Over the years, it has been my experience that most pet cats are given names that, while they may be cute, or mean something to their guardians, have nothing to do with the appearance or personality of the cats in question. I do not intend this statement as criticism, merely an observation – and one that applies as much to me as anyone. In my case, the names fitting this description include Chloe, Happy, Seymour, Bentley, Simon, Mandy, Shadow, Magic, Angel and Dulce – all truly cherished felines and each special in his or her own way, grouped together here merely for the reason stated.
My point in making this observation is to set the stage for relating my own personal experience with 3 cats, one named for his personality, the other 2 for their looks. These 3 cats stand out as true “leaders of the pack”, “favorites”, and simply extra-special feline friends loved forever – making me wonder what, if any, may be the connection between cat and name.
After Karn and I first found each other, I introduced her to the joys of cats as pets, which she readily embraced by going with me to rescue 2 forlorn, 8-week-old kittens we named, for no particular reason, Omar and Maxine. When these two were about 4, we thought it would be cool to get them a buddy. Then, in a shopping center window of a pet store, we saw displayed a kitten for adoption – a frisky, grey & white tabby. We decided this would be Omar & Maxine’s new pal, learning it was a male, 8 weeks old. This was in 1981…
After we brought this fellow home and got him adjusted, we placed him in view of our two residents, who, as expected, instantly started coming toward the newcomer. Instead of retreating, crouching down or hissing, what this little fellow did was greet them by standing up – yes, standing up on his two hind legs, fully erect, with his front paws pointing straight up. This maneuver caused Omar & Maxine to stop and show nothing but calm friendliness to this spunky kitty.
This exact scene was replayed again a few minutes later, prompting Karn to blurt out, “The Fonz!”, which I immediately grasped: The kitten’s bravado and uplifted paws were just like a favorite gesture of Arthur Fonzarelli – aka “Fonzie” or “The Fonz” – the character played by Henry Winkler on one of our favorite TV shows, the sitcom “Happy Days”, when, to make a point, he stands, leaning back just a bit from the waist, with his two thumbs held out, pointing straight up, as he smiles and says “Hhhheeeeyyyy”. And so, our raised-paw kitten became The Fonz, Fonzie, and sometimes Fonzarelli…
We moved to LA in 1982, and into a home in Santa Monica in 1984 we kept for 10 years. In 1994 we built and moved into the home we still occupy in Topanga. In Santa Monica we lost Omar, added kitties Bentley and Salsa, and In Topanga, we lost Bentley and Maxine, then added kitties Kenya, Wolfgang, Shona and Shadow.
Fonzie was with us for all these transitions and throughout was our “Number 1”. I say this in no way to imply that our other cats were loved less or treated worse than the Fonz. To the contrary, each and every one of our companion cats is always cherished as special, recognized for his or her own unique personality, appearance and behavior. Number 1 signifies, in my view, a subtle combination of being viewed, by peers and guardians alike, as the leader, and a personality compatible with this.
From his kitten days and for his entire life, Fonzie also had this unique and endearing quality of seeking from me or Karn one of our pinkies to suck on. With head resting in my lap and eyes closed, the Fonz would simply drift off into a blissful, “thank you I love you” trance, gently sucking away…at least once a week for 20 years.
It all ended when, at the age of 20, and over a period of several months, our Fonzie lost the use of his kidneys to the point that the quality of his life literally disappeared at the end. In November of 2000, he signaled to us, “OK Mom and Dad, no more force-feeding, I’m ready to go”, so we began planning a way to mercifully end and honor his life. With Fonzie in a semi- coma, we placed him in a charming wicker basket that had been one of his favorite sleeping spots, and had our vet make a house call. We set up on the floor of our family room with a glass of champagne, and most of our cats in attendance as well. As our vet gently and humanely administered the euthanasia, we played Craig Chaquico’s “Gathering of the Tribes” and gave our Fonz a sincere toast in honor his life…
Writing this, I have tears of sorrow in my eyes… and now smiles of joy to thank Fonzie for all the happiness and love he gave us – forever in our hearts.
