Christmas From The Cat’s Point Of View

black cat with glasses reading bookHello, readers, from Lucinda, your literate cat. My CCL (Cantankerous Cat Lady) has asked me to write a post called “Christmas From The Cat’s Point Of View,” just to let you know what we cats think of your Christmas holiday.

First of all, “holiday” is not a cat idea. We are not inclined to take a holiday. That’s not to say we don’t have fun and play when we can, but we do not set aside certain days to be celebrated as special in some way.

This particular holiday is both a religious holiday and a time for giving gifts. As for the gift part, here we cats benefit, because very often we, as a family member, will receive a gift, even though we haven’t given any ourselves.

We can usually count on special treats, too, as our two-leggeds often share a bit of the Christmas meal. I do love turkey, so am happy when they share part of their meal.

What Is The Meaning Of Religion?

As for religion, I had to learn the meaning of this word, as we cats do not have a religion as such. We believe certain things to be true, but we do not place faith in a higher power as the two-leggeds do.

It is interesting that two-leggeds worship, or give allegiance to some unseen force that they call “God.” Though we are aware of this force, we do not follow its commandments or pay regular Two cats singing "wreck the tree and blame the doggies"homage. Now, a dog has a god, but it is usually his two-legged master. He worships this being and hastens to do his bidding whenever possible.

However, the dog does not look beyond his two-legged to worship some unseen Being. He lets the two-legged take care of this higher power, while he worships only the being he can see.

Because we cats consider ourselves as equals to two-leggeds, there is no need for us to worship one of them. Instead, our instinct perhaps comes closest to being our religious beliefs. We let our instincts be our guides, and they offer helpful guidelines.

I do think religion and religious holidays help the two-leggeds. They are so emotional and can develop so many harmful ideas, that it is good that they have religion. It gives a book of rules that can bring about peace and transformation, if the two-leggeds heed them.

Sometimes religion is just not enough. These two-leggeds are perhaps unfortunate to have so many options in their lives — so many possibilities for right action. Some mortals escape their boundaries of goodness and do a great deal of harm to themselves and others by becoming involved in wrong action.

Still, they are remarkable. Though I am glad my life is so simple, I can marvel at the many ways two-leggeds can complicate theirs. Compared to us, they have a huge brain, and that lends itself to giving them more ways to get in trouble.

Why Do They Have A Christmas Tree?

Okay, another tradition related to Christmas that completely baffles me. They go out into the woods,Cat in middle of Christmas tree cut down a live evergreen tree, bring it inside, and put it in a stand so it will look like it is planted in the house.

It’s wonderful! When I saw my first Christmas tree, I felt such joy — I thought my family had brought that tree in just for me to climb and play in, so I immediately ran to it and climbed up into its middle, where I could look out at the room.

To my surprise, they scolded me and chased me out of the tree. Why? I tried again, a couple of times, until the CCL put her noisy machine called a vacuum cleaner around the tree. Every time I’d get close to the tree, she”d turn on that contraption. I got the message.

What came next proved to be even more exciting. They brought out these sparkly, shiny balls and other cute miniatures of toys and animals and began hanging them all over that tree. They even put on colored lights that lit the whole tree up so beautifully.

CCL was even more emphatic now about not getting close to that tree. Why? They didn’t even play with all those lovely bright things themselves. How sad is that? They just looked at them. My paws itched to knock one of those balls off there and chase it around.

Such behavior would not be accepted. It’s just not fair — They bring in this lovely tree and put all these magnificent toys on it, and won’t let us touch it. I still can’t quite understand.

I think that if they want a tree like that, fine. But then they should bring in a second tree and stand it up and let us play in that one just as much as we want. Then I would certainly get more enthusiastic tree in cage; tree with lower branches removedabout this whole Christmas idea

My CCL wrote a post last year in which she described many ways she’d found from research or from asking others on how to keep us cats out of the Christmas tree. If you are looking for such suggestions, use this link to travel there and read it.

I Do Enjoy Christmas Carols

Though I disapprove of the two-leggeds setting up a tree that is obviously a cat’s dream of heaven and then not permitting us to play with it, I do approve of Christmas carols. I love the two-leggeds’ music — it reminds me of times I’d get together with a friend or two and sing in harmony.

You two-leggeds don’t get it, do you? You think we are just getting ready to get in a fight, but at times we just want to join voices in a song. Why, I have even heard of two-leggeds pouring a bucket of water over the singers. Such an action can make you mad, even if you weren’t before.

Let me ask you this: Would you like it if you were singing with friends and someone poured a bucket of water on you? You would then be very mad, and since you often have the words to your songs written on a piece of paper, the water would ruin them. Then how would you feel?

Wisdom Is As Wisdom Does (Two-Legged Saying)

One thing I’ve noticed is that the two-leggeds, for all their supposed wisdom, are often blind to the effect their actions have on other creatures. Because they are so smart, they think their way has to be the best way for all, and they look no further. We creatures with smaller brains often suffer for what I can only call arrogance and wrong-doing.

I digress a bit from Christmas. I do feel their holiday does a small bit of good. For a short time each year, the two-leggeds are nicer to each other and often nicer to us as well. It’s too bad they can’t find a way to help this good will on their part to extend to cover the entire year.

So now I say to you what no cat has ever said to a two-legged before: May you have a merry Christmas, and may you carry the spirit of the holiday in your heart all year. It would make the world a better place.

