The Holidays Without Them, Perhaps this will bring a smile Options

[Moose Mom]

Hi Everyone

I know how much pain we all are in and how hard this time of year is. I was thinking if we remembered our furbabies happy, maybe it would help. I'd love to hear stories and see pictures of your babies having fun at the holidays, in the snow or whatever.

Moustache LOVED Christmas. He thought the tree inside was just too cool and for the month we had it up, a real tree, he would sleep under it every night. He was so sure we did that just for him!

And Christmas morning! Woo hoo all that paper to play in!!!

Please share with me.

Thinking of all of you
Lori

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[Schtoobing'sMom]

Awww Lori- how cute! Your baby loved the paper as much as mine did. I used to leave sheets of tissue paper on the floor for Schtoobing. He could not resist that crinkly noise or the crunchy feeling of paper. He'd swat at it, like there was something underneath. He would sit right in the middle of the wrapping paper when I was wrapping gifts too. He also loved to lay on the plastic grocery bags. No matter what time of year, there was usually some tissue on the floor for the Schtoob...

Schtoobing was a Christmas gift to me in 1989 (best present EVER!!), so this Christmas will be really lonely in my house. Schtoob always had to check out the tree, and sniff the presents to find the catnip ones. He loooved catnip- I would put a little bit in a small bowl for him, and he'd hold the bowl in his front paws and rub his face all over with catnip. Used to crack me up, watching him do that!

[Moose Mom]

Schtoobing'sMom

Your baby loved the paper as much as mine did. I used to leave sheets of tissue paper on the floor for Schtoobing. He could not resist that crinkly noise or the crunchy feeling of paper. He'd swat at it, like there was something underneath. He would sit right in the middle of the wrapping paper when I was wrapping gifts too. He also loved to lay on the plastic grocery bags. No matter what time of year, there was usually some tissue on the floor for the Schtoob...

That is so funny! We left paper on the floor all year for the Schmoose! Usually one large piece in the middle of the living room. People would come in and wonder I'm sure but it was for him.

I read how you got Schtoobing as a gift, and how your mom tricked you, so cute. He was so special, and he sounds so cute, I wish I could have met him. The Schmoose and the Schtoob are spending Christmas together this year, and I'm sure there is lots of paper there too!

With Love
Lori

[Furkidlets' Mom]

Yes, paper, paper and more paper!! About 4 years ago we bought Nissa a huge sheaf of unprinted newsprint (pre-cut in sheets) for Christmas, so she'd have an unlimited supply all the time. She went through the stuff pretty fast, as we'd play 'snake' and other toy games underneath, or shoot pens and other skinny object underneath for her to practise her "Mighty Huntress" skills! Or, she or Sabin would get underneath (wrapping or other paper or bags) and I'd pounce them with my hand, or use it as a 'mousie' so they could attack it....risky business if I hadn't trimmed their claws in a few weeks! They often play-attacked each other this way, too, if one dared to get underneath or inside ANYTHING. I'd always save the best boxes from presents for them, too, until they'd squished them to pieces.

Sabin, in particular, used to like just sitting close to the tree, gazing at it....just like his Mom, and we'd often stretch out in a chair right beside it, with a blankie to keep us both toasty...not that HE needed any heat, he was such a furnace himself! My H came up with the saying that he put out BTU's.....Bud Toasty Units! (Bud was one of my H's usual nicknames for him) He also really liked me singing him silly carols, with words changed to fit feline tastes...I should have written them all down, cuz they made me and my H laugh, too...I had a knack for it, it seems. But they both HATED those tapes of actual cats' voices dubbed in to 'sing' popular carols....cuz they'd both end up scared and worried that there were interlopers in THEIR house! (went right into storage, those did!)

Nissa and Sabin always also enjoyed some good chews and chases with ribbons and bows..though we always had to supervise Sabin's forays under the tree, as he'd eat the stuff, given half a chance. Wrapping presents always had me howling with laughter at their unending curiousity and stubborn persistence, no matter how old they were, at times even having to lock them out of the room for a few minutes so I could actually get something wrapped!

They always had more fun long before Christmas morning, when it suddenly became almost impossible to get a decent picture of them doing anything exciting, the little sneaks. We considered it a good 'haul' if either one of them liked even one actual present for more than 5 minutes, compared to the wrapping materials.....just like human kids, eh? Their 'Grandma' usually ended up buying the best new toy most years, for some reason. But then, they each had dozens, some bought, many homemade by me, so we used to tease them about having become jaded in later years, they were so 'spoiled'! One fav*ourite present, though, was always a fresh log of honeysuckle...guaranteed to remain a hit all year 'round.

