My Cats Nicknames

Officially my cats have one name each; in reality they have about a dozen.  It’s always been like this.  Over the years none of the cats I owned kept their original name.  They had their official name, the one I gave the vet or told my friend when they asked.  But in fact, I started given them new ones as soon as I got to know them and they showed me their personality.  Since that changed over time, the names evolved along with it.

As you know I presently have two cats, a brother and sister.  We brought them home 1 ½ year ago.  After a few days of trying different names to see if they fitted and debating among ourselves which one would fit the best, we decided to call the female Sachat with a t (cat in French is chat) and the male Grisgris like the voodoo charm and because he is gray; gris being the French word for gray.  It didn’t take long before their name started to chance.

Grisgris when he was 3 months old

Grisgris became Gris for short than Risris or Ris.  Sachat became Sache.  As they grew older their hair coat became longer and ticker so, I started calling them les Wooly moumoutes in reference to the extinct wooly mammoth and, moumoute in reference to a French word used to designate a man’s hair piece.  The name Wooly moumoute turned into Moute again for the sake of shortness or Woolute and Woolite. On another tangent we got the unavoidable reference to cats being flee bags, which in French is les Sacs à puce.  From that was born the derivatives Les Sacs à pouette and Les Pouettes.

Sachat at 3 months

Grisgris is also called Gros Ronron Ponpon or Le Point.  Don’t ask me where that last one came from. I don’t have a clue.  Recently I started calling Sachat Choupette.  You know the Disney movie about the VW bug called Herbie? Well in the French translation it’s called Choupette.  It’s also used as a term of endearment.  Of course Choupette could not stay Choupette so it became Choupe, than Shwip and Shwipette.  Oh… and before I forget there is also Chouine and Chouinette.  Since these are feminine names, I needed a masculine counterpart for Grisgris, so came along Le Chouin and Les Chouins designating both of them.

Grisgris this Fall

I use the names alternatively depending on my mood and theirs, I guess.  I know, you all must think I’m crazy and crazier yet to talk about it on a blog.  I would be happy to hear what nicknames you call your pets.  It’s ok, you don’t have to have as many as I do.   Don’t hesitate, in doing so you’ll reassure me that I am not alone in my craziness.



Sachat a couple of weeks ago