{ What's in a name? | Royce }

Who would have guessed that coming up with a name for a four-legged friend could be so tough and time consuming?

I knew I wanted a little kitty friend to be my companion as I complete my final year here in Australia. After annoying the boyfriend for permission till he could no longer stand it, I've finally decided on a little baby Birman from Marina's litter of four boys. I've always adored browsing through Marina's website, looking at her beautiful Birmans - which lead me to the decision of wanting to own one of her little ones some time in the future.

I was hoping for a little chocolate boy from her litter, but was told that there were two lilacs and two seals. I admit I was a tad disappointed, but I watched anxiously as Marina kept me updated about their growth. Then on the second week, I got the good news from Marina. Turns out that one of the lilacs was actually a chocolate boy - and a tabby one at that! I adore chocolates and I totally love tabby patterns, so it was definitely my dream come true! From that moment on, I knew that he would be my special little boy.

Marina registered the little guy as Berrick Darwin, but I wanted a name that was more personal. I tend to stay away from human-names as I've always feared of stumbling upon a human with the same name as my pet. There were lots of possible names that formed in my head while I waited for little Darwin to grow.

While walking around the mall with my dear boyfriend, we passed by a chocolate shop by the name of Royce'. They sell the most amazing Japanese chocolates that literally melts in one’s mouth. Expensive, smooth and rare, that’s when the name clicked in my head.

“That's it! He shall be named Royce.”

And that name has stuck ever since. It feels so natural to call the little chocolate tabby by that name – I am certain that Royce has been his hidden name all along.