Welcome to Bookfoolery and Babble! If you're new to my blog, the most important thing you must know is that I have two cats, Fiona (a tabby) and Isabel (white with tabby markings). I take a lot of photos of my cats and having young, active kitties has definitely had an impact on how we decorate for Christmas. So, my cats will take the starring role for my first Advent Tour post.
Top Ten Ways for Cat Owners to Get into the Christmas Spirit#10 - Be sure to place shiny, tempting objects on a surface which will allow for a satisfying combination of "clatter-crash" noises when knocked over.
#8 - Remember that cats love to climb.
#7 - So you will want to put a few things out of their reach. This gives them the chance to contemplate complicated climbing plans.
#3 - Seriously, everything.
#2 - Absolutely everything.
. . . and then some.
Oy.
#1 - Have a happy holiday!
#9 - Dress your cat for the holidays. Ignore the, "I will kill you" look. Your cat is really just being coy. She adores a little time spent pretending she's a reindeer.
#8 - Remember that cats love to climb.
#7 - So you will want to put a few things out of their reach. This gives them the chance to contemplate complicated climbing plans. 
#6 - There should always be plenty of dangly things left hanging specifically for the kitties.
#4 - But, don't forget that everything is edible.
#5 - Also remember that cats are extremely decorative. You will want to place at least one within the branches of your tree.
#3 - Seriously, everything.
#2 - Absolutely everything.. . . and then some.
Oy.
#1 - Have a happy holiday!
©2011 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.
I need a Christmas decoration like that!
ReplyDeleteFunny, and they "posed" so perfectly for you!
ReplyDeleteAwwwww I love these photos and your advent post! Beautiful and fun :) Happy holidays!!! <3
ReplyDeleteThis made me laugh out loud! Our house has the same things going on, but it's better than not having them there.
ReplyDeleteHaha, this was awesome! I'm not a cat person, but your post definitely made me laugh!
ReplyDeleteWhat adorable pictures! The ones with them eating the ornaments (or trying to) are a riot!
ReplyDeleteMy kitty Malcolm looks JUST like Isabel! And loves to climb in Christmas trees, too. He's already broken 3 ornaments this year.
ReplyDeleteLove the list! Except at our house it's dogs - but they are remarkably similar. Especially the part about everything being edible. So far this year our's has eaten 1 tree skirt, 9 ornaments, 3/4 of a nativity set and about $60 worth of presents. :)
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping your kitties are much less destructive. (And I had never realized how decorative they are also.) Merry Christmas.
Heehee, I loved this photo montage of kitties and Christmas! I have a kitty story too. For the past two years, we have had to get a real Christmas tree, because when we put up the fake one, the cats shimmy up the trunk and pull off the branches, and then run all over the house with them. They don't do that with the real ones, so we have had to make some adjustments in the past few years and get real trees. Very cute post today!
ReplyDeleteAdorable! Your babies are so sweet. I'm a fellow cat lover so I really enjoyed looking at your photos. You should really join me every Thursday on my book blog, The True Book Addict. I host a weekly feature, Cat Thursday. We would love to have you!
ReplyDeleteMy virtual advent stop is also today. I'm hosting it at my Christmas blog. You can check it out here: http://christmasspirit-truebookaddict.blogspot.com/2011/12/sharing-joy-2011-virtual-advent-tour.html
Merry Christmas!
I'm now following you. I really must follow any cat lovers blog!
Ha! Have you been taking pictures in my living room? Seriously, this is pretty much a daily record of our holidays so far this year.
ReplyDeleteI love those pics! They made me laugh. Trees are also for hiding and then springing out at unsuspecting victims (aka the dog).
ReplyDeleteThis is great, Nancy! I am so glad you joined in!
ReplyDeleteKathy,
ReplyDeleteYes, I do believe you do. :)
Bonnie,
It only looks like they posed nicely. Really I stalked them like paparazzi (sp?) and they considered dressing up "torture," so I had to snap quickly and save them.
Amy,
Thanks!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!
Bridget,
Yay! I was hoping to make a few people laugh. :) Same here. We have to adapt for the kitties but I wouldn't be without them for the world.
Court,
Thanks! Stick around long enough and maybe I can turn you into a cat person. Bellezza of Dolce Bellezza claims it's my fault she now has two cats! :)
Jill,
Fiona was actually trying to eat a tree branch. Le sigh. It was pretty funny, though. She actually adores broccoli.
There aren't enough Bandaids in the world if I put reindeer antlers on my cats. Love item #5. Simply a perfect post Nancy.
ReplyDeletelove it. Watch your mail, sending ANOTHER card. Can't help it.
ReplyDeleteFabulous contribution to the Advent tour!! This would make a lovely gift book. Me thinks you should get a publisher! :)
ReplyDeleteCath,
ReplyDeleteWell, then, you have a handsome kitty. :) That's last year's tree, actually. I'm trying to build a book tree but apparently I should stick with Legos.
