Thursday Thirteen #39

Thirteen of Merlin's Nic Names 1. Skippy: This was the name was given at the shelter because he was peanut butter colored 2. Nutter Butter (Nut Butt) We called him Nutter Butter for a few days, after the cookie. But the shorter version is still in use for those times he is being obnoxious. 3. Butinsky: another fallout from #2 used when he is being a pest or intrusive when he isn't wanted. 4. Houdini: The name that almost stuck. We gave it to him the day after he escaped out of a locked room less than a week after we got him. It was hours before we discovered that he had pulled the grate off of a heating duct in the floor under the bed. We feared he was stuck under the floor somewhere but the next morning he walked up to Ed who was having his morning smoke on the front porch of our double wide trailer house in Sunnyvale, California. After a few days more thought though, Ed decided that the way he seemed to vanish into thin air earned him the name of Merlin, one of Ed's favorite characters from all of literature or history. We still call him Houdini sometimes after one of his escapes from his harness. I wish I could get a video of this one. All he needs is a way to brace the leash against something that will give him leverage. He ducks his head down and backs up until he pulls the harness off by turning it inside out over his shoulders and then his head. This only works if he has spent some time first loosening the straps around his belly and neck by vigorous scratching and grooming. 6. Merse: rhymes with hearse and is short for Merlin 7. Murmur...: for when we call him. In place of kitty kitty. (we never called our cats kitty so when ever they hear us saying, kitty, kitty, kitty, they'd go on red alert with big tails and all, having caught on that meant there was another cat near by.) 8. Munchkin: He love his food. But this is also a reference to his adorable 'little fur personess' 9. Mr. Wizard: Merlin was a wizard 10. Mr. Fister: Just word play off of Mr. Wizard but used mostly by me when I'm playing with him. He is a grabber and once he has a single claw into something... 11. Huggermuggers: He was never a cuddly cat. He is not much for being held. But this didn't suit me. So while playing with him I started mugging hugs from him, extending hie tolerance for them one second at a time at first. His tolerance for being snuggled has increased from less than five seconds to over two minutes. As long as you make it a game. I would sing-song mug-a- hug or huggermuggers while playing this game. Soon he would come running when I started singing Huggermuggers. 12. Doufus (Boufus): Ed uses these ones when he is being a clown or acting dimwitted. Merlin, that is, not Ed. Although.... 13. Balls to the Wall: This one has about died out because it began when he used to chase balls all over our house in Sunnyvale. He chased them full speed ahead until they smacked into things. Sometimes he couldn't stop in time to avoid smacking into things himself. He spends most of his time on a leash here at my in-law's home so there is not any of the all out, pour it on, ball chasing anymore. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. Ben Clapton 2. L^2 3. Susan Helene Gottfried (leave your link in comments, I'll add you here!)

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