Sophie

I tend to name my cats after scientists & mathematicians -- stupid and geeky, I know. When I was a kid we had a cat Max, named after James Clerk Maxwell. (Hint: the English pronounce "Clerk" as Americans pronounce Clark.)

Did you know that Maxwell proved mathematically that the rings of Saturn could not be solid? You try and do that.

Eli is named after Elie Cartan, the inventor of spinors.

I have decided to name Daisy "Sophie," which in my mind I thought was the name of Emily Noether, who discovered important symmetry principles, but I was confused, as her name was Emily and no Sophie, but my mind was mixed up and its too late now, and besides I can't name this new cat Emily because several years ago I took in a sick cat for a week, who had drunk antifreeze, and named her Emma, which is too much like Emily. Emma was a wonderful little kitty, as are all kitties, and by the time I got her she couldn't move her hind legs and had to eat lying down, which was pathetic. I took her to the vet's several times, but nothing worked and she only lasted a week and I had to put her down, which I hated, but at the vet's she took the shot and expired almost immediately, and the vet said that meant she was totally gived out and ready to go.

"Emily" is too much like "Emma," so I will go with "Sophie." She is a very pretty grey with white socks on all her feet. Very friendly already, and up on my desk and purring. I put her down on the floor, and she found her way right back up.

(Eli is unhappily locked in the bedroom.)

As Mattie Ross said of her new pony Blackie:

"There's an old song that says:

'One white foot buy 'em, two white feet try 'em, three white feet be on the sly, four white feet pass 'em by.'

...But I don't hold to that."