I have to admit it: in lieu of having children, I’ve opted for having people name their cats “Jerry”, although I will never corrupt the process by offering payment. But there are now five six cats in the world named after me. To wit:
- Gayle Ferguson’s long-haired orange cat, now adopted out to a loving home in Christchurch, New Zealand.
- Robin Cornwell’s black cat
- Mr. Das’s cat named Jerry (It was a stray in Bangalore, India, and I shamelessly suggested the naming. Mr. Das said that a cat couldn’t be named Jerry if it was a female, as this one was, but I countered–and won–by showing him a photo of Jerry Hall on the Internet.)
- The visiting tuxedo cat who lives next door to Theo (the espresso-drinking cat) and his staff.
- My friend Melissa Pugh’s recently-acquired shelter cat
And now there is number 5 6: a beautiful Bengal kitten bred by Anthony Hutcherson, a professional Bengal breeder. I first met Anthony at the Great New Yorker Cats versus Dog Debate in October of 2014; he was on Team Cat and brought two of his Bengals. During the two-hour debate one of the cats sat on my lap for a long time, and I fell in love with these gorgeous animals. I still hope to get one. Here’s a picture I took of Anthony in the Green Room before the debate:
I was amazed that any cat would sit placidly on a lap in a strange place in front of a noisy crowd, but both cats did. They’re clearly bred for their personality as well as their looks. (You can read a New Yorker piece about Anthony and his fellow Bengalophiles here, and read about Anthony’s Jungletrax Cattery here, with the available cats here).
At any rate, some day I hope to get a Bengal kitten, and I’ll get it from Anthony, who’s kindly offered me one. (Joyce Carol Oates, another participant on Team Cat, got a lovely Bengal from Anthony last year.) But in the meantime, there is now Jerry the Cat #5 6, Anthony’s new kitten named after me.
Here he is; isn’t he a beaut?
But but but with travel when will a Bengal kitteh manifest in your home?
Jerry, the Bengal kitten, must be your cat! The confusion of names can be worked out: Jerry 1, Jerry 2; Jerry human, Jerry cat; something much more humorous, scientific, rational,or distinctive. Too cute!!
Or added to.
Professor Ceiling Cat and Student Ceiling Cat?
Coyne and Coyne’s Bengal (cf Darwin and his bulldog)?
Jerry and Tom (… well, valuable breeding cat or no, one assumes it’ll be academic)?
I’m trying to remember which one is Itchy and which is Scratchy, to try to hammer the names to fit. Naaah, maybe not.
Since having a companion animal is allegedly good for the blood pressure, “Jerry and the Pacemaker(s)” ?
Jerry and his cat, Jerry.
But Jerry the cat has a cool cat Jerry.
..clearly twisted kitties…
Guessing that was a Kids in the Hall reference.
No, I just made it up and kept amusing myself with it.
You could change your name to Tom.
Or Jerry-co (for companion or co-star or for Jerry and Company) and pronounced like Jericho…..
It’s only hubristic if you named the cat after yourself, but Anthony named the cat, not you.
Jerry Coyne & Jerry Catus belong together.
I’ve never been a big fan of people using Jr. and then III, etc. But couldn’t one do that, given that people treat pets as children, often?
I agree with you.
“But there are now five cats in the world named after me.”
I think Schrödinger has you beat.
But decoherence makes a short life for all those kitties.
Always the goal in life is to have a cat. Then you find out just who has who.
I agree with Grania: you don’t want to incur the wrath of the Erinyes.
I think Grania is right. Unless you tell people it’s what you would look like if you were a cat.
The name is perhaps irrelevant, I think that you need a cat (probably a Bengal). I would love to have a Bengal, but Zhimi (a moggie rescued from the vet), MIkie and Bella (litter mates with an Abyssinian mother) would certainly object. If I have the opportunity to name another cat, it will likely be ‘Jerry’.
About 8 years ago you visited in Las Cruces, I had you in to give a seminar. There was a stray cat living in our year (and eating our cat food). We named that cat Jerry- in honor of you, of course. Later on we moved that cat to a horse barn to feed on mice and daily kibble. The cat enchanted the house staff and moved inside (but was renamed Taco).