Abby

In the midst of everything going on last week, there was one bright spot: we adopted a cat. Her name is Abby. Actually, when we got her from Town Cats, a local feline adoption shelter, her name was Heather, but we didn't think the name fit her. (It's hard to explain.)

M brought her home last Friday, but we didn't come up with her new name until Saturday. We were drawing blanks, so I suggested naming her after one of the doctors on Grey's Anatomy, but Meredith, Miranda and Isobel didn't seem like matches. Addison was a possibility, but we know somebody's daughter by that name. I'm sure the parents would be just fine if they discovered the name of our cat, but for a fleeting moment, the worst-case scenario ran through my head.

Addison's Mother (petting the cat): Oh, what a beautiful cat. My Addison loves cats. What's its name?
Me (laughing nervously): Her name? Her name is, well, it's (mumbling) Addison.
A.M. (stops): What?
Me (looking at the ground): Huh?
A.M.: I thought you just said her name is Addison.
Me: Right, that's what you probably thought I said.
A.M.: You realize that my daughter's name means a great deal to me and my husband. She's named in honor of his dear, sweet mother. She recently died after long, painful battle with ovarian cancer. Now what am I going to tell him. "Oh, honey, by the way, our daughter and your mother now share the same name as a cat!"
Me: I'm so sorry, really, I am. No offense was meant, but if it's any comfort, we didn't name her after either one of them, but after a character on Grey's Anatomy, you know, the show.
A.M. (glaring): ...
Me: Not that there's any reason why we would be ashamed to name it after your relatives. Addison, the cat that is, is extremely smart, just like your daughter. And she has a kind disposition not unlike your husband's mother, I'm sure. Plus, she's extremely clean whenever she uses a litter box. And okay, did I say Addison? I misspoke. I meant Abbison, but we call her Abby for short.

Actually, after we didn't find a suitable name in Grey's Anatomy, we turned to another medical show for inspiration. Looking through the list of characters on E.R., we found Abby, the character played by Maura Tierney on the show and it just seemed to work.

The past week has been an adjustment period for everybody. Abby took a little while getting used to her new litter box, bed and "kitty condo". Since I'm allergic to cats, I've been getting used to popping an allergy pill in the morning. I'm also getting used to cleaning the litter box and remembering not to let her sit on me unless I have something to protect my lap from her claws. That's all small stuff, though. Abby is a welcome addition.