How Pez Got Her Name

In the 17th century, Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez came to the new world in search of gold.  Instead, he got a cat.  After being fooled into trading the natives a small collection of Spanish novelities for a mangy little cat, he angrily threw the cat into the river.  Instead of drowning, the cat sank to the bottom but then bobbed back up to the top!  The cat was swimming! One of Cortez' horrified servants dove into the river after the cat and rescued her.  Cortez admired the cat's strength and ability to swim like a fish, so he named the cat Pez (which is the Spanish word for fish). Pez survived throughout the conquests and eventually outlived Hernando himself.  Over the years, Pez gave birth to many kittens, all of whom were named for species of fish.  Although the bloodline had been lost until now, the surfacing of this cat named Pez at an Iowa animal shelter is solid proof that she shares a direct line of ancestory with Pez, the first cat of Hernando Cortez.


Pierre LeBon, son of French immigrants to Germany, adopted a stray cat not long after he started producing peppermint candy. He named her Pez in honor of his candy-related success.
Shortly after Pez was adopted, she had kittens. She was not a strong cat, and she died while giving birth.
Despite Pierre's best efforts, only one of the five kittens survived. This feisty little soul was also named Pez.
The tradition of giving the name Pez to a single cat from a litter that was descended from the original Pez carried on for generations.
When Pierre's wealthy American grandson died, he left his newborn kitten, Pez, to his son. Sadly, the son turned out to be allergic to cats and had to give her up for adoption. We were lucky enough to be the people who found her at the shelter.


Yes, this is all bull. An Explanation

Credits:
Hernando Cortez story by Amy Saltzman
Pierre LeBon story by Karen Hart

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The real history of PEZ candy
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