Tami,
Ohmygosh! I think I'd give up and just paint a tree on the wall!! :) So far, the cats been well behaved, for the most part. They're both decorative and hilarious. They keep us laughing.
Zibilee,
We used to have that kind of tree -- the kind that you have to put together all the branches? I gave ours to a kindergarten teacher for her classroom and we've just alternated between real and fake for several years. That's hilarious about your cats carrying the branches away!
Michelle,
Thank you for following me and I will definitely check out your advent post and Cat Thursday! I have a regular feature called Fiona Friday, here. The cats take turns starring (not "posing" -- that would be too easy, LOL).
Sprite,
LOL It's a common theme amongst cat owners: climb tree, try to eat everything, get really annoyed when your human takes a million pictures of you (and/or dresses you up). Don't we have fun? :)
Chrisarama,
Yay, I'm glad you laughed! Oh, so funny about the cats springing out at your poor dog! Typical!!
Kelly,
Thanks! This was so fun! I can't believe I've put it off all these years. I'll definitely join in on future Advent tours. Thanks so much for hosting it! I've been having fun reading the posts, too.
Cindi,
ReplyDeleteLOL I must have the most gentle cats on the planet. They don't use claws or teeth on either each other or the humans. Such sweethearts. Thanks, my friend!
Care!
You are putting me to shame, lady! I have a goofy little gift for you that I haven't wrapped up (you'll laugh if I ever manage to make it to the post office). And, thank you. :)
Les,
Well, let me just go scope out publishers. LOL Thanks, m'dear! I'm glad you enjoyed my Advent post! I had such fun with it!
Hee hee! I was laughing just reading your post title. I love the pictures, especially the one of Fiona pretending to be a reindeer. I can tell she really likes it...deep down...way deep down. ;) My cat has only broken one ornament. She's been very well behaved with my tree. She politely smells it from time to time and gets sap in her fur, but has yet to try to climb it.
ReplyDeleteWords cannot describe how much I love this post. Izzy cracks me up--what a little trouble maker she is. Makes me miss Maggie--actually, it's been almost a year since we had to put her down. We didn't put up a tree the past two years but Maggie always loved sleeping under the tree. Was pretty good about not eating the ornaments or crawling in the tree, but it was her favorite spot.
ReplyDeleteI keep telling people "this is my favorite thing today" but REALLY this is my favorite thing today Nancy. That is until that chickpea banana makes her appearance at my work Christmas party all dolled up in her Christmas dress (if daddy listened to my instructions...).
Merry Christmas.
This post put the biggest smile on my face :D Happy holidays to you and yours, Nancy!
ReplyDeleteJenny,
ReplyDeleteThat picture of Fi makes me laugh my fool head off. She was deeply appreciative of me for dolling her up as a reindeer. LOL Hey, good for your cat! A little fur-sap and one broken ornament is not bad at all. She deserves a treat. And, possibly a bath.
Trish,
Thank you and ohmygosh. Somehow, I managed to miss the fact that you'd put Maggie down! I'm so sorry!!! Our Spooky and Sunshine were very well-behaved and just liked the warmth of the lights (plus, they would bat at dangling things, but I don't think they broke more than a few ornaments). Fi and Izzy, though . . . oh, man. Those girls are tigers! The tree is last year's. This year, we're skipping it. I'll wait till they've calmed down a bit to do a real tree!
So excited for you getting a visit from your little chickpea banana! Leaving dad in charge of dressing her, though . . . . well, I just hope he's better at those things than my husband was. LOL
Nymeth,
Wahoo! I was hoping to generate some smiles and laughter. Happy Holidays to you, too, Nymeth!! :)
What fun (for the cats!) Love it!
ReplyDeleteExcellent!!!! Really happy I have dogs right now. LOL
ReplyDeleteMaybe they'll cough up some tinsel balls (instead of hair balls) as a present for you.
ReplyDeleteSuziQ,
ReplyDeleteThey have a good ole time. And, you don't even have to point out the dangly things because they have special Feline Dangly-Thing Radar.
Andiloo,
Hahaha! Thanks, but did you see Tami's comment, above? 'Cause . . . apparently, your dog is very well-behaved. ;)
I think Les has the right idea ----> get a publisher.
ReplyDeleteMs. Fizz,
ReplyDeleteThanks. I now have this wonderful mental image of myself standing over a puddle of tinsel, saying, "Oh, how pretty!" Fortunately, my girls are not pukers. I'm a lucky cat mom. :)
Bonnie,
Heh. Easier said than done. But, at least I've got two potential buyers. :)
Awww....they are priceless!! I need to start taking more pics of my babies although they are not quite that active!!
