Hmm! I think I snooze here till 2013 and ignore those noisy humits in the meantime!

And here it is me thinking that finally Xmas (or Catmas for us kitties) was finally over and all the fuss and noise and yummy...extra food was over when suddenly I've just had an epiphany and realised that there is still more to come. So this is once again a good opportunity to remind to all humits who are sharing their homes with kitties and before they get too drunk to remember anything at all that there are still a few things they need to remember to do to protect their kitties. You humits need to remember that for at least some of us, kitties, the holidays are not always that much fun as we tend to get disturbed, stressed with that all noise and with all those humits who seem to enjoy these festivities a bit too much and often us, kitties, having very few, if any, places to which we can escape during that time.

Humits you should know that the holidays put a lot of stress on everyone involved, some of it good and some of it bad. Us, kitties have to withstand any number of unusual circumstances that are unusual each year because we don't have the chance to get used to them. Such circumstances usually are:

Too many people in one place! Some friendly kitties may seem to enjoy meeting new people that adore them the majority though of us are in reality shy or fearful kitties who will see their once safe haven overrun with strangers.

Bad eating habits! One of the side benefits to all that chaos of humits gathered in the same place is the chance to sneak some snacks often...on the counter or table. This usually isn't healthy (and you know me, I won't say often that food is bad for us so to say it here it means that is really really bad). These festive days sometimes the feeding kitty schedule may get disorganized and as certain foods can also cause your kitty to have gastrointestinal upsets such as vomiting or diarrhea is best then to avoid feeding your kitty anything else than her normal food (although a bit of chicken might not do that much harm really!).

Less playtime. Don't forget humits your duties and under no circumstances stop playing with your kitties as you'll do any other time of the year! This could easily throw off our precious schedule and feeling of wellbeing,you know, by simply depriving your kitty of his/her normal exercise..very stressful! (Think about how you'd feel about it.)

Frequent shouting and yelling! Kitties like being where the action is – where their humits are that is to explore and investigate, where they are cooking or baking or even struggling to carry bags of gifts or groceries into the house. So any frequent scolding or cursing, not necessarily at your kitties but because humits sometimes can be clumsy and careless and tend to drop things...so there is no need for such bad language you know as your emotions can add to the stress level of any kitty in the house!

Finally try to avoid frequent trips as much as possible humits as us, kitties, really prefer to just sit on the the window sill to observe and to snooze. So traveling with all the family to see other family members far far away is a no no for any kitty... because it causes us a HUGE amount of stress! Also try to avoid the 'K' word, you know the kennel place...not such a good idea either as when we are being moved from home to a strange place is like a catastrophe, no matter how nice the accommodations.

So what can you do to ease the burden? Just one thing really: Stick to the normal routine! Keeping as close as you can to your kitty's normal schedule is the best antidote to holiday stress. Stay consistent with feeding times and amounts, and be on guard against illegal snacks and keep your kitty's waking, eating and playtime schedules.

Also make sure that there is at least one room in the house where the kitty can really

retreat to, equipped with all your kitty's favourite toys, a bowl full of fresh water, some food perhaps, and clothing or blankets with your scent on it and a litter tray. This gives your kitty a safe comfortable place to which he/she can retreat from the madness. Also, be extra careful around the door if you have an indoor kitty only. Make sure she doesn't sneak out during all the comings and goings of those pesky humits!!

Enjoy the rest of your festivities humits and have a great 2013 all of you kitties and your humits!

Kitties and Xmans worries...for some humits that is!

This is not a Xmas tree humit...really now!

Here we go again...you know...the jolly and festive time of the year is almost upon us and my humit of course has just reminded me of my duties (like I needed reminding really...) that I need to give some Xmas advice for the safety of all kitties to their humit carers because you know sometimes humits can get really excited during this time with trees, lots and lots of food and drink, outside trees that are brought inside to be decorated with lots of shiny things, etc, etc while at the same time they seem to forget that us, kitties, don't get really excited, rather quite the opposite, we tend to get stressed and very anxious. Although some kitties might remain calm throughout this festive season in reality and for the most part kittens and young or even senior cats, react because this is indeed a very exciting time. You see, OK, OK at least for some kitties (as Choo Choo and Ripley definitely not included in this general category of curious and explorative cats) , their natural urge to explore (he, he right!) is in high gear this time of the year and all the unusual activity of the house can affect them too!

