a cat with no name

This past weekend we got a cat. A friend of ours had been feeding a stray cat that had been hanging around her house for the last 6 weeks or so, but they couldn't take it in because her husband is quite allergic. After thinking it over, my husband and I decided to rescue the cat because winter will be setting in soon and our house was seeming a little big for just the two of us anyway. Last Friday I drove out to their house, about 30 miles away and almost in the country, to pick up the cat. The previous weekend we had bought the requisite kitty supplies, and I made an appointment with our local vet for Friday so I could bring her directly there for an exam. When I got there she followed some cat food into the cat carrier and away we went!

She meowed the whole drive back, and was really happy to get into our house and out of the carrier. The vet gave her glowing marks - about 2 years old, negative feline leukemia and FIV tests, no ear mites, really cooperative getting shots and being examined. He kept saying that she was "a stunner!" She had been de-clawed, so it's safe to assume that she's also spayed as that's often done at the same time. She's at a perfect weight for a cat her age and size, and the good condition of her coat shows that she had been somebody's pet alright, and was probably living outside on her own for just the summer, if not just the past 2 months or so. They checked her for a microchip that would indicate her owners, but there was none. Our friend had called in to her local animal humane society a few weeks ago and there was no match with any of the cats that had been reported lost. This kitty was in great physical shape, with a lovely temperament, and she was ours to take home!

So we took her home, and we spent the weekend helping her feel comfortable in our house, and everything has gone smoothly so far. She used the litter box right away when I showed it to her, so she definitely knows what's what with being a house cat. She shows a normal interest in people food, but is so overjoyed when we feed her twice a day that it will be easy to train her not to jump up on the dining room table. She meows to us a lot - she's a talker, this one - and follows us around, probably to reassure herself that we're not going to abandon her. And she's a purr machine once she's settled in a lap and being petted. I really do feel like we won the pet lottery. The only problem is we're having a hell of a time settling on a name for this charming little cat!

I now solicit your help, dear readers. Do you have any good ideas for a name for this kitty?

kitty outside our friends' house

kitty dozing in our living room chair

Below are just some of the potential names we've been kicking around. Leave me a comment if you think one of them is a good fit, or if you have your own suggestion. I'll appreciate the help!

• Nutmeg
• Roxy
• Tortuga
• Maeby
• Mazy
• Hazel
• Izzy
• Butternut
• Reese's Pieces
• Punky
• Noemie
• Trouvee
• Milou
• Maple
• Gifty
• Leadpipe LaRue
• Joe Meower

And then the names just get sillier from there. My main goal here is to be able to call the vet and tell them to remove "No Name" from our cat's file and replace it with an actual name. I hope we'll be able to decide on one before Christmas.