Jellicle Cats (and Dogs)
I’m not a fan of the musical “Cats” or of its source material from T.S. Eliot, but I was always intrigued by the idea that cats had a secret “jellicle” name that its people didn’t know. Anyone who has ever lived with a cat knows that they are regal creatures at heart, little gods and goddesses among us, and that they really need names that suit them or they may sulk about the indignity of being called Fluffy for the rest of their lives. You just don’t call a Mungojerrie or Rumpleteaser “Kitty” and Mr. Mistofeles should not be called into the house under the moniker “Muffin.”
When I met my Ermengarde in the shelter she was called “Durgin,” which was just the wrongest, wrongest name possible for her. It was parochial (there’s a popular Boston restaurant called Durgin Park) and way too masculine and heavy. DURRR-GIN. Clunk, […]