{ What's in a name? | Caelum }

Caelum was a tough one. He unexpectedly stumbled into my life. I wasn't planning on owning a Siberian cat, but they were extremely beautiful. I've watched videos of them on YouTube and browse their pictures on the internet. Their large soulful eyes just take my breath away and their purr causes my heart to skip a beat. But I had Royce, and at that time I was certain that one was enough.

But yet I went ahead and paid a visit to Sherrie’s place. When I laid eyes on Angel, it was all that I needed to know that I would own one of her babies. Just as her name suggested, Angel was extremely beautiful, truly a heavenly being sent from the heavens. She had a quiet voice and a gentle touch. We bonded immediately.

At that time, only two of Angel’s tabby boys were available. I sat with them for at least an hour, just looking at them while saying my “oohs” and “ahhs”. Angel sat patiently beside me the entire time just staring at me while I was captivated by her babies. I couldn’t decide between the mackerel and the classic, and I couldn't convince myself that a second kitten would be better.

My second visit to Sherrie’s gave me the extra nudge that I needed to go ahead and place a deposit on the little ones. I scooped up the little mackerel tabby into my palms and tickled his tummy while he laid there, contented. Then he licked my fingers as I was tickling him. That was all it took. That one little gesture proved that he was to come home with me.

It took me ages to ponder over his name. I came up with a huge list: Damien, Keeto, Jupiter, Gayle, Rhythm etc. I adored Damien, but something doesn’t feel right. It was as if I’ve missed out something important while I was looking through the name list. Plus, the boyfriend doesn’t seem to be overly fond of the name. So it was back to the drawing board.

Then, while I was creating this blog and trying to come up with a name for it, I decided to check out Michelle Tumes’ songs. “There’s a haven in every hope I breathe” is a phrase that I love using on my blogs. As I was scanning through her list of songs, I came across the song title Caelum Infinitum. The name intrigued me and I had to find the meaning behind those words. Turns out that Caelum is latin for ‘the heavens’ and I somehow knew that my search for his name was over.

Caelum – my little gift from the heavens above.

{ 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.