Hazel...

Our new cat... and how she got her name.

Many of you may remember my post about the little kitty who approached me outside Monkey's school and told me to take her home. Well I did, and she is a happy and healthy new member of our household.

We decided to name her Hazel, though that name took a lot of time to develop.

First of all, my dad suggested we name her Fancy, after the Bonnie Raitt song. It seemed to fit, both her situation and her personality, so we gave it a try. But it was pretty clear early on that it wasn't working. Sometimes a name just doesn't fit a cat. So I sat down to study our new feline friend, and made some crucial naming obsevations. 1. She came to us the day before halloween. 2. She is black and pumpkin colored. 3. She is fairly intense in attitude and appearance. She needs a serious name.

I look up her colorations online and find an almost exact photo likeness of her on wikipedia. She is a tortioseshell cat! Great!

I continue to research, this time focusing on her breed. It appears that a stray tortie fortells bad luck... hmm... luckily she is no longer a stray. Historically, tortoiseshells have been to be able to tell the future and are likely to give the gift to a lucky child in the household. Hmmm... okay, so now I have a clairvoyant black and orange cat who came to me the day before halloween. Well clearly a name like 'fluffy' or 'paws' simply won't do.

I decided to look up the names of oracles and other future tellers,but none of them fit. Dione was too pretentious, Delphi too odd, Artemis too much. Then I was sitting there staring at her rather intense gaze and realized.... Hazel is an herb used in divination, and a golden, reddish, brownish color. I say... "Hazel?" Lee responds, "Okay, that name works." Hazel starts to purr. (She has a purr that can be hard for miles)

She is learning her new name, and has settled in amazingly fast. She is completely comfortable in her new abode, and is a very snuggly creature. As to which child she will bless with future-telling? Only time will tell.