I try to name my cats after beautiful mountain vistas through which I cycled. For example, Sunwapta was named for the beautiful area in the Canadian Rockies from Sunwapta Pass to Sunwapta Falls along the Icefields Parkway. Blue Mesa was named for the Blue Mesa of Curecanti region between Montrose and Gunnison in Colorado. Paso Robles was named after the area just east of the coast in California south of Big Sur. I found I could not pick just one location for my most recent cat since I saw so many beautiful places. So I gave my cat a generic mountain name, Mountain Lioness. Mountain Lioness is not a good name if you want your cat to know her name. The name is too long with too many syllables. Names like Spot, Bo, Fluff, Ghost, one syllable words work much better. Although Sunwapta knew his name, I suspect he really only knew the sound Sun.
Mountain Lioness (ML) is a crazy cat. She will be two years old around April 1st. I am not sure of her exact birthday since I got her at the SPCA. She is an avid hunter most of the time. She runs full speed from windowsill to windowsill to see what creatures are crawling around outside the window. As soon as I open the door the Florida Room, she roars past me. She loves sitting out in the Florida room where there is a much better view of the critters in the yards and trees. She intently watches and stalks the animals for hours in the yard, but the screen windows prevent a carnage.
ML loves water. As soon as I turn on the water for the shower, she jumps in the tub. Then when I pull up the plunger so the water runs out the shower head, she hesitates for about 10 seconds, then bolts out the tub getting somewhat wet. Brushing my teeth or washing my hands with her around is always a challenge since she loves to stick her paws in the water. This is very unusual behavior for a cats, but not for a Mountain Lioness. She is living up to her name.
ML has the most unusual tail I have ever seen on a cat. Although she is mostly white, her tail is mostly black. Her tail often bends back at an 180 degree angle, looping all the way around and touching the back of her head. She has a very long tail. ML’s tail enables her to be a great jumper. After several false starts and twitching, I see her jump through the air from my desk to the kitchen counter, about six feet across and one foot up. I have yet to see her miss.
She purrs a lot, and I can hold her for about 1-2 minutes before she squirms out of my hands. She is a very strong cat.
Mountain Lioness is a Medicine Cat. A medicine cat is like a medicine horse. The name comes from the black fur covering her head like a hat while the rest of her fur is mostly white. Medicine Hat Horses are white with black markings on the top of the head. According to Native American legend, a medicine hat horse has the power to protect its rider from bullets and arrows. They believed that no harm could come to their riders and usually only chiefs of great warriors were the only ones who usually owned them. Medicine Hats were also considered incredibly lucky. In wearing such a magic symbol, the horse personified the magical qualities of a tribe. If your tribe lost its Medicine Hat, misfortune was soon to come, because all the good magic was gone.
So I have a Medicine Hat Cat. While I hope I do not need protection from bullets and arrows, I do believe that Mountain Lioness will bring me good luck and protect me.