On the weekends, I like to sleep in. Who am I kidding, that’s a lie. Ask anyone (aka, MR.).
I can’t ever sleep in.
You’d think it would be possible in an empty nest – with no kids to wake me, no obligations appointments things to pick up, but NO –
Not with cats who can’t ask someone else to feed them.
Apparently, they tried asking the snowman.
And were a tad rough on him.
Like a sad crime scene, here he laid…motionless…but not melting, whew!
Then they tried to see if there was food under the tree.
And inside a box.
Then bolted to the feeding room in a blur when they saw me arrive down the hall.
Carrying with one or both of them porcupine-like needles down two flights of stairs.
Someone (not sure who to ask) spent considerable time in the tree collecting needles in their fur.
That’s the only explanation I can gather. While I’m sure you’d much rather not hear this tale, but it didn’t end so well.
I was too late to feed them, there was no one else to ask when I arrived on the scene – first responders get all the fun…
A full litter box of clumped up brown treasures, and vomit pooling next to it in the overflowing clumping litter on the floor and pine needles…
Nice work girls. (Use your own imagination, I didn’t really want this to be a horror story, so I didn’t capture the beauty of it on film, plus the smell was overwhelming, so I needed to act fast…GROSS…you get the idea, okay I’ll not belabor the point anymore…)!
But that didn’t stop the two cats from staring at me and meowing the whole time, “Aren’t you going to move faster? “FEEEEEEEEEED MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOW!”
And if that weren’t enough…once their tummies were full the tale continued.
I hadn’t lost my appetite, it wasn’t the first time this kind of day happened in my lifetime, so I grabbed a couple of cookies (the diet will start tomorrow…) and coffee and set out to write this post.
The cats had other plans. They set out for pay attention to me attack # 2. Guess I didn’t leave enough food for them.
Jeez…you’d think someone who just threw up wouldn’t be hungry, so I was being kind?
I’m typing happily away, munching my cookies and sipping coffee, smiling at my cleverness…
And from the other room arose such a clatter…
What the hell was that sound?
Crash, ornaments flying, someone must have been stuck in the tree?
I looked at Tizzie…
Don’t ask me, I was just sitting here all calm in the box
Then crash – it happened…and I bolted to the other side of the room, I’m still shaking from the noises.
Busted – nope, no ornaments broke.
Just a fat cat that took off to the other side of the room.
I smiled, it was a good thing I had been smart enough to buy shatter-proof ones.
As I clicked photos of the crime scene I turned and asked both suspects.
Who did it? Which one of you attacked the tree?
And this is the look of innocence I got from Dessy (aka, the redundant fluff culprit)…
“I don’t know – Ask someone else.”
Time for me to ask Mr. to help, ‘cuz if you ask me (and the cats), today’s the day the budget tree must come down and the last cookie is eaten (I added that part, ‘cuz, um, yeah, I went back to the kitchen and ate the last one…!)
Post inspiration – Sending healing prayers to Alex, Linda’s son who’s not feeling well :-(, the post above is for Linda G. Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday prompt – Ask Someone Else
PS – Any great tips on how to get a real tree out of the house without leaving a trail of needles? We have a bag under it, hope that works. It will be the real test to see if we try a real tree again next year or not! Hope you’re all staying well this year!
Wrap the tree in a big tarp and cinch it down tight. Will fit through the door better too. Such naughty kitties! 😻😎
Thank you for the tarp suggestions – that’s a great idea! Their curiosity and desires for sparkly tinsel win them over!
Bad kitties. Cats being cats. 😻😻
My dogs won’t let me sleep in. The big one scratches at the door and starts her obnoxious baying if I don’t get up. The little old one just pees on the floor. Today I’m thinking a nap is in order. Naps are good if not timed too close to their dinner expectations. Best wishes in the new year!
Aw, thanks for sharing your story JoAnna. I’ve heard that to get proper sleep you shouldn’t let your pets sleep with you. But, I suspected that at some point they disrupt the sleep even if they aren’t in the same room with you. And you confirmed my suspicions! Yes, take a nap, relax and enjoy your day – you deserve it for being such a great doggy mom! And I hope your parent’s house sells so you can move to the mountains and rejoice! xx
Thank you, Shelley. Some of my best naps have been when I’ve let the dogs nap with me.