Last year, our 6th w/o our beloved Sabin, we bought a new 'stepped' post for Nissa to use to get up to her window-seat upstairs, as she'd been finding it a bit more difficult to make her former jumps up and down. We gave it to her over a month before Christmas, and I'm so glad we did. (in the last couple of months, she'd even given up going to her window-seat anymore...the post wasn't helping at that point) I also bought her an entire spool of that curly ribbon (in white, so less dye), as she loved it so and never ate it, but just played with sections of it, either on its own or attached to wands. This remained the lone toy she still had in interest in right up until her final few days at age 19yrs, 7 months. And although she'd shown much less interest in most ribbons and bows for 2 years, last year she was back at it, surprising me with her regained interest...even sticking mainly to her OWN presents for once, being as polite and refined as she usually was with everything else. Unfortunately, I always seemed to miss those moments with the camera...but they were all very special, as I knew that could likely be her last Christmas, and it was.

This year will be impossibly painful, I'm afraid...the first time in 18 years w/o either of my kidlets to share the simplest yet most loving, beautiful, important and poignant moments of the season with. I feel sick just thinking about it. But it was also nice to share a few of the thousands of wonderful moments of joy and fun we had over all those love-drenched years.

[Moose Mom]

Furkidlets' Mom

Thanks for sharing with me! Your guys were so lucky to have you both as parents. They sound so cute. We always laugh that the boxes, bows and paper are so much more fun than the toys we bought and put in them.

I'm glad you told me some of your memories. This brought back so many good memories of the fun Moose had at Christmas. It is nice thinking of the good times.

Love
Lori

[booboosmom]

My Boo Boo Kitty, along with his brother Trouble, liked to be pulled on a slide in the snow. He usually felt like doing this after opening his xmas catnip.

[Moose Mom]

booboosmom

My Boo Boo Kitty, along with his brother Trouble, liked to be pulled on a slide in the snow

OMG he did? That is so cute! Dang I wish I could have seen that. It made me smile, thank you.

Love
Lori

[Furkidlets' Mom]

Sabin, and later in life, Nissa, liked to go for their 'car' rides (a sturdy, low-edged cardboard box with a pull cord on the front). Sabin liked his rides boisterous, with us whipping him around in circles intermittently, until he got flung right out....just to dash right back again for more!...the big goof! Nissa liked hers a little more steady overall.

And one year, when I received a mailed package for Christmas that had presents packed in chipped foam, Sabin just HAD to stick his head inside to investigate before I could get it unpacked. Well! Being all black, including his whiskers, what a sight he was! He raised his head and his whiskers were entirely covered in those tiny foam chips, making him look like Santa Claws! We just howled! (but missed getting a picture cuz I had to stop him from snorfing the stuff into his mouth right away!) I repeat....what a goof he was!

[Moose Mom]

Furkidlets' Mom

LOL it sounds great! What fun! Your Sabin was a goof, and aren't they just great when they are?

Love
Lori

[Daisy's Mommy]

I think what Daisy like most about the holidays was turkey juice on her food. Because of her congenital liver defect, she ate a low-protein prescription dog food, so she loved when flavor was added.

I have her ashes in a little pink marble case surrounded by bamboo plants. I added for the season those pretty thin white Christmas branches that they sell in grocery stores and elsewhere. I want her to know that I am always thinking of her and miss her every moment.


Daisy's Mommy

[deedee]

More than a decade ago, we had a crazy kitty named Reverse. I had to put the toilet paper on top of the towel rack because if it was on the roller, it would get completely shredded. One Christmas morning, I brought out a fresh roll and presented it to her. She hesitated for a bit (she had been sternly told "No!" when she got into her shredder-mode), then she looked at me to see if it was okay. That hesitation turned into manic glory as, with a determined look on her puss puss, she proceeded to trash the roll. For weeks after, I would find little fragments of toilet paper lying around the house. RIP Reverse (and all of your kit kin!). I hope there are mountains of toilet paper rolls for you at the Rainbow Bridge.

[Moose Mom]

Daisy's Mommy

Oooo turkey juice on her food, sounds great! Daisy does know you think of her I'm sure. I think it's lovely you added holiday decorations to her memorial!

Love
Lori

[Moose Mom]

deedee

Your Reverse sounds crazy, and too cute! Thank you for sharing that story, it made me laugh. Manic glory, what a good way to describe it, and what a good mommy you were to think of it and let her do it. I too hope there are mountains of toilet paper rolls at the Rainbow Bridge. I know more than one kitty who would love it!

Love
Lori

[Moose Mom]

Thank you everyone who added a memory. They all made me smile and remember things my babies did.

Butch who would run to his Christmas stocking every Christmas moring and wait like the little gentleman he was for someone to come and take out the catnip mouse that was always there. Then he would kill it dead, and scatter it's catnip remains all over the living room.

