As you may have noticed, I have not been on as many outdoor adventures lately. One of the drawbacks of being a nude feline living in New Brunswick, Canada is the weather in December...and January...also February and come to think of it March and April. Perhaps someone will give me tickets to Hawaii for Christmas?I do have a growing wardrobe of winter ski wear complete with hats and mitts, which enable me to peruse the great, white wilderness but quite frankly I just hate the cold! Even professional adventure cats have their limits you know.
Inspired by the holiday spirit, I decided to review TWO books for my blog, and also give you a peek inside my home to see how a Naked Cat celebrates the holidays with family.
First I read "Catmas Carols" by Laurie Loughlin. This book gets 2 out of 5 meows. The illustrations by Mary Ross were adorable! I also appreciated the dimensions of the book. It was easy to hold open without thumbs which can be the bane of a feline bookworm! However, I did not enjoy the book as much as I had hoped. Being an intellectual myself, as well as a great supporter of the arts, I was anticipating something more complex.....a richness of detail. These lyrics were somewhat trite. If you enjoy that sort of thing then I recommend the following carols:
We Three Cats (to the tune of “We Three Kings”)
We three cats of Orient are,
Terrified to get in the car,
Why go out for celebrating?
We’ll stay right where we are. Ooooh–
Chorus:
Home is heaven, home is good,
Home is where we get our food,
Why go out for Christmas parties?
Frankly we’re not in the mood.
We’re not happy with a trip yet.
Seems they always end at the vet.
These excursions are diversions,
We’d just as soon forget. Ooooh-
(Repeat chorus)
We three cats are Siamese,
Himalayan, and Tonkinese.
Bring us gifts of meat with gravy
And mild kinds of cheese. Ooooh-
(Repeat chorus)
My favorite carol from the book gave tribute to the lure of the festively decorated tree. Here is my tree at home which I also can not resist!
Oh, Christmas tree, Oh Christmas Tree!
Your ornaments shine temptingly.
I want to whack them with my paw,
and grab them when they hit the floor.
Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree!
Your ornaments shine temptingly.
The second book "Cats' Letters to Santa" by Bill Adler was much more engrossing! I gave this book 4 meows out of 5. Although the pictures were more primitive, I appreciated the illustrator, Paul Bacon, for making sure all shapes and sizes of cats were represented. The letters themselves were hilarious, brilliant and honest. Some of my favorites were:
"Dear Santa: I desperately need a new computer so I can talk to other cats on the internet. OK, it's my fault the old one doesn't work. I honestly thought the mouse was a toy so I kind of batted it around. By the time I realised the fish was a screen saver the monitor was pretty scratched. And if I'm not supposed to nap on the thing why did they make it so toasty warm? It's like a magnet for furballs. I promise to take better care of my machine."
Love Einstein Two
"Dear Santa: Do you have any catnip? I'm off the wagon-again. "
Your friend, Pinky
"Dear Santa: Please leave a mouse trap. I'm thinking of laying off the rodents and becoming a vegetarian."
Thank you, Tom
"Dear Santa: I could really use a few more lives. I lost one the other day on the balcony railing. A few months back I misplaced one in a tight spot behind the refrigerator. If you could just replace these two, I promise to be more careful with them."
Mehitabel
Here is a photo of me and "Mr.Bigglesworth" in my cabana which I decked out for the holidays. I love my cabana because it sits on top of our snake's tank beside the heat lamp.
The next photo is when I got caught checking inside my Christmas stocking.
This is a cat angel my mom made. He does not say much.
It may surprise you that I celebrate Christmas at all since I am technically "Undead", one of Nosfuratu's namesakes. I also celebrate Yule! My dad is Christian and my mom is Wiccan so they decided to educate me in both religions. I am very blessed!
Unfortunately, I do not have any friends of other religions yet. So if you are a feline who celebrates Hanukkah or Ramadan etc. I would love to hear more about your traditions!
Nofuratu's fast fact:
For more than a billion Muslims around the world (8 million in North America) Ramadan is a "month of blessing" marked by prayer, fasting, and charity.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar which is lunar (each month begins with the sighting of the new moon). Because the lunar calendar is about 11 days shorter than the Gregorian calendar, Islamic holidays "move" each year. This year Ramadan was from Aug 31 to Sept 29th.
In many places where holidays have become widely commercialized, Ramadan retains its focus on self-sacrifice and devotion to Allah (God).
If you are a feline thinking of converting to Islam it is important to know cats can not fast more than 24 hours without developing potentially fatal liver disease. So perhaps giving up cat nip or treats is a better idea. Consult your local Imam.
This is a cat angel my mom made. He does not say much.
Hope you all have a fabulous holiday whatever you celebrate!
Do not forget to check out my older archived blogs. Just click on a date under the "More of My Adventures" heading at the top right of the page.
© 2012 Aislynne