Watch cat?

The mommy here...first, thanks for the birthday greetings. It is nice to have all of our friends share in days like that.
I think I have mentioned here before that Taz, aka "the Princess" doesn't exactly play nice with the boys. And some days, it works the other way too, as this photo will show. (please ignore the mess, this old machine has been here since I moved in and I don't normally go to that corner of the basement)

That is Runt, sitting in wait, for Taz to poke her head out to eat..She's hiding up in the machine. I know this because, while he was distracted having breakfast, she stuck her head out to see if the coast was clear. Runt heard me talking to her, and came running back down to the basement. He's been sitting there now for almost an hour. She knows he's there, so she's not giving him a chance to startle her.
Got to love the games!

Many years ago, in a place not far from here...

Mommy was born in the early hours of the morning! She was her mommy and daddy's first baby and was different because she was born with a port wine birthmark.  But she was special and she became a big sister to one sister and three brothers, and she grew up to be our mommy and for that we are happy!
So, Happy Birthday, Mommy Anna, and we hope we get to share you for many years to come.
Snuggles and purrs,
Taz, Runt and Charles

Happy Gotcha Day to the "Boys"

Three years ago, while I was vacationing in New Mexico, I received a call from my sister. It seems my nephew, who was moving home, needed to find a new home for his cats. While he was willing to take them to the Shelter, he first wanted to know if I could take them. He knew they would be able to stay together and that wasn't a sure thing at the Shelter.
So, while I was gone, I became the new mommy to two beautiful boy kitties and they have been joy everyday since. So, Happy Gotcha Day to my Charles and my Runt. Mommy loves you lots.

Remembrance Sunday

Well, this is a quick drop-in but we didn't want to let the day go by without remembering the cats that have come before us here at 3 kats and a kwilter. The Rainbow Bridge has seen many of mommy's feline companions through the years and we just want to remember them with a smile and a few tears.
They are Scamp and Tramp, Thomas, Punkin Spice, and Tiger. Mommy misses them all but knows that we will all be together someday..
Sending snuggles and purrs to all the fine felines out there and their mommys and daddys that love them!
Taz, Runt, Charles and mommy, Anna, in IL

Trapped Cat Saved by a Burger!

Mommy was reading her Facebook postings and found this story. We all think that the person/persons that put this poor kitty down there should have to eat dog food for the rest of their lives. But, the story is great and actually has a happy ending in sight, so we are happy too.
Everyone have a great Thursday and enjoy the story!

Last Tuesday, two Minnesota Department of Transportation (DOT) workers were cleaning a pedestrian walkway on the Richard Ira Bong Memorial Bridge, which connects Duluth, Minn., with Superior, Wis., when they got quite a surprise.
DOT employee Christopher Smith was just doing his job, sweeping debris out of the path, when he heard meowing.
Smith looked over the edge of the bridge and found an orange cat trapped on a pier cap — a concrete ledge that tops one of the footings of the giant structure.
The pier cap, 80 or 90 feet above the water and 20 feet below the bridge decking and made of un-climbable concrete and steel, left the cat with no way to escape his predicament.
Unable to contact his co-worker, Gary Wright, who was operating a sweeper on the bridge, he called the police.
Superior, Wisc., police officer Bradley Esler answered the call.
“A couple of DOT workers had reported that there was an abandoned cat that was on a pier abutment about twenty feet below the bridge decking that appeared to be abandoned and cold and was meowing,” he said.
When Wright finally saw the police car parked near Smith, he went to check on his colleague and found Esler and Smith trying to figure out how to help the agitated feline.
Their first attempt involved dangling a nylon strap down to the cat to see if it would use the device to climb back to the roadway.
“Our thought was we could hopefully put the strap down there and the cat could self-rescue,” Wright said.
The cat had other plans, though. The feline seemed to calm down after he rubbed against the strap a few times. But it soon became clear that the cat had no intention of climbing a nylon strap, so they quickly came up with another plan.
Wright remembered a safety harness bag he had inside his truck. They decided to run the strap through the handles of the bag and prop it open with a piece of wood.
They baited the rescue trap with Smith’s lunch, a venison burger, in hopes that the cat would be hungry enough to succumb to temptation and facilitate his rescue.
“Honestly, as soon as the bag touched down on that pier cap, the cat jumped in it and I pulled as hard as I could to close the bag and pulled it up,” Smith said.
The cat was eating so hungrily that he didn’t even seem to notice what was happening. “I’m thinking the cat had been down there for some time,” he said.
When Esler and Smith released the cat from the bag, he instantly started purring, and the two fell in love with him. Both of them talked about keeping him.
The Animal Rescue Federation in Superior took the cat into its care. They gave the lucky feline, a Manx or Manx cross about 1-1/2 years old, a special name to commemorate his rescue.
“Ira was named Ira after being found on the Ira Bong Bridge. We named him Ira Bridger. He is a manx. He has a stubbed tail with a little kink in it. He has large feet for walking on snow,” said Jessica Grant from the ARF.
And the story continues: Esler is serious about adopting him.
“I am interested in keeping the cat,” Esler said. “I went to visit [him] and he’s just a happy camper, jumping from person to person. I think he knows it was almost lights out.”
Esler also said he’d like to find the person who he thinks “pitched it over the side” of the bridge.
“It would really tick you off if you would have seen it down there,” he said.
Wright agrees with Esler’s suspicions. “We found it hard to believe the cat got down there on its own,” he said.
Ira will remain at the ARF shelter for seven days in case the owner comes back to claim him, Esler said.
“I was hoping this cat was a girl so I could name her Bridge-ette,” Esler said. “But this cat’s lucky for many reasons, so maybe Lucky.”

(note from the mommy...I found this story on one of my facebook posts but it is actually pulled from Catster http://blogs.catster.com/kitty-news-network/2011/04/04/trapped-cat-saved-by-a-burger/, with sources listed as the Duluth News Tribune and Northlands News Center and I thank all for sharing the wonderful story)

For Shell and those who loved her

This will be a quick note from the mommy but we wanted to say we are sorry to hear about Shell and her departure to the Rainbow Bridge. We have followed her story and have been purring and praying for her all along. We know the decision was difficult to make for MaryAnn but we know that Shell knew she was loved and that is all we can ask for.

So, farewell, Sweet Shell!


Snuggles and purrs,
Taz, Runt, Charles and mommy, Anna, in Illinois

Bad mommy!

Our mommy has been so "busy" that she hasn't let us post on our blog. As you can see by this picture, Runt is giving her the cold shoulder routine (really cold, as the snow will show)

but at the end of the day, he is snuggled right in the blankets, near mommy for a little cat nap.
In other news, The Princess, aka Taz, has chosen the front bedroom as her domain and is hissing at all that enter, except mommy, who brings the food. Fortunately, this works for the boys as that room is too girly for them and it works for mommy, since the litter box is in the bathroom, immediately outside the bedroom door and easily accessible for princesses and boys alike.
Mommy has been sewing again, which is a good thing since she doesn't like us to lay all over her fabric and messing up her quilt blocks. We think it's fun to wait for mom to lay every thing out, turn to get her camera and then play chase and race through the middle!
So, to all our furry friends, we bid you a wonderful Wednesday!