

[jacqui]

Call him Fusker then send James' Fusker (via his agent) a picture of his name's sake ;D