Wednesday, April 23, 2008

What's in a Name?

The other day we realized that I cannot call humans nor animals by their given names. What is up with that? Sure you're more likely to use pet names for someone that is very dear to you but I do it for almost anyone and everything.

I will give you an example. Our older cat's name is Lilly. Sure I could call her Lilly. Only I never do. I call her Milly, Silly, Dilly, dicke Mupfel or Killy when she lets loose one of her deadly cat farts.

The day we got little cat, that is now known as Maunzerl, we decided to call her Sheila. Have we ever called her that? Heck no. I called her Maunzerl and now I am even abusing this name by calling her Zeli, Eli, nutcase, speedo cat, Hottentott, Tottie or Baby Mupfel. Our vet liked the name and her vaccination card is issued in the name Maunzerl :).

I mean seriously? I don't say Mom to my Mom. I have shortened the German 'Mutti' to 'Mui' and my Dad's name Lutz is changed to Luzie. Even my husband wasn't spared and now goes by the name 'bunny'.

My best friend Kati? Well I call her Katzi and her fiancé? Well he doesn't go by his real name either.

Am I suffering from some kind of weird disease? Is it weird to go overboard with pet names? I swear if it was normal to speak about myself in third person I would mess up my own name too.

HELP!

10 comments:

Melisa Wells said...

LOL...you don't need help. I think you suffer from an affliction that is pretty common. I do the same thing! (or maybe we're the only ones...who knows? LOL)

I call Roxie:
Roxie
Rox
Susie
Baby
Sis
Sister
Sissy

Jim calls her:
Roxie
Ass
Assface
Pain
Pain in the Ass

(See where I'm going here? LOL)

kat said...

Melisa - And I thought I am suffering from some kind of mental issue :). Jim calls Roxy Assface? I don't know if I'm gonna get over that ROFL.

AutoSysGene said...

LOL! We're the same over here. We have so many nicknames for the kitty and Hope. I even have a few for Joe...and not all of them are asshat...;)

kat said...

Melissa - Makes me happy to hear, especially that part about Joe. Gosh you girls, I love your sense of humor.

Anonymous said...

I'm VERY similar to you. I give my pets nicknames, and sometimes my friends. I'm more inclined to call humans by their given name, but all animals get nicknames from me.

k a t i e said...

...at least they're still all names you can call in a public situation!

Sahara has thousands (Heffalump and My Plumptious being the main two). Phoenix several. Everyone bar my mother pretty much has a variety of nicknames, and they're not the sort of names I'd say in front of my mother.

Taj said...

I don't speak in the third person yet I somehow manage to screw up my own name.

My oldest cat has managed to morph into Money, Monster and big hussy over the years. My husband likes to refer to her as Shitty McShit Shit.

I could tell you the names I call my husband but yours is a good girl blog and the names aren't fit for delicate eyes! ;)

M. said...

i'm used to not being called michelle. truth be told i hate it a lot. my real name that is. it's chelle... shelly... mich.. or even my maiden name. never michelle unless it's my husband. my daughter has now named my best fried kyla "lala"...we like to change names around here. Keith and I together are Keichelle. haha.

Danielle Athanas said...

Wow... that's a whole lotta name changin'!

Jen said...

Yeah I do the same thing. Ask me how often I call my kid COLE? Umm like 1% of the time. The rest of the time I call him Booga or Boogaboo or Boogerface.