Reimagining Book Characters as Cats

Reimagining book characters as cats, just by their names… OR Book character names for cats of specific personality types! Returning to blogging, as usual, with a good ol’ Top Ten Tuesday post – Top Ten Bookish Cat Names.

1. Laska – from Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy – Laska sounds like she would be a stately older cat, the kind who’d fix you with a withering stare if you tried to get her to play with a ball of yarn. She’d have this royal look about her and would perch herself somewhere that offered a bird’s eye view of the house. Queen.

2. Pipkin – from Watership Down by Richard Adams – Pipkin would be the kind of kitten that would be terrified of the slightest surprise, especially loud noises. A firecracker would send him scurrying off under the bed, where he’d stay hidden and all floofed up, till goaded out with food.

3. Crowley – from Good Omens by Sir Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman – The lean slinky blacker than black cat, just the right combination of adorable and sneaky. Too rough to be domesticated, the inside/outside cat who appears out of nowhere just in time for the treats, and maybe a warm bed every once in a while.

4. Stuart Little – from Stuart Little by E.B. White – I’ve always insisted on calling our fluffy white family cat Stuart, because just like the book character, he looks “very much like a rat/mouse in every way.” White provides no further explanation, and neither shall I! If a kid can “look like a mouse,” so can my cat – and he does!

5. Ash – from Possession by AS Byatt – though inspired by a male character from the book, I see Ash as a charming household girl/boy cat; clever, subdued, and a really affectionate pet.

6. Dodger from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens – like the book character himself, Dodger would be a feral tom, probably the kind of stray that gets into a lot of fights and comes out stronger.

7. Howl – from Howl’s Moving Castle (series) by Dianna Wynne Jones – Howl would be the kind of cat who growls at visiting strays from the comfort of his home, gets stuck on trees and yowls to be brought down, kind of moody (doesn’t warm up to strangers easily) but also perfectly playful – and very pampered.

8. Molly (fondly known as Mollywobbles) – from the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling – a motherly cat, sweet but fiercely protective; the kind that would attack a pack of dogs if they seemed to threaten her kittens (yes I’ve seen that happen!)

9. Spike (fondly called Adorabelle) – from the Discworld series by Sir Terry Pratchett – I mean, if I ever call a pet Spike, it would certainly not be as a Discworld reference; but I do feel that Adora/Spike would make a great cat. This one would be a fierce, independent, outdoorsy cat, who knows how to steal herself a meal when she needs it, but will also share her steal with her cat-mates.

10. Lyra – from His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman – this one would be the playful, feisty kitten; the first one of the litter to step away from momma to go exploring… not to mention, the first one to sharpen their little claws on an unsuspecting stuffed toy!

Other than Laska, I have picked either human or heavily athropomorphised characters. Laska was just a loving dog, but I really loved her.. and the name!

Which character names would you choose for pets?