I mean just think about if for a minute, humits, as any decorated tree looks like toy heaven (and saying it once again) to some cats. So as humits can't really guard that decorated tree all the time, which tree any other time of the year would normally be outside and all of the sudden like magic it has been brought indoors by you who are some times very very peculiar humits and who you, humits, therefore can't prevent your kitties from exploring that tree - so instead, you should try some of my Xmas tips to make that tree cat-safe.

First of all humits need to make sure that the Christmas tree is as stable as possible as there are good chances that the kitty of the house will try to climb all over it sooner than later. So you humits need to make sure that the base of the tree is heavier than the top, even after all the decorations are hanging from those branches!

If you have a live tree, never let your kitty drink from the water in the tree stand. Most people use some form of special chemicals to help preserve the tree and these can be deadly for us, kitties! Even the tree itself releases toxic sap into the water, so the humits need to cover the water altogether and make it inaccessible to everybody else in the house, us, kitties, of course included. Although I don't purrsonally think that is such a good idea, the humit might also want to try spraying around the center of the tree skirt with lemon scented air freshener to deter any kitties from wandering too close (yak!).

If you can you, humits, try to avoid using tinsel, strings and hooks as part of the tree's decorations. All of which are extremely dangerous to us, kitties if swallowed. Fragile ornaments can be dangerous. Glass shreds on the carpet are a safety hazard to humits as well as us, kitties - so keep all breakable ornaments out of our reach.

Also humits don't forget that Christmas foliage can be toxic too! Holly, mistletoe, poinsettias, ivy and Christmas roses, as well as the Christmas tree itself are all harmful to all animals in the house (humits included of course). Holly and mistletoe can be even fatal. Poinsettias and ivy bring on bad digestive upset and pine needles when swallowed can pierce internal organs. So humits try not to use ornamental plants or keep them well out of reach and always remember to sweep up any dead needles lying about and always be on the look out.

Another thing that humits should be extra careful about is when burning candles which although are festive at the same time they can be really dangerous...not just for us but for everybody else that is! If you humits insist in burning candles, do so safely. Don't forget that sometimes a curious swish of a tail, can cause a burning candle to dump over and disaster can result. Inquisitive kitties can burn their nose, ears paws or tail getting to close to a flame. Instead of spending the Holidays with your family, then you might end up spending it with your kitty at the your vet's!

Christmas can be very stressful for some kitties. All the changes in the decoration, having guests over or simply changing the familiar routine can bring on anxiety in your kitty. So you need to make sure you don't neglect her. Spend at least 15-20 minutes a day with her, grooming and playing interactive games. If you're having guests, your kitty has to maintain some privacy in the house. Be sure that all the litter trays and and the feeding areas are far enough away from the festivities, so as not to disrupt your kitty's normal habits.

All right I really shouldn't say this, I mean who am I to complain about too much food being available but on the other hand and it is unfortunately the truth that rich Christmas food is not really good for us, kitties (darn it!)! So ideally humits need to make sure that their kitties keep to their regular diet and don't feast on Christmas delicacies. Most of the foods you humits would eat this time of the year (and you would definitely eat a lot!) are really bad for us, kitties, and may cause upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhea. You should also tell your guests this too so they don't try to feed your animals without your permission.

Finally and very very importantly ....Never, never give a kitten or a puppy as a Christmas present! Let all your friends and family know that this is not an acceptable present under any circumstance. Far too many cute kittens and puppies who begin their lives as Christmas presents, they end up shortly afterwards in the local shelter or on the streets, abandoned. Getting a cat or a dog is a life-long commitment that should receive the special consideration it needs.

So all you kitties and your humit carers have a great festive season....wherever you are!