Question of the Day, Sunday, November 8, 2015

[miagi's_mommy]

 
it's the opposite for me -- snick and jaspurr are the hardest or more like most involved to plan Christmas gifts for. i mean, they have just about everything -- or at least everything that i think they'll enjoy and that isn't outrageously priced. but i always manage to find good gifts for them, every year.

i think i understand -- it was very hard on our mickey's birthday as well as Christmas the first year after he crossed the bridge, especially since snick's birthday is the same as mickey's (they were litter mates). just like you, i know our mickey is there with us in spirit on those special days.

Haha I know mine will like treats! They have more than enough toys but always get more. My dogs are harder to please than the cats. 

Thanks, it's always hard he made Christmas very special.

I think they're always with us, but especially on holidays/birthdays.

 

[stewball]

I don't celebrate Christmas but then I don't celebrate Hanukkah either. If the kids come over then they light the Hanukkah candles and sing the songs. Otherwise it's an ordinary day for me. It's not really a religious holiday. When I was a child my dad lit the candles every night for eight nights. We got presents but I think that may have been because all our friends got Christmas presents and they didn't want us to feel left out. My sister and I used to buy Hanukkah presents for the parents as well.

 

[Winchester]

For those of you who are planning on having a Christmas tree, may I make an suggestion? Wire your tree to the wall! I'm totally serious. We've been wiring our tree in the living room ever since the original RugCats were RugKittens....and that is a good 19 years now. At that time, we had eight cats in the house, including five little ones and you learn quickly.  

It's not difficult at all and it may save your tree.  We have two eyelets screwed into the baseboard of the living room wall. When the tree is up, before it's ever decorated, we use green wire to secure the tree at the trunk to those eyelets. It's nice and tight; no matter what the kids do, that tree will not fall down. Cover the whole thing with your tree skirt and nobody will ever know the eyelets and the wire are there. We keep the eyelets there year-round. you really don't notice them all that much.

Don't think your cats will knock your tree down? We didn't either....until Rick came home from work one Saturday morning and found our undecorated tree at the bottom of the steps at the front door. Not only did they manage to knock the tree to the floor, but they got it down the steps. Rick couldn't believe it. Thank goodness it hadn't been decorated yet....that could have been ugly. And that's why the tree is wired to the wall.

Also, and you probably already know this. The bottom 2-1/2 to 3 feet of your tree should be decorated in kitty-safe decorations. We have some yarn-type ornaments, some felts, things like that, that we put on the very bottom of the tree. We keep a basket out during the season. Once a cat has removed an ornament, we put the ornament in the basket; it does not go back on the tree. It's like a game to see how many ornaments the kids have removed during the season. One year, the bottom of the tree was completely bare, other than lights. 

We still wrap gifts, but it's been years since we put To/From labels on the the gifts. No ribbon or bows. The cats think they're great fun. We write on the wrapping paper who the gift is for. And it's gotten to be kind of a joke around here. One time we gave our granddaughter something that was for our grandson. Thankfully everybody takes it all stride.

 

[Winchester]

I usually post this around Christmas because I think it's a hoot. This is the first year that Tabby was with us. Around here, the cats think it's their tree and it's their right to decorate their tree. That year, it went like this:

Rick was stringing the lights and Tabby decided to help. 

"Dad, there's something wrong with this bulb; I can't get it to work."

TabbyOne.jpg

• Winchester
• Nov 10, 2015

"I can't quite reach that blue light."

TabbyTwo.jpg

• Winchester
• Nov 10, 2015

"I still can't reach it. Almost!" 

TabbyThree.jpg

• Winchester
• Nov 10, 2015

"Boo! Hey BooBoo, C'mere a second! I need some help! Boo!"

TabbyFour.jpg

• Winchester
• Nov 10, 2015

"Sigh. Males, you can't expect help from them! There, just a bit more...."

TabbyFive.jpg

• Winchester
• Nov 10, 2015

"There! It looks much better now."

TabbySix.jpg

• Winchester
• Nov 10, 2015

"My work here is done. For now."

TabbySleepingCouch.jpg

• Winchester
• Nov 10, 2015

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

 
Haha I know mine will like treats! They have more than enough toys but always get more. My dogs are harder to please than the cats. 

Thanks, it's always hard he made Christmas very special.

I think they're always with us, but especially on holidays/birthdays.

i agree, they're always with us.   

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

I don't celebrate Christmas but then I don't celebrate Hanukkah either. If the kids come over then they light the Hanukkah candles and sing the songs. Otherwise it's an ordinary day for me. It's not really a religious holiday. When I was a child my dad lit the candles every night for eight nights. We got presents but I think that may have been because all our friends got Christmas presents and they didn't want us to feel left out. My sister and I used to buy Hanukkah presents for the parents as well.

it sounds like we're similar!

i don't particularly celebrate Christmas for myself; my Christmas is enjoyed/celebrated through snick and jaspurr. for me, that's the best Christmas!

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

 
For those of you who are planning on having a Christmas tree, may I make an suggestion? Wire your tree to the wall! I'm totally serious. We've been wiring our tree in the living room ever since the original RugCats were RugKittens....and that is a good 19 years now. At that time, we had eight cats in the house, including five little ones and you learn quickly.  

It's not difficult at all and it may save your tree.  We have two eyelets screwed into the baseboard of the living room wall. When the tree is up, before it's ever decorated, we use green wire to secure the tree at the trunk to those eyelets. It's nice and tight; no matter what the kids do, that tree will not fall down. Cover the whole thing with your tree skirt and nobody will ever know the eyelets and the wire are there. We keep the eyelets there year-round. you really don't notice them all that much.

Don't think your cats will knock your tree down? We didn't either....until Rick came home from work one Saturday morning and found our undecorated tree at the bottom of the steps at the front door. Not only did they manage to knock the tree to the floor, but they got it down the steps. Rick couldn't believe it. Thank goodness it hadn't been decorated yet....that could have been ugly. And that's why the tree is wired to the wall.

Also, and you probably already know this. The bottom 2-1/2 to 3 feet of your tree should be decorated in kitty-safe decorations. We have some yarn-type ornaments, some felts, things like that, that we put on the very bottom of the tree. We keep a basket out during the season. Once a cat has removed an ornament, we put the ornament in the basket; it does not go back on the tree. It's like a game to see how many ornaments the kids have removed during the season. One year, the bottom of the tree was completely bare, other than lights. 

We still wrap gifts, but it's been years since we put To/From labels on the the gifts. No ribbon or bows. The cats think they're great fun. We write on the wrapping paper who the gift is for. And it's gotten to be kind of a joke around here. One time we gave our granddaughter something that was for our grandson. Thankfully everybody takes it all stride.

great tips!

and, aawwww.........your tabby 'helping' with the Christmas tree decorating! so precious!

 

[Winchester]

Thanks! As for Tabby, she is one in a million!