Named the Kitten

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Turkish Van kitten by Argelia Aguilar at Pixabay
Turkish Van kitten by Argelia Aguilar at Pixabay

Last week, quite unexpectedly, a kitten wandered into my novel in progress.  On a whim, I invited everyone to give me name suggestions for him. Those of you who know I’m a “cat person” are probably surprised that the kitten was a surprise to me… but I already had two other cats in the story.  I wasn’t expecting a third.

Some of you also know that I’m a collector of names.  I obsessively research character names for meanings and origins.  Then I choose the name to enhance the character’s presence in the story — even if I’m the only one who knows it.  So, you probably wondered why I’d invite name suggestions.  Well, for one thing it was huge fun to hear the fabulous cat names everyone sent. 

Also, I wanted to prevent myself from going off on a name-research tangent. With your help, I achieved that.  Ya’ll sent some fabulous feline names! You can see the name suggestions in the comments of that post by clicking here. 

I just wish I could have told you more about the novel in progress, but I’m being kind of secretive about this one.  I expect some of you would have come up with the name I settled on, if I could have told you more. 

I should have paid attention to that inner voice.  Comments are now closed.

Turkish Van by Pasi Mämmelä at Pixabay
Turkish Van by Pasi Mämmelä at Pixabay

It’s so hard not to tell more about this story! Akkk! If I do anything to explain my choice, I’m telling too much.  Anyhow, I made a small change in what I’ve written so far on the novel so the kitten could have the name the story demanded. 

Drumroll… the kitten’s name is Moon.  Yes, it’s a weird name for a cat… but it’s a weird story! LOL.

Composite of altered free images by Teagan Geneviene
Composite of altered free images by Teagan Geneviene

 Even though the cats in this story won’t have huge parts — not like Lilith in Atonement, Tennesee, I think Crystal is getting jealous of me paying so much attention to other cats. So, I’m giving her a little shout-out here.

Crystal, May 17, 2020
Crystal, May 17, 2020

Wishing you an easy coast down the other side of this midweek hump.  Hugs on the wing!

 

 

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.

All images are either the property of the author or provided by free sources, unless stated otherwise.

100 thoughts on “Named the Kitten”

  1. Holy Christmas! No wonder your being secretive. I thought I saw some of your characters in some books, like Ralda Lawton’s last name and Bethany together as a couple, and another Bethany that looked just like your Bethany. These people are just cray cray! That comments awful. Telling someone your gonna steal something doesnt make it honest! I thought WordPress writers were decent peeps, but reading these comments OMG!

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  2. I love that name, Teagan. Moon–I might steal that for a character. And I know what you mean about cats showing up in your stories. Dogs do that in mine.

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    1. Hi Andrea. When I first saw that little “Bat Girl” mask, nearly 14 years ago, how could I not adopt her? I think she meows the Batman Theme when she “kills” her string toy. LOL. Hugs on the wing!

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  6. Love Crystal Teagan… and from one cat lover to another Moon sounds a super name… loved the images… and your novel sounds intriguing.. We have a stray come visit us, though we know it must have a home… He wanders in and makes himself at home… we call him Biscuit… He is a Ginger Tom… 🙂
    Sending love, and huge hugs…. ❤ ❤ ❤

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      1. It suits him…. I call him my Spirit Cat…. He turns up just when i need that extra bit of love lol and a cuddle.. He is a lap cat and seems to have taken a liking to me he sat on my lap an hour the other day… It was a two way energy exchange lol 🙂

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    1. Thanks, Diana. You’re right — I like interesting names for cats. Aside from integrating into the theme of the story, I think it suits him. Imagine the kitten curled into a white ball like a little moon, ginger tail like a comet. LOL. Hugs on the wing.

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    1. Oh, I had forgotten about your fondant cats, Robbie. I remember the blue cat you had on Facebook. I’m excited about your project. If you have something particular that you’d like me to share next Wednesday, please let me know. You can use my Yahoo address.
      Thanks for visiting. Hugs on the wing!

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    1. Lynn! It’s so nice to see you. Thanks so much — and Crystal sends you a purr. This is for the story I started in November for NaNoWriMo. Recently it’s grown a few characters and then this kitten came along on top of it all. I figure if nothing else, he can “moon” the bad guys. LOL. Hugs on the wing.