Alex who loved the toilet paper too. One day I came home and all the legs of the living room furniture were wrapped in toilet paper! He did a good job, LOL.

Autum who was so excited to see her first tree inside she HAD to climb it to the top!

Little Majik who thinks the new tree is just for hanging toys off of, LOL.

All of you helped me remember good times, and that helps. Thank you all so much and anyone who has a memory for me, please still share. It is helping me remember no matter how much we are hurting, there was so much joy. The saddnes is little and the joy is huge. I hope we all can remember that when we think of our little ones. I know none of us would have given up one moment with our guys.

Love
Lori

[ryancat]

Lori,I think this post is a wonderful idea......and I have one to share with you too.Many years ago when we first got married we lived in a really small house in downtown St. Augustine,Florida.We bought ourselves a big ole tree and it took up the entire living room.One afternoon I came home and I couldn't find my kitty Sox.I looked everywhere and just as I was about to start getting nervous (he was an indoor kitty only) I heard a small sound coming from INSIDE the christmas tree.Low and behold he was halfway up the inside of the christmas tree trunk,just hanging there...I looked at him and said,what on earth are you doing up in that tree young man?? He let out a big meow and came shememing on down the tree! It was sooooooooo funny and my husband and I laughed about it for days!The next year we got another tree and I tried keeping him in the bedroom while we weren't home so he wouldn't go climbing the tree again but one afternoon we left to go somewhere and we forgot to put him in there and when we came home he had brought the whole tree down! At the time I was kinda pissed at him but once I found out that nothing had been broken (not one single ornament!) I thought it was the funniest thing ever! He had a real love for christmas trees that's for sure.....He also loved all the wrappings of christmas just like all of the other kitties did.He'd come strolling in the room when we were unwrapping gifts and watch everything very closely and then as soon as we threw the wrapping paper aside it was WATCH OUT...here I come! It was so cute.Last year I bought him this little reindeer hat to wear and we even took pictures of him in it (I can't find them yet but I know they are here in the house somewhere).He HATED it but it was soooooooooo funny! My husband and I laughed until our sides hurt every time we would put it on him,he on the other hand would just give us this dirty look as if he could talk he would say,I am not amused.........So funny.Well,that's about it for my christmas stories.I hope you enjoy reading them as I've enjoyed writing them for you.They have brought back some wonderful memories for me and I want to thank you for starting this post.Merry Christmas to all and I have also enjoyed reading all of the other memories.Sincerely,Renee (Sox's mom)

[Moose Mom]

Renee

LOL oh good stories! Thanks for sharing they made me laugh. Sox sounds so cute. I love that he had so much fun with the tree. The reindeer hat is too funny, Sox was like all kitties when we do that to them, not too amused, LOL. If you find the pics and can post them I'd love to see at least one.

Love
Lori

[xrayspex]

Lori...I have one too...You saw the picture I posted of the two ferrets & Santa but what wasn't seen was the incident that happened just prior to taking that picture. I didn't have a camera that day and they (its a "pet Smart" Santa) wouldn't snap the shot. Prior to the picture we cautioned Santa NOT to hold the 2 girls close together. Abigail detested Chase and tried to bite her at every opportunity. She would leap out of a shopping cart if she thought Chase was close enough. During the shot Santa absent-mindedly drew the two ferrets closer & closer together....Abigail capitalized on the opportunity and leapt for the younger ferret. Santa realizing his error atempted to pull the girls apart by spreading his arms apart & up. The ferrets both had their claws sunk right into his beard and the "up" part of that action was to have Abigail & Chase yank his beard right over his head so his face was completely obscured. Although Santa was not happy the Pet Smart shoppers fell about the place.... Abigail & Chase were very successful in spreading some holiday cheer that day...

I Love You Chase
I miss you terribly.........

[Furkidlets' Mom]

Oh, John!....That's priceless!!!! Yah....too BAD you didn't have the camera that day!! Talk about a holiday photo-op!!

[Moose Mom]

OMG John! What a funny story! I wish I had been there, I would have been on the floor! Oh for a pic of that!
Abigail & Chase 2
Pet store santa 0
thanks for the laugh!

Love
Lori

[Schtoobing'sMom]

LOL these are good stories!

I remember one year I dressed Schtoobing up as an angel. I didn't normally put costumes on him, but I thought it would be a cute Christmas card. There was a little beanie hat with a silver halo attached, and a set of tulle-net wings with an elastic strap that went around his middle. As soon as I got these things on him, he just looked at me like, "you've really lost it this time" and just sat there in resignation while I giggled and snapped pictures. It was a cute card that year- I'll have to find the picture and post it.

I also have a little Santa hat that stayed on for about .0005 seconds before Schtoobing discarded it and walked off in a huff. Oh, the indignity!