It’s summer so that must mean Stay-cation. Chloe is home and it’s really a fun excuse to get out and do things we wouldn’t otherwise do. Last week, we visited the Cat Cafe on Whyte. Though all the cats are up for adoption, we were there just to pet them, take photos, and to draw them. It really was cat heaven. 

Well, everyone loves to name cats. And all these cats had names, but the cats know, of course, their own names. They are in rapt contemplation of their names. I’ve never seen the play, Cats, but I do enjoy watching cats play. And I think our visit was really good for the ol’ blood pressure. So, without further, commentary, here are some cats. (Dory, Holly, Taylor and Griso). I hope you like them. 

The Naming of Cats

by T.S. Eliot

The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
It isn’t just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I’m as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.
First of all, there’s the name that the family use daily, 
Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo, or James, 
Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey —
All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames: 
Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter —
But all of them sensible everyday names. 
But I tell you, a cat needs a name that’s particular,
A name that’s peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?
Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkstrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum —
Names that never belong to more than one cat.
But above and beyond there’s still one name left over,
And that is the name that you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discover —
But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.
When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name.