Cat looking out of Christmas tree

14 thoughts on “Christmas From The Cat’s Point Of View”

  1. Wow! Never in my wildest imagination would I have guessed something like this was going on in the heads of the cats and their minds when they see the Christmas settings and all. Wow! Thumbs up to you for sharing this here. I really fancy the thoughts from the beautiful cat. I love this post and I want to read more and more going by the prwentarion technique.

    Reply
    • Well, if you liked that post, there’s lots more by Lucinda.  You can read many of them in the “Literate Cat” category on the website.  She also writes a column — It’s called “Cat Behavior Solutions.”  To find those, go under the “Cat College” category and click on “Understanding Cats.”  All the columns are under the “Cat Behavior Solutions” subtitle.

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  2. Thanks for this post on how cats think about the Christmas, I took in my small kitty a few years ago during Christmas period I think she was very happy to celebrate her first Christmas with her new family , she played with everyone ate, drank and had a lot of fun so am very sure she was happy and think every day be like a Christmas Day to her, thanks 

    Reply
    • Oh, yes, cats can enjoy the holiday.  If we are laughing and having fun, the cat will pick up on that mood, and will also feel good.  She deserves a bit of a celebration, too, as she is your faithful companion.

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  3. Hello Fran, thanks for sharing this post from your CCL. This somewhat cute and really fun filled as I had a great time reading through Christmas from the cat’s point of view. I have always known that cats love Christmas trees, and they’re excited about gifts and especially if it’s a Christmas tree, lol.

    Of course, Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. A gift of God for humanity, a Patridge in a pear tree. Cats don’t get this, lol.

    I never really imagined that cats compare themselves equal level with us, lol. This is not fair. Tell your CCL that we are not of equal level or maybe you shouldn’t tell her. 🙂 and I hope she isn’t reading this comments.

    Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year. I’ll carry this spirit all year round.

    Regards!

    Reply
    • As I am the CCL, I read the comments, but will not let Lucinda read them, if you think her feelings would be hurt.  If you have lived with cats as long as I have, you would know that, yes, they do consider themselves our equals.  Telling them they are mere cats has no effect.  They think cats are the cream of the crop when it comes to animals.

      No, the cat does not really get the significance of the holiday to us. That’s because the cat really doesn’t have a religion.  They can’t comprehend our idea of worshiping a being that they cannot see.  That’s okay — they do fine at being cats, and shouldn’t feel bad that they are not people.

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  4. Hello Fran, Thanks for choosing amazing character and writing a great article on Christmas From The Cat’s Point Of View. I enjoy very much while reading your article. Cats consider ourselves as equals to two-leggeds, there is no need for us to worship one of them. Really you are a great artist and do it in magical way. I just read other articles too and found you give your cat an amazing role in your website. It is marvelous . Yes, we will carry the spirit of the holiday in our heart. Thank you .. Parveen

    Reply
    • Yes, I am glad Lucinda now works for me.  She has collected quite a fan club.  She writes most of my book reviews and has a regular column on cat behavior called “Letters to Lucinda.”  If you get a chance, check out some of her other posts.

      Lucinda has been quite an important part of my website, as she can say things that I cannot say.  Also, she can give an added perspective when she describes how a cat might view a situation.  She is a good teacher.

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  5. I really enjoyed this article by the cat. So much insight into the strange way it must look at the world around from the cat’s perspective. There is more wisdom coming from the cat’s mouth and it’s easy for it to ask questions about the strange way we do things and have just accepted them.

    I had to laugh about the use of the vacuum cleaner, I could just see the cats reaction and take all the curiosity away with the flick of a switch. Very clever I loved it 

    Thanks

    Paul

    Reply
    • Glad you enjoyed the article.  Lucinda gives us a different view of things, and that is good for us to see.  

      The vacuum cleaner worked very well, as long as I was in the house.  When I was gone, they would sneak past that machine to the tree.  Consistency — another lesson to learn from the cat!

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  6. hahaha hello again fran, i really want to first appreciate your effort in putting this great website together and writing this article. the entire article is amusing and i couldnt stop reading. though i see a point there. we humans pay little or no attention to the world at large around us and that should change

    Reply
    • Thanks for your comment.  We pay attention to many things, but sometimes we overlook things that are very important.  We get an inflated attitude about our importance sometimes, I think.  Our lives get so busy, and it is sometimes hard to be aware of little things that still have meaning.  Yes, we need to realize what is going on around us.

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  7. Great article, Lucinda! I was reading the comments and saw where your CCL said she was so glad you were working for her. LOL I think we both know who works for who, right? I, for one, believe you created your CCL to keep us two-leggeds in the dark about who’s working for who.:-)

    As always, I enjoyed reading your point of view as it provides me with a little more insight when catering with your two cousins that live with me. There’s no delusions on this end as to who works for who. LOL I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a willing DCS (Domestic Cat Servant) Happy holidays and stay out of that tree!

    Reply
    • Shhh! Don’t let her know. She thinks she is the boss, since she started this website. She actually does pretty well, as she comes up with the majority of the ideas for this site all by herself, but still, I don’t know what she would do without me.

      I can tell, too, that you are a good DCS, as you seem to know the ropes. I can imagine that your two are very happy living with you. May they and you have a wonderful holiday, and I do wish them luck in stealing a few things from that tree.

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