Hey all. I'm buying my "almost-four-year-old" daughter a cat (a one year-old). Orange and white fur, yellowish-green eyes, patient demeanor but quick to become playful. I'll have to get back to you about the breed - the wife takes-in that kind of information better than I do.

Anyway, point is, we're thinking about a name. Would anyone like to suggest one? or two or more? We're all ears?

I'll post the name once we decide upon it.

Beauty is momentary in the mind -
The fitful tracing of a portal;
But in the flesh it is immortal.
The body dies; the body's beauty lives.
So evenings die, in their green going,
A wave, interminably flowing.
So gardens die, their meek breath scenting
the cowl of winter, done repenting.
So maidens die, to the auroral
Celebration of a maiden's choral.
Susanna's music touched the bawdy strings
Of those white elders; but, escaping,
Left only Death's ironic scraping.
Now in its immortality, it plays
On the clear viol of her memory,
And makes a constant sacrement of praise.

('Peter Quince at the Clavier' by Wallace Stevens)

Eric's parents had a cat that looked very similar to that -- her name was Pumpkin.

I like pumpkin, the food even more so. Alright, it's on the list of possibles. But I think this guy is a little too "Mr Cool" for pumpkin. For example, he's a shelter-animal, rather than a pet-shop animal. He has a little nick on his ear, perhaps from a cat fight. When they brought him in off-the-street, he had a swollen paw. He was taken to the animal hospital to get it checked out some days later after a few feeds and some rest. The little fella didn't get stressed or knary, just received his examination and took his medicine calmly and impassively.

Before we got to know him, the wife and I had a few "The Wire" inspired names at the ready. "Bushy Top" (aka. Jimmy McNulty), "The Bunk" (aka Det. Bunk Moreland), for example. But none of these really suit. The wife is fed up to the eyeballs with my David Lynch obsession, so no names will ever be agreed on from out of that film archive.

There is one name that we are so far happy with. My wife came up with it. "Red Beard" or "Akaihige" in the Japanese, from a film of the same name by Akira Kurosawa. We live in Japan, so it's a suitable name in that way too. "Akaihige" is quite possibly my favorite film of all time. I have no idea why I didn't think of it myself. Anyway, we're going to live with the critter for a week or so (starting today) before we finally allocate him a name.

Please, keep up with the suggestions guys.

Beauty is momentary in the mind -
The fitful tracing of a portal;
But in the flesh it is immortal.
The body dies; the body's beauty lives.
So evenings die, in their green going,
A wave, interminably flowing.
So gardens die, their meek breath scenting
the cowl of winter, done repenting.
So maidens die, to the auroral
Celebration of a maiden's choral.
Susanna's music touched the bawdy strings
Of those white elders; but, escaping,
Left only Death's ironic scraping.
Now in its immortality, it plays
On the clear viol of her memory,
And makes a constant sacrement of praise.

('Peter Quince at the Clavier' by Wallace Stevens)

How about Scorch?  Since he's orange and it's a bit of tougher name.  ;)  Inferno?  Blaze?

There's a character from a book I am thinking of when I am imagining this cat, too...since he was ginger-haired.  Dustfinger -- it's from the Inskspell trilogy.  Kind of a weird name for a cat, I guess...just a thought. :)

Orange cats always seem to require unique names. There's just something about them that makes ordinary cat names inappropriate. My orange cat is named Roscoe. He just kinda looked like a Roscoe, so. :) So I would look for something unique and unusual. (My brother's orange cat? Is named Glen.)

~ Amanda

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave..."

Eric suggests Notch because of the nick in his ear. :) 

He had a cat named Napoleon as a child -- as well as one named Leonardo.  I'm such a Peaks geek, I had this big black cat, which just had to be named Dale. :) Roscoe -- that's a great name!!