A couple weeks ago, I asked for cat name ideas and got some really good suggestions. In the end, though, I decided to base my new kitten’s name on two of her most prominent personality traits:
- She spends a lot of time in the dark nether regions of my bedroom closet but always seems happy to come out when called (or when she just wants to eat or play), and
- She purrs a lot.
So the obvious choice was Purrsephone. But that’s too many syllables (and maybe a little too cutesy for everyday use), so I’m calling her Seffie.
In other news, Seffie is getting along really well with my other cat, Thunder.
Some other Seffie observations:
- Sometimes I’ll throw a toy, and she’ll chase it, pick it up, and bring it back to me. To a casual observer, it might appear that she’s playing Fetch, but really she just likes picking up objects and carrying them to wherever she happens to be going.
- She purrs all the time. I think her purr threshold is set really low (so that if you could somehow measure a cat’s happiness on a scale of 1 to 10, and most cats purr at a happiness level of 8 or higher, she probably purrs at anything over 6).
- She’s difficult to photograph. This morning she and Thunder were being really cute, and I tried to get some video — but I was sitting in a sunny spot, and when I picked up my phone, Seffie raced off to chase the light reflected on the wall.
Oh, and if you’re wondering about what’s going on with my kitchen sink — it’s a long story. And it’s not over yet.
Update: I’ve discovered that the two cats have very different approaches towards dealing with houseflies. Thunder will wait for the fly to tire itself out; he basically follows these steps: stalk stalk stalk stalk stalk stalk stalk stalk stalk stalk stalk stalk stalk stalk creep creep pounce. Seffie’s approach is more direct: zoom zoom jump zoom jump zoom zoom zoom jump zoom jump zoom zoom jump zoom jump.
Unlikely Explanations 
She’s beautiful! Is she an Abyssinian?
Thank you! She does have kind of a pointy, Aby-like face, but she also has long fluffy hair. No one knows who her parents are (she was found under a trailer and brought to a rescue group).
Ooh, another reason to call her Abby! But honestly, Seffie is a sweet name and she is adorable. I wish I could play with her right now.
You’re welcome to come down and play with her any time …
Great name for a beautiful cat.
I’ve always suspected cats were complex creatures and that I lacked the intellectual capacity to understand them. That purr-scale proves that theory.
Seffie is a lovely name for a lovely cat. (I missed the earlier post about her. Congratulations to you both.)
Thanks! Oh, and don’t worry — cats accept us despite our relative feeble-mindedness.
Seffie is a fascinating blend of color, pattern and hair length. I generally do not find orange tabbies appealing – they just don’t strike me as interesting (lucky that there are so many people in the world who disagree; together we loves all the kittehs). Seffie, though, is stunning.
Did you know that the purr in an unconscious communication response? Cats won’t purr alone. And they have no control over it. So her purr is all about how she feels about you. Good Girl.
She’s not what I had in mind when I went looking for a kitten. I went to one of those pet-store adoption events and told them about my situation, and they steered me towards Seffie. Before I could say “actually, I was looking for a short-haired cat,” she was climbing on me and purring, and I was hooked.
She’s adorable :]
I chose my new kitten’s name (Mocha Bean) because I drink a lot of coffee. And, he has more energy than any one kitten needs.
Thanks! And Mocha Bean is a great name for a cat.
Always better to name a cat once you’ve got to know it. How nice that Seffie is a happy cat!
She even comes when she’s called, sometimes. I really lucked out.
I think Purrsephone (and Seffie) is a fabulous name for her; she looks quite regal and self-assured. Verrrrry beautiful.
Thanks! She’s not quite as composed as she looks in that picture — she’s very kitten-y. She’s also a little jumpy sometimes; for example, earlier tonight she was sitting on my lap, purring, and Thunder was on the floor. Thunder sneezed — a tiny cat-sneeze — and Seffie jumped off my lap. She came back, though.
She’s gorgeous. Wish I could get another but my cat wouldn’t appreciate the invasion
Yeah, sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. Thunder’s always lived with other cats, so I think he’s a little less territorial.
Seffie is very photogenic when you can catch her, though! Maybe she just feels better on the other side of the camera? I could understand that. :)
I hadn’t considered that possibility. Can you recommend a good entry-level paw-friendly camera?
Love the name!
lovely kitties! love when you post about your cats!
She is beautiful! Reminds me of my long-haired ginger cat Braddy.
I think I mentioned I named a cat Outdoor Kitty one time. Sadly, I never had a cat named Indoor Kitty to go with that. I’m saying this now to point out how terrible I am at naming my pets.
You can’t claim to be bad at naming pets when you have a cat named Emoticon.
I really like that name – so elegant. Although the first time I looked at it my slow brain thought “purse-a-phone? What kind of name is that? Oh, yeah, per-SEPH-a-nee!”
Someone should really invent the purse-a-phone. Instead of rooting around inside your purse to find your phone when it rings, you could just hold your purse up to your face.
She’s beautiful! Is she Maine Coon? My part Maine Coon purrs at everything too. He’s in my lap now purring and snoring at the same time or as I like to call it: snurring.
Snurring! Thunder does that sometimes, and it’s the best thing ever.
Thanks — I don’t know what the long-haired part of her is. She seems a little small to be part Maine Coon, though (but that may just be because she’s still a kitten).
Oh! She is gorgeous! I miss having a cat around. I once had a cat who purred so loud it sounded like a lawnmower was exploding. And he always sat directly on top of my head at around 4 am every morning.
Awww. Neither cat sits on top of my head, but Seffie’s woken me up the last couple days by attacking my foot.
You have a very cute new cat. Love the name- very unique :) Thanks for sharing!
I have a new Siamese kitten which I have named Claudius (AKA Clawed-ius) but my burmese is not at all happy ….
Wow, you’re not kidding. Do they have anger management classes for cats?
I’m afraid not :(
So beautiful. And cute name!
She is gorgeous! And all of that purring is probably her way of showing her deep appreciation for you giving her a new home and a new friend. Love that name, too. I had a cat who went to sleep wrapped around my head like a pair of ear muffs – or cat muffs, as I called them.
Did you have the cat and your dove at the same time?
Oh, what beautiful cats you have. Seffie is a wonderful name. I would be lost without my girls, Missy & Lola.
Thanks. Give your kitties a hug for me.