Kitty's Claws

Leslie laughed. “You have too many nicknames for someone your age.”

“I don’t know,” I responded, sipping the wine. “Everyone just wants to call me something different.”

People say I like to make things difficult; I say I just like to keep it interesting. Even with the name game — When people realize “Catherine” is too long to say every time they need me, and “Cathy” is not an option as I hate that nickname, they’re forced to be a little creative. I’ve been everything from “Cee” to “Lola”, “Miss T” to “Scratch”, and I can only imagine what names people have yet to dream up.



In most social circles, “Cat” is the call-name of choice. Then, for better or worse, “Cat” usually evolves to “Kitty”. Leslie, who has unusual clarity on all things, explained why:

“It’s the absurdity of calling her Kitty that makes it fun, because in so many ways she’s not a Kitty. But at the same time, she has many Kitty-like qualities.”

I don’t know what qualities “Kitties” typically have, but I do know that when j'en ai ras le bol — whatever “it” may be — I channel the beast within.

And today, the claws are out.