Peekay’s Letter to Santa
Dear Santa,
I’ve been a very good kitty this year. I’m now a year and a half old with my second Christmas coming up soon. There are temptations all around the house—small table-sized trees decorated with tiny white Italian lights, sparkling ornaments, and rolls of colorful wrapping paper and holiday ribbons. Outside the front window where I listen to frogs on warm summer evenings, there are now strings of lights filled with dangling ornaments and a small tree where Christmas balls with images of geese, deer, and other woodland creatures capture my attention to no end. But mostly, I play with toys that Cathy keeps in a big box under the dining room table to keep me busy.
As for my grooming habits, “Mr. Clean” is my middle name. Drop a towel on the edge of the bathtub, and I wrap myself in it before you can say “Spa time!” Last Christmas I was small enough to curl up in the sink, but not any longer. Now I dip my paw into the basin and mimic Cathy after she washes her face. When it’s sheet changing day, I can be a bit of a troublemaker. I just can’t resist diving into the middle of the bed with my favorite toy cat Peekabo when Cathy is trying to put on the fitted bottom sheet. It’s SO much fun!
Evenings are a cozy time when I stop chasing my soccer ball and settle down so Cathy can read one of her array of books that line the shelf on the back of the couch. These December nights, I jump up on a big chair near the fireplace and play with Peekaboo or a piece of string until the warmth of the fire makes me sleepy. I’m a serious catnapper and can shapeshift into a ball with one paw over my eyes, or lie flat on my back, tempting Cathy to reach over and give me a belly rub. “At your own risk!” I say to that.
And now dear Santa, in case you’d like some ideas for a well-behaved boy cat like me, here is my modest list. Wine corks, prickly pods from Sweet Gum trees, string of any kind, crinkled up wads of paper, dry autumn leaves and bird feathers that spin when dropped from high overhead. Fat chestnuts. acorns, and small pine cones make great toys that I bat with my paws and chase all over the house. Also, I could use another small soccer ball in case my old one gets lost, because I really need to keep in shape over the winter when I can’t be outside playing in my Catio.
Finally, I promise to be a good kitty and try not to scratch the furniture (which I only do when Cathy has been reading too long or watches movies with French subtitles and forgets to pay attention to me). That’s when I get feisty and get into trouble. Otherwise, I’m purrrrfect. And did I mention, I’m learning lots of French from those foreign films Cathy loves watching? And I’m reading Advanced French for Exceptional Cats by Henri de la Barbe (Henry Beard).
Joyeux Noël, Santa.
Peekay Salter