My family is pretty good at keeping presents hidden until Christmas. Not that we’re master hiders or anything - we all just know not to look too carefully in the backs of closets and not to open a closed door without knocking and waiting until the sound of wrapping paper being tidied away has stopped.

Our cat, however, either does not understand the necessity for holiday subtlety or she just plain doesn’t care. Knowing her, I suspect it’s the latter, but either way, we recently found her in the middle of the living room floor, blatantly enjoying her Christmas present.

The other day, my mom went out to lunch at Pickity Place up in Mason. As those of you who’ve been there know, they grow their own herbs and edible flowers for use in their restaurant and to sell in their shop. Mom decided to buy a little mouse stuffed with fresh catnip as a Christmas treat for our kitty.

When she got home, she left her shopping bag in the middle of the dining room table. She had some other things to take care of before she could put away the mouse and the other gifts she had bought and figured the bag would be safe there.

Our dining room table, by the way, is the main organizational area in the house. It’s covered with stacks of paper and folders for school, Scouting, volunteer projects, etc., so Mom’s assumption was pretty safe.

Apparently the smell of fresh catnip will make a kitty go to great, sneaky lengths to discover its source. When Mom came downstairs, the stacks on the dining room table were undisturbed, but the bag was on the floor. Everything was still inside except for the mouse, which Mom didn’t realize was missing until she discovered it being loved to death by the kitty in the next room. 

We’re thinking of signing our cat up for the CIA. She might not be good at intelligence gathering, but if we ever need to get the enemy’s catnip, she’s one kitty we want on our side.