![\"Lily\"](\"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/patty-lily-dennis_0012-2-201x300.jpg\" "\\"patty-lily-dennis_0012-2\\"")
Lily<\/p><\/div>\n
Holiday time can be exciting in a household with cats. We put our Christmas tree up a couple of nights ago. Lily thinks we brought it in expressly for her playtime pleasure. Sophie views it as another great hideout. Max is in denial that it even exists. The intrusion of a tree laden with colorful doodads that jangle and twinkle is way too much for him to deal with.<\/span><\/p>\n
This is also a time to be super careful. We can\u2019t use raffia, curly ribbon and of course, tinsel in Sophie\u2019s world. She\u2019ll eat it. She already survived swallowing a piece of ribbon from our granddaughter\u2019s pony tail once. We (and she) were lucky. It went clear through her before we knew she\u2019d ingested it.<\/span><\/p>\n I still don\u2019t know whether poinsettias are poisonous to cats. Some say yes, some say no. So all poinsettia plants that come around this house, must be displayed outside. I have one fake poinsettia I use inside. <\/span><\/p>\n We don\u2019t use angle hair to decorate with. We now set up an artificial tree, so there\u2019s no worry about using preservative chemicals in the tree water. <\/span><\/p>\n We are mindful of gift bags and plastic bags with handles. Some years ago, Winfield kitty got snoopy and ended up with his head caught in the handle of a gift bag. We found out about it when we observed the white kitten tearing through the living room closely followed by a gift bag. We caught up with Winfield and his attacker in the bedroom under the bed and released the kitten from the blue monster bag.<\/span><\/p>\n I still haven\u2019t figured out how to keep the cats from opening their own gifts. If catnip is involved, they sniff it out and open it up before Christmas morning. At least this keeps them away from the other gifts. <\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019ve never had cats knock over a tree. We\u2019ve been lucky there. However, just last night, Lily was examining a very interesting ornament and somehow got tangled in the string of lights. Suddenly, we saw the tree spinning around in the stand. No worries. The tree and the kitty came out okay.<\/span><\/p>\n If someone on your holiday list enjoys reading mysteries involving cats on their Kindles, be sure to gift them copies of Catnapped <\/em>and Cat-Eye Witness<\/em> (author, Patricia Fry). They are $2.99 each at Amazon\u2014for Kindle only. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Holiday time can be exciting in a household with cats. We put our Christmas tree up a couple of nights ago. Lily thinks we brought it in expressly for her playtime pleasure. Sophie views it as another great hideout. Max … Continue reading