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    1. Thanks, Lavinia. I thought you might like this “loony” kitten. 🐱 I’m really not sure what to do with him, but he poked his nose into the story, so I have to come up with something. Hugs on the wing!

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    1. It’s good to see you, Deborah. Thanks so much. I finally managed to get past my anxiety crap enough today to write the scenes that introduce the kitten in the novel. A little more to do with that, to integrate it into what I’ve already written. Then I hope I can really get going with the story. I appreciate your encouragement. Huge hugs.

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  14. Crystal looks regal on her blanket 🙂 I love the name Moon! I picture a smokey gray or a Siamese with such a prestigious name.
    Hubby named my cat. He brought her over 1200 miles to me and through his travels decided he never wanted a Harley (motorcycle) but could settle for a Harley cat 🙂

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    1. Hi Jacquie. My Internet dropped for the 7th time today (so far) and I lost the nice reply I made… The cat in the book can be whatever readers imagine him. I love the story about Harley. She’s so beautiful. Crystal traveled 2000 miles with me from Albuquerque to DC. Then ten years later, she again traveled with me 2000 miles, to another high desert home. She doesn’t like traveling. o_O 😀 Hugs on the wing.

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      1. She’s already traveled more than me! Lol. Harley used to be good but now she gets so stressed. Her heart goes crazy, she drools, and gets sick. And that was just driving a mile down the road to grab a coffee!

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  27. Moon is a great name for the kitten, especially with the coloring it has. I think it’s an awesome choice.
    Awww, and Crystal is so cute. I am such a sap when it comes to cats and kittens, LOL!

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    1. Haha — I am too Mae. I think Lilith in the Atonement books is the only cat charter I’ve had in my stories. Since this kitten poked his nose into my WIP, this book will have 3… Hopefully it will not be a cat-astrophy. 🐱 Hugs on the wing!

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    1. Thanks, Teri. Crystal is the queen of all she surveys. She loves that rug. She was trying to roll herself up in it this morning, like a “purrito.” It’s been a long time since she did that. Have a wonderful Wednesday. Hugs on the wing!

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    1. I love this comment, Pat. Thanks for the morning grin. “Me-howling” is perfect for what Crystal does when she “kills” her string toy. LOL, that’s fabulous. Hugs right back — hugs on the beam!

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    1. Thanks GP. It popped into my mind on a big “Duh!” moment. The characters in this story have particular “designations” and I had already given moon to something else, so I didn’t consider it before I started this “game.” Suddenly I realized what I needed to do. I appreciate you visiting. Hugs on the wing, from Moon, Hiroto, and me! 😉

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  34. Moon is a great name. I’m looking forward this story, it sounds intriguing. Give Crystal an extra scritch, every time you write about Moon. That should remind her who’s the V queen kitty.

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    1. LOL, Crystal is already trying to enforce your suggestion, Dan. As Pat termed it, she’s “mehowling” for attention right now. I stop to play with her. She walks away. I go back to computing, and she me-howls again. Give your co-worker some extra brushing for me. Hugs on the wing!

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    1. Each day that Crystal does well brings me peace and joy, Chris. She’ll be 14 in August. After so many years of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and being on steroids for it, and having a golf ball sized cancer removed from her side a couple of years ago… And all she can eat is prescription food (because of the IBD and allergies) — she’s pretty amazing! Health, happiness, and hugs to you and the missus. ❤

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  41. You’re a tease, Teagan! Love Moon. I have a painting called Moon in my room so I’m a fan. Crystal is looking gorgeous. Love to her and to you both and good luck with the WIP.

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    1. Hi Christoph and a happy hump day back to you and Jutt, and the Laboradoodles. It’s so hard to keep quiet about this story. Sharing is how I encourage myself… maybe that’s part of why I’m having such a hard time focusing on this one… part of it… Yes, all the characters have names (or nicknames) that are significant to the story. Thanks for visiting. Hugs on the wing!

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    1. Ah! That explains the “me-howl-ing” (as Pat put it). She’s saying “Hi ho Silver! Away!” The name should have been obvious to me, Tim. I just had to make a little change to the story so I could use it. Now I’m shaking my head about it. Although, I think everyone participating in the naming opened up my mind to what the name needed to be. Hugs on the wing!

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