Wednesday, June 3, 2020
I wasn’t going to do a midweek post. However, yesterday, I started playing with something on Facebook. When several people came out to play along, I decided to continue the game here.
A strange little kitten (unexpected by me) poked his nose into my novel in progress. On a whim, I put out a query for everyone to “Name the Kitten.” He’ll belong to my heroine, a young woman with the scars of an abused past. Her name is Venus, and she ends up in a weird place with a bunch of strange people.
The setting is the early 1960s in a tiny Nevada town. It’s an urban fantasy story with a big emphasis on the quirky-factor. There are already a couple of cats (with small parts) in the story. He won’t have a big part either, but he’s an odd little guy, with a white body and a ginger tail, and a ginger spot on his head. (Those colors and markings are associated with some, but not all, Turkish Van cats.)
Several of your friends came out to play. You can join the fun by leaving a kitten name in a comment. Most of them offered more than one name, so I picked my favorite from their individual offerings. Here’s what we have so far:
Dan Antion suggested Snap.
Darlene Foster thought Spring suited him.
Mary J. offered Spice Boy.
Eolise De Susa thought about the era and said Apollo.
Carol Taylor suggested Echo.
Adele Marie Park came up with Neptune. (The kitten I shared on Facebook had his paw in a pool.)
Barb Taub considered literature of the era (Heinlein) and thought of Grok.
Donna Parker had no way of knowing it would tie to one of the other cat names when she offered Bloodnut.
What would you name a funny looking kitten, in a “far out” 1960s fantasy story, where nothing is as it seems? Leave a kitten-name in a comment. Or just say hello. Either way, you’re groovy!
This is a work of fiction. Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2019 and 2020 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene
All rights reserved.
No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.
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Teagan's Books 
How about Scraps. He comforts scraps of emotions and loves scraps too. Lol. 🙂
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Tee-hee! That’s a great name, Kev. Venus’s favorite snack is Bugles. (It’s in the 60s.) I can imagine the kitten stealing some when she’s not looking. And he would certainly comfort her. You’re the cat’s pajamas!
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Lol… I’ve think I remember having Bugles… A corn shaped crispy snack? I had a cat who loved cheese and onion crisps. He jumped up on the sofa every time he heard me open a packet and I had to share the whole pack with him and show him when the packet was empty. I did love sharing them with him though. Lol. 😺
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Ha! That’s so funny, Kev. Thanks for sharing it. I’m pretty sure they still sell Bugles over here — maybe not all over the country. I liked them when I was a kid. They were very light and had a cone shape (similar to a bugle). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugles
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That’s them! Lol
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Hayley (after Hayley Mills)
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Hi, Jan. That’s fabulous, and so was that “darned” Siamese! Hugs.
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a wounded heart will most probably go for something that will warm her heart like cuddlebug 🙂
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Hi Sharmishtha, it’s lovely to see you! Cuddlebug is an adorable name. It certainly suits this kitten. I actually had a cat that I named “Doodlebug” when I was young. Where I grew up, Volkswagen Beetle cars were often nicknamed Doodlebugs. I enjoyed the whimsy of the name. Hugs on the wing!
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What an adorable kitten! Because of the white pyramid on her forehead, I suggest the name “Mastaba.” 🙂
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Thanks Jan. Hugs on the wing.
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I love the idea of a cute kitten. With his coloring, I thought of Creamsicle (like the popsicle) or topaz.
Fun post, Teagan! 🙂
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Hi Mae. I love Creamsicle — I can absolutely see Venus calling him that — and wishing she had one in that Nevada desert town. Hugs on the wing.
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🙂
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I like Miriam’s Apser name suggestion because Silver is the ore mined in NV. It’s the Silver State!
I came up with Pisces Aquamarine sort of in a backward way. I loved the color of the cat’s eyes in the image so thought of Topaz, but it’s not really from NV although so I went to Aquamarine to find it’s a calming stone, and related to the sea by way of its color. Sailors wear it to protect themselves while crossing the seas and would decorate their ships to protect them from sinking. It’s also connected to the Moon which also has an influence on the seas, and it’s the traditional birthstone of Pisces. Pisces Aquamarine.
