Tuesday, July 24, 2012

A Penny For Your Thoughts

When our cat Calypso died in March, it left a kitty-shaped void in our home. We waited the requisite three months (as stipulated by our vet, to ensure the virus had left Schrödinger's system). Then, last month, we filled that void. You know, with a cat. Specifically, this one:


Her name was DarkWing. Which is a pretty stupid thing to call anything other than a duck, so we promptly changed it. And thus, she became Unnamed Kitty. (Just for a couple days. Now she goes by Penny.)

She's Penny because of Sheldon on Big Bang Theory. You see, when The Professor was even littler than he is now, the lullaby we sang to lull baby to sleep was "Soft Kitty," albeit with one slight adjustment:
Soft kitty, warm kitty,
Little ball of fur.
Happy kitty, sleepy kitty,
Schrö-ding-er.
Therefore, it only made sense for our new cat also to have a connection with Sheldon. And what better way than to call to her with a simple <knock knock knock> "Penny"?

She was fantastic with our son from the get-go, and she and our dog Sonya peacefully coexist (with the peace occasionally broken by a bark). She and Schrödinger, however, are like two peas in a pod—very spastic peas who wrestle and play in water and chase each other all over the pod that is our house. He shreds cardboard; she gnaws on actual boards. And wicker. (And plastic.)

Penny may not be the lap cat her predecessor was, but she's a perfect fit for us.


Family complete.

22 comments:

  1. Much better name! And she's a beautiful cat.

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    1. Thanks, Alex. Although all credit for her new name goes to my wife (and Sheldon).

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  2. Penny Penny Penny Penny Penny Penny Penny...

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    1. You really should think about switching to decaf.

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  3. With such an asymmetrical coloring on her face, I think I would have gone with Rorshach. :)

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    1. And here I thought Rorschach's inkblots were always symmetrical. Nevertheless, it was never an option; my sister already owns an asymmetrical black-and-white cat named Rorschach. He's huge, and scared of everything.

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  4. Congratulations on your new kitty cat. She's beautiful and I think the name "Penny" really suits her coloring. :-)
    Some Dark Romantic

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    1. You know, you're right. I hadn't thought of it that way, but her color does match that of older pennies that have been around the block a few times, if you know what I mean. Not that I'm implying anything. (Although we did get her a month after she'd had kittens. So maybe I was implying.)

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  5. Aw! I've been tempted too much lately by other people's cute new kitties. My single cat deserves a buddy. I think I'll cave and get another kitten... You and Penny talked me into it. :)

    Plus, she looks just like my aunt's old cat Mummy (as in the New England version of "Mommy", not as in bandages and curses).

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    1. I second your decision to get a second cat. Although, I do believe you meant Mummy as in the Old England version of Mommy. People here in New England may call their mothers "Witch," "Monster," or "Evil Bloodsucker," but never "Mummy."

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  6. That is going to be a cat with ever-increasing character! Makes me miss my kitties all the more...We named our last cat Expendable--maybe that wasn't a good idea. If only I were a responsible pet owner. Maybe I should practice on houseplants...orrr...maybe if you ever need a cat sitter... ;)

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    1. Oh sure, Miss Self-Described-Irresponsible-Pet-Owner, we'd love to have you cat sit for us.

      And by "cat," of course I mean we'll let you tend to our pussy willow.

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  7. I love the photo of two tails. We've recently gone from a 5-cat (& 1 dog) household to a 3-cat one as our oldest cats succumbed to old age + kidney failure. They are so much happier as a herd, clowder, kindle, group of cats; the dog considers himself part of the bunch, an honorary cat, if you will.

    Glad that your family is now complete and purring right along.
    **Katy Manck
    Recommending YA books beyond the bestsellers at http://BooksYALove.blogspot.com
    Follow me on Twitter @BooksYALove

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    1. I don't think I'd ever had two cats who played together, so it's great fun for all of us (especially for The Professor, who often tries to get in on the action as well). Well, all of us except for the dog. She barks at them to break it up. (She's just jealous, because Schrödinger used to play with her.)

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  8. I love BBT and Penny, she's hot in a semi-slutty kind of way! The cat's color sorta looks penny-color so overall, well done on the name. As you already know I am a "dog person" but I appreciate a good intense looking cat face. Sorry about your other cat...hate when pets go.

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    1. I especially hate when pets go before they've reached old age, like my cats have the past two years. Also, I may only be a "cat person," but I can appreciate a good dog. (In my mind, a good dog is not only well-behaved, but also never reeks of Wet Dog Smell and doesn't jump on me.) Luckily, that's just the kind of dog we have.

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  9. Awww--so glad you got a new kitty! Sorry to hear about Calypso, though. I lost two pets this year: our five-month-old tabby ran off in March (we're still waiting for a miracle), and one of my four dogs, Frida, passed away in April. They do leave a surprisingly big hole for such small beings, but we haven't been able to bring ourselves to replace them yet. The dogs do miss Frida--for the first month or so, the Alpha really felt out of sorts. It's better now, but sometimes I still think I see her out of the corner of my eye.

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    1. Sorry about your two lost pets (and hope the kitten becomes unlost). But I don't see Penny as a replacement; I see it as choosing Calypso's successor. And it was as much for Schrödinger's benefit as it was for ours. Sure, he had a big white and tan fluffy dog to play with, but he needed someone his own size.

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  10. Penny looks like a short haired version of one of my cats. It's great she gets along with the dog. My cats and dogs really don't co-exist peacefully.

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    1. Penny and Sonya coexist by ignoring each other. But Schrödinger loooves the dog. In fact, the first time he met her, he went right up to her and rubbed against her face. She figured a cat wouldn't do something like that, so he must be a dog. They've been pals ever since.

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