A long, very fluffy, gray and brown tail appears to be wedged between two presents under the Christmas tree.
Attached to this lovely tail is my Georgie, a 16-pound, part Maine coon cat. Georgie is doing what he likes the best at this time of year — passionately licking up the water meant to keep our Christmas tree moist.
Children look forward to toys and adults look forward to gathering the family around during the Christmas season. My cat looks forward to Christmas because he knows he’ll have all the evergreen, rust-flavored water he wants for two weeks or so.
Since I cut my own fir tree on my property, I know it’s safe. (Commercial trees that are treated with pesticides or other chemicals may be poisonous to pets.)
This is a cat that dislikes treats and wet food, will eat only dry food, doesn’t bother the ornaments, and constantly calls on me the rest of the year to make sure the water in his dish — and in the dog’s dish — is fresh and filled to the top.
I’m not sure where he got his love of rusty, tree-flavored water from. He arrived a few years ago while we still had another truly unique cat — aren’t they all? — a short-haired, gray-and-white kitty who came with the name of Manny.
It was Manny who first started sipping the tree water, and soon Georgie followed in his paw steps. One of the best photos I have ever taken of any of my pets is that of the hind ends of Georgie and Manny, while their front ends were sipping Christmas tree water.
That photo still adorns my refrigerator.
While we nearly run ourselves ragged trying to meet all the baking, shopping, wrapping, party and other holiday obligations, those of us with pets certainly don’t leave them out. After all, for many of us, those furry or feathered creatures are like family, and we treat them as such, particularly during the holidays.
Dusty, our 90-pound golden retriever, would be mortified if I tried to dress him in a Santa outfit, or even tied a bright red bow around his ample neck. But come Christmas morning, he gets his very special stocking filled dog bones, toys and other treats. Of course, his favorite treat is anything we eat, so part of the turkey will be his as well.
Manny loved cooked chicken and turkey, too, so he was easy to please at Christmas.
I once placed a big red ribbon around the neck of my best dog friend of years ago, a very large shepherd-husky mix named Spuffy, on Christmas Day. She was so embarrassed that she walked around the house with her head down and practically between her legs in shame, seemingly asking me what she had done wrong. I untied it really soon. I didn’t want her to feel bad, just look festive for Christmas.
Dusty won’t dress up in any way for Christmas either. However, the dogs of some of my friends and acquaintances, particularly the smaller breeds, will.
Wherever we may look from Thanksgiving until New Year’s, some small furry pooch may be dressed in an entire Santa suit, complete with a red-and-white hat, and sometimes with jingle bells.
Maybe there’s a cat somewhere who will abide having a red ribbon tied around his neck, but not here. Georgie opposes any such display of seasonal decorations, too. Those red ribbons hold Christmas cards or are wrapped around people presents.
My geese, particularly the pure white ones, would be gorgeous with great big red ribbons tied around their long, elegant necks, like we see on figurines and full-sized statues some people post near their front door during the Christmas season. But I would challenge anyone to place such an adornment on a real goose.
For those who are not pet lovers, all of the above may sound just a bit crazy. But for those of us who love our dogs, cats, birds and whatever other living creature that gives us pleasure and companionship, we understand the need and desire to treat our pets special, particularly during the holidays.
So, Georgie, I’m heading to the sink to get more water to pour into the tree dish, and Dusty, don’t look in the closet where your stocking is stored. And Finny and the rest of the flock, don’t worry, your Christmas will be celebrated with extra lettuce and other greens, bought especially for you. No red ribbons for you.
Merry Christmas to all!
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