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I didn’t even have time to feel the racist hammer blow of “merkan,” because first I thought it was a typo for “meercat,” quickly realized that made no sense, then figured it was the name of a bulletin board everybody but me knew the name of, and they were mad at you there.
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Now I’m aggrieved.
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BTW, if you’re going to use epithets, get them right, you damn ferner.
Yes, Nero Wolfe used to use that term, though I’m not sure exactly when he started and stopped.
I think you’d cause just a slightly greater level of offense had you named your cat Hitler. To most Americans, spic is simply a bizarre and offensive thing to name a cat, no matter what the backstory is.
I had a similar issue come up when I started calling slow drivers on the road “slopes”, which I figured was short for “slowpoke” or “slow people”. Apparently that’s a racial epithet of some sort, and me yelling it in my road rage voice was pretty offensive. I still say it under my breath sometimes, because I know what it really means, and those overly cautious drivers really get on my nerves.
Ok. Just for you and the masses as I do want to contribute.
Is this better? My shift key is having an orgasm as we speak.
I actually had a cat named Hitler, on account of his black mustache. Long after he was too old to rename, my mom expressed regret at naming him Hitler, and said we should have named him Gomez after Mr. Addams. Still. I have fond memories of that cat. He had both feline AIDS and feline leukemia when he died. Wish we could say the same about the real Hitler.
By the way, this American never heard the term “seppos”, so I wouldn’t have objected. But how offended should I be? What’s it mean?
ETA: Although even once I find out, I still won’t actually be offended if I hear it, but at least I’ll know how far to roll my eyes.
No mate to the mod, this is not a wind up.
Being politically correct with my lovely friends is, and they were wtf are you calling a cat “Spik”.
So ok, as this pool of people I like a lot the cat is getting “Stick” it was derived from “Spick and Span” but the other cat dies so the poor little bastard got stuck with “Spik”.
It’s from Cockney rhyming slang.
Yank rhymes with tank.
Tank as in septic tank. So seppo comes from septic.
Yeah, I don’t get it either.
Seppos? After the lost Marx brother?
Call your cat whatever the fuck you want. If anyone is offended, that’s their problem. Just say, “Hey, was I talkin’ to you, pinhead?”
Look at you! All grown up and using capital letters! Which I pointed out as annoying back in October. Congratulations.
Its all in a name as they say.
There is such a thing as feline AIDS? Wow. We got deaths here from H7N9 or one of those things going around. Got to love this place. A cat’s name is nothing compared to the real happenings here.
BUT…, the dude and the dudess abides.
I don’t see s problem here. Those people who come to your home are presumably your friends and when they hear you call your cat by his name will believe you when you say the name is not a racial slur, even though they may make a few wisecracks. Those outside your home will not know what you call your cat unless you choose to tell them. And why would you?
I think that would be “Zeppo” Marx. . but, that aside - excellent advice. . . take it.
Ha bloody ha ha. Ok.
Maybe it was Feline HIV? (FIV?) I don’t know, I was in basic training when it happened and my parents told me over the phone that he had leukemia and AIDS, both.
Highjack: I was curious/worried that Spick and Span’s etymology was racist also but apparently it’s not:
Nothing concrete - only theories as to the origin, including new dutch ships, forks and spoons (spikes and spoons), and new nails/boards. However, the phrase itself predates the use of “spic” as a derogatory term.
I went to a private high school where about a quarter of the students were from South and Central America, and they proudly called themselves “spics”. Since they didn’t grow up in the barrios, they had no negative association with the term even they knew it was derogatory. And when they called the rest of us gringos, we didn’t take offense either. A rare case of mutual inoffensiveness, in a culture where offending each other was far too common but preferable to the other main pastime, which involved violence or the threat of same, and with lots of racial bigotry, back in the early 70’s.
But we weren’t stupid enough to come home and use that term to the Latin Americans in the neighborhood.
The OP’s case is like naming your pet “Niggard.” That term has nothing to do with the offensive N-word, but in people’s ears it will be interpreted as such. Their mistake or yours? Both, but both suffer as a result, and you can change your own behavior but you can’t change other peoples’.
Rename the kitty to Spike or Stick. Shouldn’t be hard. If he comes to ANY name, he’ll learn to come to a new one. (Some cats do, some don’t. Some do only at dinnertime. 
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But, how offensive is it? Almost, but not quite, as offensive as the N word. Then again, maybe as offensive. I’d have to ask.
There were two cats " Spick and Span". The female died quite a sad story as she has a twisted intestine. Spent a load on the vet but she died as a kitten,
“Spik” and I like the spelling, grew up to be a monster. Anyway, the American friends don’t like it.
In this multimixpot a few Americans pulled me up on it.
We’re cool. The cat can be what he wants to be…unless its in the bloody cars.