There is a German town called Katzenelgenbogen, or "cat's elbow." Many Jews coming from there shortened their name to "Katz." This has caused some slight difficulty in Israel since "Katz" is also the transliteration of Hebrew "Cohen" -- priest. The problem is that Jewish law permits the Cohenim to pronounce the blessing of the priests ("May the Lord bless you and keep you...") in a more or less ritualistically correct way. Katzenelogenbogen Katzes can be (inadvertent) pretenders to the priesthood, pronounce blessings in vain.