And the Winner is…

My Three Cats & Co, Inc. would like to thank everyone who entered the Unique Cat Name Contest.  The winner of the contest received a beautiful set of Melia ceramic hand painted cat food and water bowls, personalized with their cat’s name on each bowl.  First prize went to Barbara Shultis and her cat Matei.  The second place winner is Pat Ferrey and her cat Tinkerbelle.  Congratulations to our winners and a special thanks to all participants for sharing touching stories about your cats.

Meet Matei

Matei We were heartbroken when one of our cats passed away last year at 19 years of age. Of the two remaining, one seemed to take the loss especially hard. After careful thought, we looked to a local shelter for a kitten as a new companion for him. It so happened that the shelter was having a “2 for 1” event. We had every intention of leaving with only one feline, a lively little black fur ball we were both taken with. He had a companion who had been abandoned at a train station, and they asked if we might consider him too. We thought “this will mean four cats”, but this little orange guy had such a sad and hopeful look, that we couldn’t leave him behind. We named him “Matei” which is Celtic for “gift from God”, since we didn’t anticipate his arrival. He has been the most loving animal I have ever had, and we couldn’t imagine life without him. I believe both he and the name were chosen for us before we entered the shelter.

Meet Tinkerbelle

Hi there.  I’m Tinkerbelle.  I was losted on the South Side of Pittsburgh.  Someone nice took me to Tinkerbelle the Humane Society and they took care of me and placed me at Pet Smart in the North Hills for adoption.  My future dad spotted me hiding behind the sign and pulled me out of the cage.  Immediately I went into investigative mode and checked out my future mom’s purse and then looked in the cages at each of the other kitties.  Mom and dad took me home and I met my new brother, Cleo, who wasn’t too, too happy at first, but I’ve brought him around.  Now he’s really cool to chase and play it-tag with.  My new home was full of lots and lots of toys and the first night I was a busy kitty checking them out and ‘arranging’ them to suit me.  I’m a little tuxedo kitty.  My white muzzle makes me look like a little bear.  I’ve got mittens on my front paws and go-go boots on the hind paws. When playing with toys I tend to pounce and then stand up to throw them around and generally prance across the room just like a little fairy.  Therefore, mom decided my name is Tinkerbelle, since I’m such a little girly kitty who dances.

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Cats Do Get “Spring Fever”…

Kelly and the sparrow converse.
Kelly and the sparrow converse.

Most veterinarians will tell you that springtime is a dangerous time for cats as people open their windows for some fresh air, thinking their cat will be sensible and not jump several stories to the ground…unfortunately, they do. Cats’ depth perception is not considered to be too keen as their best visual acuity is in focusing on prey, one item in a jumbled landscape, so the distance from windowsill or deck railing to the ground isn’t really clear for kitty, especially with a now full of intoxicating spring air. Also, even the most sensible cat will be tempted by a bird flying by, or a leaf or any moving object out the window. Before you open your window make sure the screen is tightly in place, and don’t assume that your cat can’t figure out how to push it out of the way, or that it can’t get out of a window that’s “just open a crack”. Sometimes you have to think for kitty. For an interesting video about cats and falls from windows and high places, and to see an explanation of just how a cat turns itself so it lands on its feet—most of the time—view this video on the National Geographic website (it begins with and advertisement, just be patient): http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/animals/mammals-animals/cats/cats_domestic_ninelives.html

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