Stygia: I am going to tell you a secret today, although I don't want it to be a secret any longer. I am going to tell you my True Name.
When Ms. C and Mr. R rescued me from the SPCA, there was a little card on my cage that said my name was "Bear." Ms. C says I probably got this name when I was a kitten, because I am black and you know how kittens look before their ears really develop, they have little bear-ears. But I never responded to this name, so they called me Stygia.
Mr. R invented the name Stygia, from the word "stygian" which refers to the way the river Styx looks -- black as night. This is the name on my medical records and what my people often call me. It is my given name, but it is still not my True Name.
One day a few weeks ago, Ms. C called to me (as a joke, she thought), and said, "Come here, little worm!"
How did she know? I thought. I
ran to her. She just called me by my True Name! She thought it was a fluke, so she moved away and said it again: "Come here, Worm!"
This was wonderful! She was calling me by the name I prefer, and so I
ran over to her again.
She called Mr. R over to witness this because she just could not believe it, and wanted him to believe it. "Here, Worm!" he called to me. With a happy meow, I
ran to him.
So now you know the story of how my people discovered my True Name. I prefer to be called Worm, and I respond to it by running to my people when they use it. I am training them well, and we are all happier! Ms. C thought I would never learn my name, but she was wrong; they were just using the wrong one.
PS. Our Mum thought about doing a Veteran's Day post, but so many of you have done such wonderful tributes already. We will tell you what
we did today -- our Mr. R is a veteran, and we respectfully let him sleep in today without disturbing him at all! It is the best we cats could do.
Wow! Well, you know what? In November, Catladyland had a giveaway, and of course I stuck my paw into this event, keeping my whiskers crossed. It turns out I was one of the winners, and my prize just arrived:
OOooo! Seventeen pounds of "World's Best Cat Litter." This has to be the most appropriate prize in the world for me, because I am obviously World's Best Cat. I am campaigning to Ms. C right now to have her fill my box with it. I am ready to scratch, scratch, scratch at it. Mr. R commented that the picture on the bag looks just like me. So obviously, everyone knows that I am indeed World's Best Cat. Thanks!!! I am so, so excited!
PS. If you look closely, you will see that I am smiling (one of my fangs is visible). This Occupy stuff is really heart and fur warming.
PS. While the humans are Occupying Wall Street and various other locations, now is the time for us kitties to continue on our own Occupy movements. I have chosen to Occupy Ms. C's desk, rain or shine! Though I much prefer shine.
Mum says I probably wouldn't care about what that book is about, but she says she will read it for me and then just read the "good parts" out loud to me. By "good parts," I mean if they go fishing, eat tuna, or give cats treats.
From this position, it's easy not only to gaze at Ms. C doing whatever she is doing, but also to keep my senses open to what kind of trouble Abby could be concocting now.
Do you see??
Mr. R invented the name Stygia, from the word "stygian" which refers to the way the river Styx looks -- black as night. This is the name on my medical records and what my people often call me. It is my given name, but it is still not my True Name.
