Today is my cat's unofficial birthday. Sometime around the fall of the Berlin Wall, walking down the street, I found a kitten, lost. She followed me home...for two whole blocks.
I never intended to keep her, but let's get real...how could I resist?
Seeing as it was the day before Halloween, and she was orange and black (a calico in fact), I named her Pyewackett, after the cat in "Bell, Book and Candle."
(I've only met one, count 'em one, person who's ever gotten this reference by the way. If I had a penny for every time I've been asked to explain her name, only to watch a face suddenly glaze over in boredom by the third word...)
Anyway, in my mind it was a stereotypical name for a witch's cat...plus it was a (silly) play on the word "pied," which she is.
She's never been called the full name by the way, only ever "Pye," not that it much matters what you call a cat.
Here she is in her youth. She's now a bit slatternly and obese, but then aren't we all?
Just the same, I think she's still a natural beauty.
14 comments:
Wishing your pussy a happy birthday!
It is a Pretty Pussy.
oooh oooh i totally got the "bell, book, and candle" reference- being a kim novak groupie does have a few benefits!!!
(Waving hand) Me too! I got it!
Birthday kitty looks like a Pyewackett, and she also looks like a "Lady Slattern Lounger."
Which of you literary types can I.D. that reference?
Happy Birthday, Pye! I've heard so much about you, but this is the first time I've seen you. You're very pretty.
Do you know that something like 99.9% of all calicos are female?
My pussy thanks you all.
A Kim Novak groupie? Oh my
Where do I sign up, Angel?
Welcome, Brooks!
The reference rings a bell....but I can't quite place it. I'm picturing London...turn of the century, but I'm not sure why.
And I did know that, Jason...well, actually I didn't. I didn't realize there was an actual chance of a male. I thought they were all female, but I guess it makes sense that there might be a few rare males. I wonder if a male calico is a bit "queer?"
Thank you for the welcome! Been reading and enjoying your blog for months.
Sheridan's play "The Rivals" opened in London in 1775. So (give or take a century!) that was a pretty good guess.
I don't know why but I'm reminded of the scene from the UK's "Are You Being Served?" wherein Mrs. Slocum, having to work later than usual, phones a neighbor to look in on her cat.
She instructs the neighbor to peer through her front door's mail slot:
"...Can you see my pussy?!"
Guess you have to see it. (It's on YOUtube)
Anyway...'Happy Birthday, Pye!'
Soon as I saw the name PYE, I thought, "Hmmm....I wonder if he named her after the cat in Bell Book and Candle?" Too funny....queers and Kim Novak!
She looks like a love...
Happy B-Day Pye!
We learned in biology--way back in the day--that a calico gets its distinctive color patterns by random inactivation of the extra X chromosome females carry (forming what is called a Barr Body). So, I would think that meant that all calicos had to be female... but then in humans we do have males that are XXY, so maybe cats do too....
just a thought
Stuart's right.
The genetic codes for red hair and black hair are both found on the x chromosome. So you need two x chromosomes to have both. The only males that would be calicos are rare xxy males, and they are sterile.
I love the expression cats almost always have in photos. It's called "why are you fucking with me again?"
you couldn't be more right about that, Mr. P.
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