Short answer: you can’t get a real tree out of the house without it shedding needles the whole way. Make sure your vacuum cleaner is in good working order, and be prepared to continue to find needles well into January.
There are probably places not too far away where you can take the tree and have it chipped into mulch. Some even give you a bag of mulch as a parting gift.
I’ve got the vacuum cleaner ready…! When we set it up this year, I vacuumed up needles from the fake tree left behind from the year before. Sigh. Oh, that’s a good disposal idea. We’re just planning on adding it to our bonfire pile so we can have a cozy winter’s fire some day in the spring when it’s warm enough to sit outside. Until then, hopefully, the rabbits and critters will enjoy the shelter.
This is why the kids, especially Gibbs, stay in the bedroom with me at night. I could only imagine the trouble they would get into…
The cat poo and vomit? Been there, done that. When Gibbs was sick with his bladder infection and I was switching him over to part canned food, we had days of projectile vomit over the side of the cat tree, down the wall, onto the floor. It was disgusting. Thankfully, we figured out a ratio of canned and dry food that works for him.
Even after you take the tree down, you’ll be finding pine needles on your cats and the floor for days to come, but I think you already know that. 😉
Yikes, that sounds like a blast. I tell ya, our cats are kindred spirits and could really tear up a place if they had a chance to do so together. Yeah, I’m dreading the needles issue, that’s why the tree is still standing. Maybe finding a needle in the carpet will be a future blog post…? Not that I’m planning that far ahead! I’m strangely hungry, ever since I read your post, that salmon and asparagus recipe looks way more healthy than my cookies for breakfast. I hope you write about how good it was after you make it!
We put a big plastic bag made for tree disposal under the tree before we put it up and I cover it with a tree skirt. When it’s time to take the tree down we just take the skirt off and pull the bag up. Still needles but not as many. We were lucky with our cat this year, just a few batted down ornaments but nothing major. Don’t envy you your morning presents!
LOL – I remembered your advice about the bag under the skirt. We’re going to find out how successful we were at placement and the removal process based upon your recommendations. If you’re looking for cats to teach yours, just let me know…! 😉
Oh my that ending! Your redundant fluff culprit! She’d get away with everything at our house.
I’ve no tips for real tree removal. It’s been too long since we’ve had one. The bag idea sounds like it should work well.
Happy New Year!!!
LOL – I’m glad I wrote my post before reading yours – I’m envious, jealous, and still laughing, it was hilarious! You are most definitely the queen of the prompt today!! Happy New Year to you, too!
Awww thanks! So much fun!!
Awww 🥰 so much fun!!
It took quite a while but I finally have my “The Cats Got The Christmas Tree” story 😀 😀 😀
Good things come to those who wait 🙂
or not so good as the case may be 😀
At least they waited until AFTER Christmas. When we had a cat, we were still using live trees and one morning I came in to the cat being inside the tree about 1/2 way up the trunk. Just sitting there, nothing disturbed or broken, just in the tree, They are funny critters.
Yes, they were kind enough to wait until it was time to take the tree down. I agree they are funny critters, that’s for sure!
I’ve never had cats but am getting a real wake-up call with fellow bloggers. I haven’t had a real tree since I was a kid, so I don’t know how my parents handled it. I remember seeing you put a bag under the skirt, so you should be in good shape as you pull it up – just pretend it is pantyhose and be careful not to snag the bag on anything (yup you grinned when you read that). … I’d say to get one of those cheapie painting tarps but most of them are so flimsy, they’d likely tear if they snagged on the bark or a branch, unless you get one of those blue or green heavyweight tarps for boats or A/C units. You can always reuse the tarp for yard work. That’s what I do so I don’t have to clean up clippings on bushes as I have mulch or gravel and hard to pick clippings out of them.
Excellent suggestions! The bag worked!