ReplyDeleteMelissa,
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, you do! Cats are very photogenic! My two are the most energetic cats I've ever been owned by. They come to me to tell me when they need playtime (and that's in addition to playing wrestle-chase with each other, batting balls around the house, etc., on their own). They're awfully fun. We laugh a lot, thanks to our fur babies. :)
Mine don't like being decorations. But they always loved the big green drinking fountain, until we got an artificial instead
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun post! I am so glad that you decided to join in this year and thank you for doing so!
ReplyDeleteMarg,
ReplyDeleteThanks! I can't believe it never occurred to me that I could join in by doing a cat-related post. *headdesk* Thanks so much for hosting! I'm having a blast reading the other posts. :)
Yes! We're not the only ones who have cats in the tree, cats eating decorations, cats knocking balls off the display to roll around the floor, cats trying to eat anything edible accidentally left lying around. This is before the presents come out, and you forgot about how they like to rip any tiny holes into huge ones :-) Delightful post and photos!
ReplyDeleteby the way, cats also love, LOVE little lego pieces like in the Lego Advent Calendar. We find most on the floor every morning now. No matter where we put them!
Have a Merry Christmas, bookfool!
I love it! Love love love it! And oh how true it is. My cat has done all those things. All of them. Especially the laying in the tree. He seems to think it's the most comfortable place ever. Totally cracks me up.
ReplyDeleteWhat a GREAT series of photos - especially the chewing-on-interesting-things ones.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Bookfool!
Cute! This made me laugh:) I know what you're saying - my cat is usually afraid of everything new, like Christmas tree, especially the lights freak her out the first day i set it up, but then it's just like in your pics. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI hope I have your permission to use Izzy up the tree in today's post. I credited you, said the photo is copyrighted, and sent people to this post. Here's the link to my blog:
ReplyDeletehttp://bonniesbooks.blogspot.com/2011/12/friday-five-to-do-lists.html
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteApologies for the delayed reply. Your message unaccountably was sent into the spam file! Weird. I laughed out loud at the "big green drinking fountain"! We alternate between real and artificial trees. This year: no tree at all. You can see Izzy was a little bit worrying. Both cats are so very, very energetic that we thought it best to skip a tree, this year, but I do miss having one.
Susan,
There seem to be some common themes amongst cat slaves at Christmastime. :) I don't believe ours tore into any of the gifts, last year, although they've been munching on boxes that I've saved for mailing things. I'm a wee bit late, as always.
I'd never heard of the Lego Advent Calendar! How fun! Now, I've got something on my list for next year! Thanks for mentioning that. Yes, of course, the cats will find the little toys and chase them around the house. As long as they're too big to swallow, I won't worry.
Heather,
Is your tree a real one? Ours was artificial and it looked so massively uncomfortable that it really shocked me to find the cat climbing up in it and looking perfectly at home! Cats. Who gets 'em? But, they are such crazy fun, aren't they?
Julia,
Thanks! I have a lot more "chewing on things" photos. Isabel, in particular, seems to be much like a toddler. She must test everything with her mouth.
Merry Christmas!
Pepca,
It's been loads of fun finding out that so many other cats do the same exact things as my crazy little fur buddies! Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the post!
Bonnie,
Yes, certainly. Thanks for asking and for linking back. :)
This is an absolutely wonderful post! I just loved it :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Samantha! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute post! The cats are so adorable looking; love the ones that they are decked out in Christmas finery and the one in the tree! May you and yours have a joyous Christmas season!
ReplyDeletebetty
Betty,
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm glad you enjoyed my Advent post. I had fun. Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season!
I just showed this post to Rod and he laughed and laughed! And he agrees. You need a publisher.
ReplyDeleteLes,
ReplyDeleteWell, I'll go looking. :) Tell Rod, "Thanks," please. :)
This was just the pick me up I needed this morning!! Tell the girls thank you for me!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter's dog is almost as bad!! She finally cut a tree out of green paper and taped it to the wall out of frustration....
Cuddle those girls for me if they'll let you, they're like toddlers. Here one minute and gone the next...
Gaye,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed that! I'll tell the girls. Isabel has just been munching on crumbs from the homemade bread I was snacking on, so she's right here beside me.
LOL Okay, I just told her you're grateful to her for posing nicely. It was so cute when I said, "Isabel," and she stuck her head around the monitor to see what I had to say.
Ohmygosh, your poor daughter! I confess, I've thought about doing that, in the past. There were a couple years that we put our Christmas tree in a playpen to protect it from getting knocked over by children.
Izzy likes hugs and Fi likes ear rubs. I'll give them some extra loving for you. :)
FABULOUS post! Loved every picture, every caption. I never knew you could write nonfiction so well! ;)
ReplyDeleteBellezza,
ReplyDeleteThank you, m'dear. I had a lot of fun with this post. :)