An Oscar Connection

My cat has an Oscar connection. Last night, Life of Pi, adapted from a novel by Yann Martel, picked up four wins at the 85th Academy Awards ceremony. My cat is named for one of the characters in the novel.

In 2003 when I got a new kitten, both my sister and I had recently finished reading Life of Pi. I mentioned on the phone to her that I needed a name. She suggested mining the book, which is about a young man and a Bengal tiger adrift in a lifeboat, for ideas. Given that my cat is a Bengal, the tiger seemed like a great source for a namesake except for his somewhat clumsy name of Richard Parker.

Among the other characters the only real possibility is the young man as the rest are minor or don’t survive the shipwreck. His full name is Piscine Patel. (In French piscine means swimming pool.) Fortunately he goes by the nickname Pi. That’s the name we chose.

I realize there’s some dubious thinking here. My cat’s name is taken from a book that features a Bengal tiger only he isn’t named for the tiger because the tiger’s name wouldn’t make a good cat name. Instead he is named for the other main character, whose name would make a good cat name (at least I thought so) even though it is in no way cat related.

I mostly call my cat kitty when I’m trying to get his attention. In this blog he is known as the Mud Cat. Friends and family usually refer to him as Pi. So does the Bayview Veterinary Hospital when they send him a reminder that it’s time for a shot or an office checkup. I might start using his real name more often now that his namesake movie did so well at the Academy Awards. It won for best director, cinematography, visual effects, and original score.

I haven’t seen Life of Pi. I’m planning to wait for the DVD version so that Pi and I can watch it together.