Perhaps looking into the cats eyes she feels calm and peaceful for just a little while?
That’s all I got. 😀
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Hi Deborah. Thanks so much for these mindful ideas. Looking into a cat’s eyes is certainly calming to me. I love gemstone lore! I wasn’t familiar with that about sailors and aquamarine. Very cool. What I couldn’t share publicly includes something about the cat’s eye color (this kitten and one of the 2 other cats)… but Pisces has potential. Oh-oh… maybe there are two kittens. 😉 Hugs on the wing!
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PS: Yes, the silver! My fictional Nevada town is loosely inspired by Rachel, NV.
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I like gemstone lore too. 😀 xx
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I’ve been thinking about this since you tagged me on FB, I’ve come up with a few I’m not too excited about, but maybe you’ll see more promise in them. Mars (my thinking was ginger/red – the red planet), Pebbles (Flintstone, a redhead from the 60s), or Daphne (another redhead from Scooby-Doo). Looking at other suggestions, I also love the name Snap!
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Hi Teri. Thanks so much for all the thoughts. Mars would be a cool name, and a great fit for the storyline. I do like Pebbles a lot, that would suit his personality. LOL, yes, Snap seems to be a big hit for the name. I haven’t gotten back to writing that part of the story yet. My inability to focus continues… It will probably just be a matter of which of these names pops into my head when I’m writing it. Hugs on the wing.
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Hi, Teagan! I’ve missed you.
You say Venus, I say de Milo. You could just call him Milo, though.
Can’t wait to see what you pick. He’s a cutie. (I’m convinced he’s a he.)
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Hi Traci, welcome back. 🙂 This is an adorable idea, and Milo is a cute name that does suit that kitten. Yeah… I’m pretty sure it is a he too. 🐱 Hugs on the wing.
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It sounds to be a fantastic story, among others 😉, I would call him/her Pussy Cat 🐈 with the pyramides 😆🥰❤
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A fun idea, Magician. Now I imagine Tom Jones singing What’s New Pussycat. 😺. You’re still the cat’s pajamas.
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Oh yes, that’s the Hit! 🤣 🙏❤❤🥰😘
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I will put forth Gort, like the robot from TDTESS. I already had a cat named Klaatu (departed 7 years now) who was white with one blue eye and one gold.
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Hi Lavinia! Either of those might work. I use a lot of “cultural references” of the era in this story, including The Day the Earth Stood Still, Gort, and “Klaatu barada nikto”. Since Venus has already mentioned them, it might follow that she would name the kitten one of those. Hugs on the wing!
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Barbarella if it’s a girl
Ringo if its a boy
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Hi Resa, it’s great to see you. I’ve been saying “he,” but I haven’t committed to whether it is a he or a she kitten. I love Barbarella! I’ve made one reference to Ringo Star in the story, but I do like the name for this kitten. Hmmm. Thanks for coming out to play. Hugs!
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Thanks for the mention. Some smashing names suggested. Have fun picking. Maybe you will have to have more than one cat in the story, maybe a herd of them!
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My pleasure, Darlene. Oh there were already two other cats in the story, then this one stuck his little nose into my head. Thanks for coming out to play. Hugs!
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Hi Teagan. It sounds like you have another creative adventure brewing. Sirius? Rocket?
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Hi Brad. Rocket would be a great cat name for this story. Thanks for coming out to play. Hugs.
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Yay! Let’s blast off! 🙂
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He is so cute. If he were mine his name would be Ozymandias. 😊
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Oh, a poetry name! I confess I had to look it up, but I like it. Thanks for playing along, Fraggle. Hugs.
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This is going to be a great read!
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Welcome, Rebecca. I sure hope so. It always helps me when I try to engage readers in my writing projects. Hugs on the wing!
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I also like Snap, although I don’t know why I thought of Waffle. By the way, I’m very intrigued by your story. Take care, Teagan, and keep us posted!
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It’s great to see you, Olga. I think Waffle would be a cute name. Maybe he gets the name by stealing a waffle from someone’s breakfast plate. Hugs!
