I’m not embarrassed to admit it. Christmas morning is for family, and my family is my cats. For several years, my husband and I have celebrated with love and fur. The joy of watching a beloved kitty open his present under the tree cannot be surpassed.Wait! you say.It took a little imagination the first time we tried to get our cat to open his present by himself, but over the years, trial and error has brought us a technique that works well with most cats. Check it out it and let me know what you think.
Open his present? you say.
Yes! Why not?
1. The presents that work best are catnip-based, like a pillow or mouse. If it isn’t a catnip toy, rubbing the wrap with catnip or spritzing with catnip spray may do the trick.*
2. The toy should be very loosely wrapped with tissue or thin wrapping paper and unbound or bound with a single piece of untied ribbon or twine.
3. Wait until you’re ready before bringing the present out of hiding. (Cats are even worse than kids for getting into things before Santa Claws gives the go-ahead.) Then make a comfortable place on the floor, gather cat and present and see what happens next.
4. Get your coffee, your camera, sit back and enjoy.
*Not all cats react to catnip, so those will need another attraction, such as dangling a string toy or Da Bird over the present to get them interested.
*Sometimes kitty will need a little help or encouragement. If kitty isn’t in the mood, you can help him along or even wait until later. Moms and dads need to be sensitive to kitty’s moods.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Mollie, Jim, Little, Red, and Tinkerbelle.
Loving memory of Dirty Harry, who has crossed Beyond.
I've never tried this with my cat, but I see a new Chrismas tradition in the making!
ReplyDeleteLet me know how it goes.
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