'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Feline Version

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
With no thought of the cat filling their head.
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Knew he was cold, but didn't care about that.
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Figuring the cat was free and into the trash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of midday to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But Santa Claus - his eyes full of tears.
He unchained the cat, once so lively and quick,
Last years Christmas present, now thin and sick.
More rapid than eagles he called the cat's name.
And the cat ran to him, despite all his pain;
"Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen!"

"To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!
Let's find this cat a home where he'll be loved by all"
I knew in an instant there would be no gifts this year,
For Santa Claus had made one thing perfectly clear,
The gift of a cat is not just for the season,
We had gotten the kitten for all the wrong reasons.
In our haste to think of giving the kids a gift
There was one important thing that we missed.
A cat should be family, and cared for the same!
You don't give a gift, then put it on a chain.
And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight,
"You weren't given a gift! You were given a life!"

~Based on Stacey Vincents 'The Unchained Dog' "Twas The Night Before Christmas" Christmas Poem.~