Look at what the cat dragged in: A name-related lawsuit

The legal fur is flying in Santa Cruz. The folks who run Cat and Cloud Coffee say they have received a cease and desist from Caterpillar Inc. over the cafe’s use of the word ”CAT” in their restaurant and the merchandise and clothing they sell.

KSBW, the NBC affiliate in Monterey Bay, is reporting that the big tractor maker, which has trademark rights to “CAT,” is going after the coffee shop in court. Co-owner Jared Truby found the legal assault ludicrous and asked an attorney to try and stop Caterpillar from rolling over them.

In a statement, Caterpillar said it “serves customers around the world, many of whom earn their livelihood with one or two machines and often a good pair of work boots. We value all of them and strive to provide exceptional products and services. This means we have a responsibility to protect and maintain the brand they love and rely on every day — including our existing trademarks. We are not suing Cat & Cloud, not targeting a small business and not focused on Cat & Cloud’s primary interest: coffee,” the company said. “We’ve simply asked the U.S. Trademark Office to remove Cat & Cloud’s trademark registration on footwear and apparel only, products for which Caterpillar has longstanding trademarks and a considerable business. We hope to resolve this issue quickly.”

Caterpillar did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the lawsuit or whether the company had sued any other businesses with the word “cat” in their name.

As the battle brews, here are some other cat-named businesses in Northern California whose owners might want to have their lawyers on speed dial, just in case they’re tempted to use upper-case letters in any of their marketing:

Restaurants

Fat Cat Cafe, Oakland

KitTea Cat Cafe, San Francisco

Hello Kitty Cafe, San Jose

Meow Tea, San Jose

Coffee Cat, Scotts Valley

Tabby Cat Cafe, Santa Cruz

Cat Town, Oakland

The Cats Restaurant & Bar, Los Gatos

Cat Cora’s Kitchen, SFO

CatHead’s BBQ, San Francisco

Monkey Cat Restaurant and Bar, Auburn

The 4 Cats Cafe and Gallery, San Luis Obispo

Nightclubs

Black Cat, San Francisco

CAT CLUB, San Francisco

Cat rescues

The Dancing Cat, San Jose

Fat Cat Rescue, Mountain View

The Dancing Cat, San Jose

Purrfect Cat Rescue, San Jose

13th Street Cat Rescue, San Jose

Cat boarding

The Cats’ Inn, Belmont