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I think Mushroom might be a good name for a far out fantasy taking place in the ’60s
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Haha! You slay me, John. And you’re right. Maybe the spot on his head is shaped like a mushroom too. I could also get some humor mileage from the character who has trouble with English, trying to say Mushroom. Hugs on the wing.
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😊
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My cats are named Push-Push and Smudge and I also like the name Daiquiri, but I could be slightly biased towards those, especially strawberry ones [giggle!]
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Tee-hee! I remember seeing the names of your kitties on Facebook, Robbie. I think they’re adorable. I would love to have a daiquiri too, LOL. There’s a nightclub in the story. So a drink name has potential. Cheers — and hugs.
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Since it’s in Nevada in the early 60’s, you could consider “Teapot” for a name. My dad worked on Operation Teapot in Nevada in 1955. It probably had some quirky effects on your little town.
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Ah… That has potential. I didn’t turn up Operation Teapot in my research, but I focused more on the nine years after that. Cool beans. I knew you would have a good cat name, Tim. Hugs.
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I had a cat in the 60s his name was pyewacket. I know your cat is not Siamese but I loved the name.
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Welcome Lauren! Oh, from Bell Book and Candle — and that’s early enough that Venus would know about it. 🐱 Pyewacket is a terrific name. Hugs.
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The spot on the beautiful cat’s forehead looks like an arrowhead. Without knowing much about the story or character, my contribution is Arrow, Arrowhead, or Spear. They don’t sound like fun or quirky names though. I love Gingersnap with Snap for short. Enjoy your day, Teagan! Good luck with a name. You have a lot of ideas here. 🤗
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Hi Mary, it’s great to see you. Actually, Spear could tie to a “theme” element in the story. So that has real potential. Hugs on the wing.
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Darling little kitty! I’d call this one Dharma 😉
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Hi Barbara. Dharma is a lovely name. Thanks for visiting. Hugs.
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Fun Teagan:) How about Blaze?
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Hi Denise. My grandmother used to say “Scat Tom, your tail’s on fire.” when she wanted the cat to get out of her way. I can see Blaze with that ginger tail. Hugs.
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🙂
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How about Asper (a former silver coin of Turkey and Egypt).
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Ohh… The coin meaning could tie to an element in the theme of the story. Excellent, Miriam. Hugs!
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Oh, great, Tegan. I searched for the popular names for cats in 1960. I liked Aspen so I searched for the meaning for that. I went back to look at your footnote for the kitty and thought there was a tie!
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People have come up with such great names! I especially like Snap.
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Thanks, Priscilla. Snap could add some humor. Hugs ❣️
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Hi Teagan, How about Zingi? Short and quirky for Zingiber.
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That’s a really groovy name, Marje. Hugs ❤️
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I’m very fond of kitties! Hugs. ❤
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How about Ginny, or Ginger, or Gingersnap. Such a sweet looking kitten. Sounds like a fun story. We need fun right now. 📚🎶 Christine
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Hi Christine. I’m trying hard to make it a fun story. Thanks for the cute names. Hugs ♥️
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Scooter popped into my head when I saw that adorable kitten. What a cutie! I have a friend from England who says “Oh snap!” I love that! 🙂
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Hi Jill. Scooter is a fun name! Hugs 😺
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Reminds me of a cat who owned me in Saudi Arabia when I worked there – as a kitten, he used to squeak instead of meow, so I called him Squeaker (his meow finally arrived when he was about 9 months old) 😹
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I love that story Chris. There’s more than one reason why this kitten might have a strange sounding meow. Coincidentally he’s also in the desert, but this one is in Nevada… (Okay, I deleted the rest, because I have to keep the details to myself at this stage.) I do like Squeaker! Hugs on the wing.
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🦍🤗❤️❤️🤗🦍
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Oooo, I love Snap! If I had a ginger kitten named Snap, I would call him Snappy, Snappers, Snip-snap, Snickerdoodle, Ginger-Pie. lol!
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Hi Marian. LOL, I like Snap, because some people say “Oh snap!” when something happens. So that would fit. But I like your idea of Snickerdoodle too. You’re the cat’s pajamas!
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