Guest Blogger: Diane Friske
Please do not let the following stop you from adopting a cat or a kitten or several cats or kittens. You must have a sense of humor and not expect to keep a “Martha Stewart” tree.
Warning: The names contained in this story have not been changed, as they are not innocent.
The culprits:
Sally and Bowie – two 10-year-old tuxedo cats
Athena and Apollo – two 4-and-a-half-year-old, part Siamese cats. Animal Friends alumni.
Bobette – 3-year-old gray cat. Animal Friends alum and foster fail.
Cocoa Puff – 5-month-old chocolate kitten. Animal Friends Alumni and foster failure.
The tree is being decorated. All six Friske cats and two of the foster kittens are all lined up, eying which lights to lower to the floor and deciding who gets to bat which ornaments off the tree. They can hardly wait until we turned the lights out and went to bed.
Day 1: One string of lights and five ornaments down! One sea gull ornament, kill and dissected by the most beautiful cat in the world, Athena.
Day 2: Three ornaments down. One wise man down. One cat sleeping on the tree skirt. One cat sleeping under the tree skirt.
Day 3: Lower string of lights even lower to the floor. One wise man down. Tree skirt is a mess, all crumpled up.
Day 3 ½: Went to dinner last night. Returned to all 3 wise men and a shepherd boy down for the count.
Day 4: 3 ornaments down. Tree skirt situation worsening.
Day 5: Five (isn’t it cute how they match the number of ornaments with the day?) ornaments down, one never to return. One wise man down. Same wise man as always. They must not like him.
Day 6: One shepherd boy down. Tree skirt a mess again. Rubber lizard placed under the tree. Hairball also placed under the tree. If you have Christmas table runners with tassels on the ends and 6 cats, do not let the tassels hang over the edge of the table. You will be sorry. Gifts have been placed under the tree and cats are currently chasing each other over the gifts and around the tree. We may not have to unwrap any gifts come Christmas.
Day 7: Only one shepherd boy down today. However, someone either chewed, jumped on or ran over a gift. Wrapping paper torn in two places. Fixed with masking tape. Recipient has cats and will understand.
Christmas Day: Found one ornament under the pie safe. White cat (aka: The Most Beautiful Cat in the World) found chewing the wires of the tree lights just like the white cat in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. One bow chewed. Rubber lizard placed carefully in the water bowl. White cat’s brother (also an Animal Friends’ alum) chewed open a box of cookies and threw one he didn’t like on the floor. He also took a bite of the coffee cake. Can’t believe Santa left them treats and toys!
The day after Christmas: All is calm with the cats. Excitement is over and they are recovering from a catnip hangover. It’s been fun.