Shirley Murphy - Christmas Cats - A Literary Companion

I should have left then. Should have run back out to the street and yelled for the burly super, for my neighbors, for the cops. But too much had happened in the last twenty-four hours, and I was sick of it. Sick of feeling rejected and put upon, of having one good mood after another dashed by the unexpected. I picked up the pharmacy bag. With its jumbo tube of Aveda and the economy-sized shampoo—also on sale—it would make a decent weapon. With my other hand, I slammed my apartment door open and prepared to swing.

"Theda!" A man in black knelt by my door.

"Bill?" Those green eyes, his black wool coat. What was he doing on my floor?

"Rrow!" I dropped the heavy bag to the floor. My cat dived under the sofa.

"What are you doing here?" He was smiling now, a little sheepish.

"I was hoping to sneak one more surprise in for you." He held out his hand. There, on a length of thick red yarn, were two keys. I recognized the larger one; it fit the old front lock of his building. "They're a set. Your own set."

He stood. I looked up in his face, his kind, sweet face.

"You were right, Theda. I'm sorry I reacted as I did. Too many years alone, I guess." He took my hand and placed the keys in my palm, then covered my hand with his. The yarn was soft and fuzzy.

"Yarn?"

"That was meant for Musetta, actually. She's been so good about the other gifts." He took a can of catnip spray out of his coat pocket. "This helped."

"The mistletoe? The jingle bells?"

"I still have your keys, remember? Unless you really want me to, I'm not giving them back." Suddenly we were both laughing, the mystery of the mistletoe solved, and I was able to explain the basics of cat care—and cat safety—to Bill, who took my little lecture in good grace. By the time the "no ribbon, no string" rule had been explained, we were able to coax Musetta out from her hiding place so she could join us for a snack while we made plans for dinner.

"I wanted to show you that my holiday could be intimate, too. That it didn't all have to be commercialized and overblown," said my Bill, once the three of us were nestled on the couch. "I wanted it to be fun."

"It will be," I said to his collar, as I cuddled into his shoulder and Musetta kneaded the pillow beside me. "Christmas and Chanukah both." Out in the foyer, under the bag of toiletries, I had the perfect present, and it was already wrapped. If only I could get Musetta to deliver it…

Holiday Safety

Christine Church

December 24th was always a special night for the Fergusons. The Christmas tree glistened in splendor, glass bulbs of various colors twinkled, multi-colored lights bounced from the shining surface of the glass ornaments. And lambent light from the silver tinsel created a rainbow for the eyes as the tinsel hung in excess from each branch.

It was all so magnificent and beautiful to behold. And quite enticing, particularly for the Ferguson's cat, Missy, a short-haired brown tabby born, it seemed, with a twinkle of mischief in her eye. All that movement, all that intrigue. She reached a paw toward an especially low-hanging bulb. "Missy!"

Missy replaced her paw to the ground and turned her head. She understood her name, and when spoken in such a manner, she knew that meant to stop whatever she was doing, or risk getting hit with the water sprayer. With a yawn and a sigh, Missy rested beneath the tree instead and napped, dreaming of those enticing wonders above her.

When she awoke, her people were gone. The house was dark. They had gone out for the evening. Light from a street lamp shone in and illuminated a bulb on the tree. It appeared to twirl and circle. No one home. No one to say "no."

The cat reached a paw and sent the shiny ball spinning. Another bat and it swung back and forth, back and forth.

But on the third good swing, something unexpected happened. The ball flew from the tree and made a loud noise on the hard wood floor, crashing, smashing into pieces.

The pieces twinkled, but didn't move. Curious, Missy sought them out, trying to play with one, but the pain in her paw made this no longer a fun endeavor.

She licked the small cut and returned to the tree. So many more interesting sights! Long thin silver strands hung from each branch.

Pulling' them from the tree was simple. What more could a kitten want? Long and stringy and shiny!

Hours later, the Fergusons arrived back home. Mrs. Ferguson gasped as she turned on the den lights to find a disaster. The tree was torn apart; tinsel littered the floor, broken balls and ornaments everywhere. She yelled for Missy, but the cat did not come. The family started a search.

Eventually she was found curled under a spare room bed. She did not look comfortable at all. As a matter of fact, their little cat appeared quite ill. A rush to the vet and X-rays revealed she had ingested several strands of tinsel and some stringed popcorn, which had wadded in her stomach and wrapped around her intestines. She would need surgery.

The next few days were touch and go, but the Fergusons, and Missy, were lucky. The kitten recovered fully, and her family learned a valuable lesson; be careful with holiday ornaments around a curious kitten.

Holiday Fun

The holidays, especially Christmas, with all its lights and sparkling wonders, is a joyous time, and can be "the most wonderful time of the year," to quote a classic song. It can also be one of the most dangerous to a curious cat or kitten. And there are many reasons this can be. More than simply the enticement of a luminous Christmas tree.

The Present

What could be more exciting than to receive a squirming and adorable kitten as a present? But then we must think about the cat's point of view. A small kitten may simply act with curiosity, an adult cat with fear. In either case, the last thing you want to do to your cat is to frighten her with excessive noise and interaction. And that's exactly what the holidays encompass. If you wish to give a cat as a gift, first be sure the recipient definitely wants this animal in his or her life. You do not want to throw a live animal onto someone who will not be prepared to care for it. If the gift is yours, then be sure you are prepared to care for the cat or kitten at a time when things are not as hectic.

Christmas Trees And Decorations

Christmas holds many fanciful sights and wonders, for a curious cat, and particularly for a kitten, whose world is still being discovered. It can also be one of the most dangerous holidays for a cat. Always keep a kitten's curiosity in mind when decorating. Breakable, toxic, or harmful ornaments, plants, and knickknacks should be kept out of the cat's reach or not used. Strings of popcorn or beads, as well as the string and needles to make these garlands, can kill your cat.

Electrical cords, if bitten into, can pose a fatal risk. Some cats love to chew them, bat at them, claw them. Keep your electrical cords bound tightly and wrapped in aluminum foil or another material that is unattractive to cats. Cords can also be run above doors, secured to the wall along baseboards, or in some other way fastened out of your pet's reach. Also be careful not to let cords run under furniture or carpets on a permanent basis, or the cord can get worn down after a time and cause a fire.

Another way to help keep your cat off the cords is to purchase from a pet supply store or veterinarian a product with a bitter taste that can be sprayed on electrical cords (or plants) to make them taste bad. However, this might not work as a one-time preventive measure if you have a particularly mouthy kitten or cat. And the taste will eventually wear off and have to be reapplied.

Fireplaces and kerosene heaters should be protected with safety screens. It is in your cat's best interest to err on the side of caution and make sure the cat cannot come into contact with or be exposed to hot embers or sparks. Wood-burning stoves usually pose little danger to cats, but some cats will sleep so close to the stove that their fur becomes hot to the touch.