“She looks like a Petunia!” My mom proudly announces, swinging my door open at 8 am on a Saturday morning.
I rouse and mumble, “What?”
“She looks like a Petunia!” She repeats. I’m still lost. “The bunny!”
Ohh. I had gotten a pet bunny a few days before.
I get out of bed to follow her downstairs, still not understanding that “looking like a Petunia” meant that her name should be Petunia. I had thought she was sitting in a position that made her look like a flower.
It’s already been a week with my bunny, and I still can’t quite conjure the perfect name for her. Her vet records say “Momo;” the original name I had for her before realizing it didn’t quite fit.
I had bounced between several names on the car ride to the breeder’s house.
Bonito or Momo, I had decided.
When I first saw my bunny she was sitting in a cardboard box, barely the length of my hand. I picked her up to place her in the carrier. She was warm and soft. The breeder named her Cassy.
Neither Bonito nor Momo nor Cassy felt right.
“You’re going to confuse her,” my mom jokes. For the past week, I had been calling her many different names, searching for the ones that stuck. I set her name to Momo when I registered for the vet.
Every day, I took her down to the basement to let her run around freely. I began to bond with her then. I brought my homework down with me, and I watched her jump around as I leisurely completed my AP biology readings. One day, when she laid down after running around in the basement, my intrusive thoughts won. I stuck my face in her fur. For some reason, she smelled like a toasted marshmallow. I ran upstairs and told my brother to sniff her too.
For the next few days from then on, I called her “my toasted marshmallow.” Eventually, “my toasted marshmallow” shortened to Toasty. I liked the name Toasty because her fur color was similar to toasted wheat bread, as well as her semi-unconventional namesake.
Now that Toasty’s name is much more secure (she’ll even run to you if you shout her name), she’s also gained a few nicknames.
- Toaster Strudel
- Strudel
- Toast
- 我的小宝贝
My ability to have Toasty was the result of hard work (not Anse-style hard work I SWEAR). My dad’s condition for getting her involved was a high academic achievement bar. Toasty is a reminder of the best worst years of my life. She’s a covid bunny.
I don’t think that there is a pet more perfect than a rabbit. Rabbits don’t smell, they don’t bark, and they clean themselves. Their homes aren’t hard to maintain, and they can be very loving.
Actually, there’s no pet more perfect than Toasty.
My cousins have a rabbit from the same breeder named Blue, but she’s a bit of a demon. I still have a scar on my arm from picking her up to take her out to let her play. Blue sprays her pee and nips at my cousins.
Toasty lets me pet her, and she flops over when she gets relaxed. She likes to rest her paws on a wooden toy and put her head on it like a pillow. She kisses my nose when I get close to the cage, and she takes a victory lap around her cage every time I give her a treat.
She’s not afraid to thump and shut me up if I’m being too loud while calling my friends.
I know that Toasty will be there to lick the salty tears off of my face when my work starts to feel like it’s too much. I know that even when she turns her butt to me in rebellion, she’ll still let me put my face into her fur.
She knows that I will always give her a treat when she jumps back into her cage (it’s 3 feet tall off the ground haha). She knows that I will always keep her home clean and stocked with fresh food. She knows I’ll shut up if she stomps her feet, and I’ll go close the blinds when the shadows scare her at 6 am.
To Momo, to Bonito, to Petunia, to Toasty, I love you. 🙂
Elyse, I remember when you first got your bunny and I was somewhat following the naming process. I know that it took hard work to even be able to have a pet, and I’m glad that she makes you very happy. However, I didn’t realize that the act of naming her had taken this much time, and that you were truly seeking out something that fit her. When I got my dog, also in covid, I was planning on changing her name as well. However, through time, I had realized that Taffy was the perfect name for her. It’s funny how a name can have so much personality, but oftentimes we receive it before we are even able to display who we are (nod to the Namesake). I do agree that Toasty fits her better than the other names, and it is adorable. I do have to say, my favorite variation of her name is Toast.
Anyway, Blue sounds terrifying, and I was a little scared of Toasty when I met her, but she did turn out to be perfect and sweet. I think having a bunny/rabbit (I’m not sure of the difference) is a perfect pet for you, and she is honestly precious. I’d be happy to receive more Toasty pictures in the future!
Elyse,
I really enjoyed reading about your companionship with your pet rabbit. Your post emphasizes the true meaningfulness of the relationship between a pet and their owner. The process which you went through in order to select the perfect name for your rabbit, highlights the importance of a name, and how it is not something to simply take lightly. Often, individuals pick a random name for their pet without much consideration. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, however, I found it interesting to read about the thought and consideration you put into ensuring that your rabbit had the perfect name. As a child, I would also spend days deciding on the perfect name for my pets. Essentially, the name an animal receives defines them, and from my perspective, it needs to be perfect. I also thought it was interesting how you described the circumstances in which you acquired your rabbit and the behaviors which she possesses. You went into detail about the small mannerisms and emotions which your rabbit expresses on different occasions, and emphasized that despite being a rabbit, she certainly still has a personality. This portion of your post emphasized that just like people, animals also have quirks and personality, and deserve a well thought out name that encapsulates that.
Hi Elyse! For starters, I love the title of your blog this week – what an awesome play on words for an even more awesome bunny! I adore Toasty, and seeing her and listening to you talk about her in your blog is just amazing. I love getting to see her during your Discord calls, and I love even more getting to see her here in this way! I love how you listed all of Toasty’s nicknames, and how you took us down the road of how she fully obtained her name. Who knew a bunny would go through so many names before finding the perfect fit! Also, I love your use of photos. I like how many you have included and how you get to watch Toasty grow up as you tell the story. Personally, Toasty sitting in the dollhouse is my favorite photo of all, she just looks so cute. It is obvious you care a lot about this bunny and it is so cute how much she loves you too. All in all, knowing the person you are, I don’t think there could have been a better pet for you to have, Elyse. I love you and I adore Toasty, and thank you so much for sharing your story!