What's In a Name?

Usually, the most immediate answer to the question "Who are you?" is one's name.  Your name says something about you, or at least something about the person who named you and what they wanted for you.  Your name becomes associated with certain characteristics as people get to know you.

Unlike human children whose names must be registered within a certain number of days of their birth, people can take more time to name their pets, and actually learn about their individual traits first.  People tend to pick names because they either like the name, or it represents something to them.  If one intentionally picks a historical name, it usually means one admires traits associated with that name.

My humans put a great deal of thought into my name - Mera Attilla.  Mera was derived because I was born and adopted in A-MER-i-ca. Attilla was chosen because I quickly demonstrated that I was a warrior, hunter, invader, conqueror, and all around alpha cat.  They wanted to call me Mera, but I was Attilla.  My humans refer to me as Mera, but I only respond to Mera Attilla, if I respond at all.

Then there are nicknames.  When my cousin-brother was in trouble, his full name turned into Washington Appomattox Garbage-Picking Trouble Dark-Cat. Want to guess what type of mischief he engaged in?  I have been called Mera Attilla Trouble Dark-Cat.   (By the way, all cats have hyphenated surnames, because our real surname is always Cat. Our human surnames are only for identification at the vet, licensing purposes, and other human paperwork.)

The first few days after I was adopted at eight weeks old, before I had my permanent name, I was Little Miss Hiss.  My humans took me out of the car, showed me to their 14 year-old tabby Keiko, and I started hissing at Keiko.  All attempts to introduce me to Keiko resulted in my hissing at Keiko, and Keiko ignoring me as much as possible.  So much for initial attempts for part of my identity to be "a companion for Keiko."  The Little Miss Hiss name still emerges once in awhile.

Then I was Miss Fierce.  I glower.  I pounce with purpose and vengeance.  I instigated fights with my much larger housemates, and I usually won.  I hunt and kill.  As far as my humans are concerned, Attilla means Miss Fierce.



Mera Attilla, 8 weeks fierce

Sometimes I am Shredder.  I could beat the cartoon villain of that name without a problem, but the name is for my other skills.  My human says that my work exceeds the standards set by any government for the destruction of protected information. I only shred important papers, and wrapping paper.  Of course, my human would prefer if she could finish reconciling receipts with the credit card statement before I intervened.  I fail to understand why my human wishes to pay attention to paper rather than me, so I simply remove the source of the distraction.  Hence why I only shred important papers.

I am also known as String Thing.  All string exists to be pounced, chewed, and thoroughly defeated.  This includes my human's hair, sewing materials, cords and cables, long grass, and anything else which could possibly twitch and move like string.  String is a endless source of amusement and skill honing, and is best when attached to a human.

So Mera Attila means fierce-pouncing-shredder who invades and conquers with an independent and self-sufficient streak.  I will be invading a new country again in two months, but that is another story for another post.