The Newest Family Member

My family has been adopted by a very skinny yellow tom cat. The little guy was stuck underneath the house, and because of the bitter cold, Jeff (against his better judgement) fed him and moved the doghouse to the front porch so the cat wouldn't be so cold.

Now, this little guy is uber-friendly. In fact, I've never seen such a good-natured, loving cat. He snuggles on everyone - including my dog! I think he must have been somebody's pet, because he hasn't jumped on the furniture one time (except for taking over Braeden's little Thomas chair), and even though he has claws, he hasn't scratched anyone or anything (except for Buddy, and that was because he accidentally stepped on the cat). And even though we'll likely be moving to a rent house soon that won't allow cats, we just didn't have the heart to make him stay outside.

So I asked Braeden what he thought we should call the cat. After all, even a short-term pet needs a name.

"Lee," he said (except it came out "Wee").

"Lee?" I asked. "Why Lee?"

"It's a good name."

"Okay....."

"But he needs a middle name and a last name, too."

"What should be his middle name?"

"James." (James is his middle name. Lee is mine.)

At this point, I am thinking it is a bit odd and maybe even a little boring to call the cat Lee James. So I asked him what the cat's last name should be, fully expecting him to reply with our last name. What he said made me fall out of my chair laughing. With a perfectly straight face, and as matter-of-factly as can be, he replied, "Sizzle."

"Sizzle?!?! You want to call the cat Lee James Sizzle?!"

"Yup. It's a good name."

And with a name like that, there's no way I can get rid of the little guy now!