As you may have heard, I have just adopted two kittens from one of my students. I have put much thought into this and decided that I am ready to take on the responsibility of being the primary care provider for two aloof but really quite helpless creatures.
However, these kittens do not yet have names. Currently, they are collectively/jointly referred to as "kitty". (Sort of like the Borg.) Understanding the importance of a good name, and always looking to increase readership of my site (which has admittedly narrow appeal), I've decided to turn this into a contest.
The rules are simple. You, the contest participants, submit a name for each kitten. If the names are more complicated than "Fluffy", and especially if the two names are related, an explanation or even full-blown story should be submitted as well. Preference is given to creative suggestions or names which have special meaning for me. Submit names and explanations to kittens@cs.leander.isd.tenet.edu (no longer active).
The names will be judged by an impartial, objective panel consisting of myself. (Though I reserve the right to enlist trusted advisors in tie-breaking circumstances.) The person submitting the winning names will receive
In the event that the winning names come from two different entrants, each winner will receive
(Note that I haven't bought the gift certificate yet, so if for some reason you don't care for the prize, don't let it stop you from entering. We can work out alternate prizes if desired.)
The contest ends on Friday, May 14, 1999. I know this isn't a whole lot of time, but I'm already getting a bit tired of calling them Kitty, and I want them to start learning their new names as early as possible. So submit early. You may make multiple submissions, so long as they are different. Submitting the same name multiple times will probably lower your chances of winning (this means you, Robbie).
All persons submitting entries will be notified by email of the winning names once they have been decided.
Now the details. Note that the genders are not fantastically important since I'll be having both kittens neutered as soon as they're old enough (which is pretty soon). Also, if the names are good, I don't really care if the genders match the names. I mean, these are cats, after all. I don't think they will suffer from gender identity problems.
The kittens are siblings and are approximately six weeks old.
The black kitten is female. In both of these pictures she looks out of focus; this is not a problem with camera but with cat, as she is quite fuzzy. Her eyes are typical cat greenish-yellow. Early observation reveals she is currently more adventurous than the male, hence the motion blur in these photos. |
The cream kitten is male. He has really pretty blue eyes, as you can see in the picture at the top of the page. He is more timid than the female but much more vocal. He meows a lot, whereas the female is fairly silent. Getting him to look at the camera for this picture was fairly difficult. |
Special thanks to my friend Don Allen for lending me this digital camera on such short notice. Now, get those creative juices flowing and send in some names!
Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary to enter and win. Not responsible for direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect, error or failure to perform. Do not eat.