The Naming of Cats

[sonia]

So I'm wondering if (Chocolate) Basil is a dignified enough name for a Maine Coon cat. He weighs about 10lbs now, but I think he'll be about 15lbs when he's all settled in and eating well. Big frame. Check out those paws! (Click for larger image.)

I thought of Orion, but my neighbor, who went with me to adopt him, doesn't really like it.

Ideas and opinions solicited. I'm leaning toward keeping Basil because sometimes first is best, and my experience with cat names is that they never feel quite right, they're just convenient handles. But maybe someone will come up with something that fits better.

Comments

[noelfigart]

Oberon. That cat is totally an Oberon.

[sonia]

Oh, good idea! I have some existing associations with that name that don't fit well, but I'll sit with it and whatever else comes in.

[boxofdelights]

He is beautiful.

[sonia]

Thank you. He looked bedraggled at the shelter. Amazing what a bunch of brushing and peace & quiet will do!

[cofax7]

Boris?

[sonia]

Nice. I was also thinking Bosilek, which is basil in Bulgarian, but I think specifically the white kind.

[sonia]

I thought really hard about Boris. It fits him really well in some ways. In the end I opted for the lighter Basil, though. I think he has elements of both seriousness and lightness. Thanks again for the suggestion!

[castiron]

Basil originally means "king", so that seems a perfect cat name to me.

[sonia]

Oh how perfect! I had no idea. I looked it up http://www.babynames.com/name/BASIL, and Basilios it is. From the list of related names, Atticus is a close second. I don't have purely positive associations with many male names, but that's one, from "To Kill A Mockingbird."

[untonuggan]

I initially wanted to name our can one of the cat names that Morwen uses for her cats in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede, but because I was leaning towards names like "Chaos" and "Trouble" from the list, my partner said that would be asking for trouble and we went with Chance instead. But, um, I do like those names (says the person whose dog was named "Rogue" and was a lovely dog who was, indeed, a Rogue). IDEK if that is even a fandom you have, but I think Wikipedia has a list of their names if you are interested.

[sonia]

Thanks! Yes, I believe in being cautious about names. I am thinking of something high-falutin' sounding along the lines of Jasper Darlington Higgins IV - Mr. Basil Boris Oberon, Esq., or the like. Probably I will just go with Basil, though.