The Naming of Kittens

The newest member of the fur family

So this is Hazel, my "foster failure" that I adopted recently. (A foster failure is a foster animal that the person fostering ends up adopting themselves.) I had named her after one of the characters from the play "Mourning Becomes Electra" because her mother's name is....Electra. Yeah, it's a theme. I don't mind using themes in the naming of cats. I just don't like to be obvious about it (like naming all the kittens in a litter after types of food or cars). However, when I named her, I didn't realize at the the time that she would eventually become a permanent member of the "fur family". Whenever I think of that name, I flash back to the old television sitcom called Hazel. The image of the frumpy housekeeper from the TV show just doesn't mesh with the image of the cute little fur ball that is now a Resident Cat.

The other Resident Cats have a theme to their names, too. They are all of a Celtic origin (Duncan, Galen and Caitlyn). My family roots are Irish, Welsh, Scottish and English so it seemed appropriate. I also prefer giving cats (and dogs) "human" names as they are every bit as much a member of the family as the humans in the household. So, I have compiled a list of names that I've been toying with. They are:

• Aderyn - pronounced: add + er + in; meaning: bird and suggests someone not held back by earthly restrictions or limitations
• Aela - pronounced: ale +a; meaning: ardour or rampart
• Ailsa - pronounced: ale + sa; meaning: From Ailsa Craig, a rocky islet in the Scottish Firth of Clyde)
• Ainslie - pronounced: ayns + lee; meaning: Hermitage in or at the clearing or wood
• Aneira - pronounced: an + ee + rah; meaning: honor or golden
• Arwen - pronounced: ar + wen; meaning: fair, fine
• Maeve - pronounced: mayv; meaning: intoxicating
• Rhiannon - pronounced: ree + an + un; meaning: nymph
• Rowen - pronounced: ro + wan; meaning: little red one
• Rowena - pronounced: ro + ween + ah; meaning: joy and fame
• Sian - pronounced: shan; meaning: God is gracious (Welsh form of Jane)
• Sinead - pronounced: shin + aid; meaning: God is gracious (Irish form of Janet)
• Vivian - pronounced: vih + vee + en;meaning: alive, living (Norman version of the Irish name Bébinn)

I set up a poll (which I have since deleted) so that family and friends could vote on a name. And the winner is....Arwen! Actually, it was tied with Vivian and Ainslie, both of which I also liked but somehow, Arwen just seemed to "fit" better.

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