By Kay & Shadow Luckett
True or False:
- I am a 76-year-old black cat.
- I am an elder in the cat world.
Both are true if you calculate cat years versus human years. And for today, we will share essential feline holiday trix for 2026.
Every One of the Trix Below Are True
Halloween and Thanksgiving are joyful for humans but potentially deadly for kitties.
True again, but do you know why? We’ll review below so we remember why it’s true in time for the upcoming holiday season.
Cats look more adorable than anyone else in their Halloween costumes.
You guessed it… so beware! We get hot, parched, thirsty and feel cramped (imprisoned, actually) in these getups, our muscles get sore, and we have to pee. We lose much of our cat mobility and some of our vision while we are stuffed in these wretched things.
Worse, we lose our ability to groom and to breathe easily. So please, don’t keep us in them for very long at a time.
We felines like to breathe (it’s necessary), we love to move and stretch, and we count on you to help maintain our feline lives. Our self-preservation does require you to keep constant watch on us while we parade our exquisiteness.
Candy papers are dangerous for kittens and toddlers who love to get into absolutely everything.
These wrappers can choke us if we swallow them, and they can also cause intestinal blockages. Chocolate and xylitol are toxic and deadly if we eat them. Keep us safe by protecting us from holiday dangers, and also by providing an appropriate quiet place for us to hide when we want to. We’d rather take the day off than elevate to another of our nine lives.
Decorations are not as innocent as they look. Flames burn whiskers, fur, and children.
This means live candles are a no-no without exception. You can create harmless ambiance by using battery-operated lights in Jack-o-lanterns and elsewhere. Halloween cobwebs, plastic spiders and such—along with electrical cords—must be out of our reach.
Cats are sneaky door-darters who will run for freedom when we get the chance.
Some will, some won’t. You’d probably rather not find out which one your kitty is, so keep us safely in our quiet room when you open doors for trick-or-treaters.
Incidentally, black cats are the most spiritual of all beings. Black cats bring good luck. I should know, because I’m one.
Thanksgiving promises fun for you with hazards hidden in
plain sight.
These hazards are disguised as tempting left-over foods, small bones, stuffing with onions (a no-no for cats), and more toxic chocolate stuff with crumbs on the floor and dirty dishes. Yikes!
Glad we don’t have all those dishes to wash, but watch out. We will gladly lick and eat any and all bites that are on the cat-do-not-eat list. So please make it a priority to put us safely away in our quiet room before you start cleaning up after dinner.
Cats are mischievous and Curious.
Caution advised. Your laughing at what we get up to is inevitable—but please laugh with us, not at us, please.
Cats have the uncanny ability to know what’s going on.
Many of you don’t know that we have no need for entertainment when you are gone. We DO NOT want you to wave bye-bye while leaving any media (TV or radio) on for us.
We easily hear all naturally occurring sounds including neighborhood noise, birds, and dogs. Let the cats decide what’s unpleasant when we’re alone; we entertain ourselves by being vigilant, ever-watchful, and aware.
It’s an animal thing, so please leave us to ourselves and take your guilt with you when you go out. However, do know that we love it when you say goodbye because that lets us know you love us and that our private time has begun.
Cats love to nibble on kibble.
You have to understand that this is akin to toddlers munching junk food all day. Our kibble includes organic and grain-free. Water is essential to our health, so wet food must be our staple, along with two or three water stations placed around the house.
Kibble should be available only for short periods as snacks. Throw all uneaten kibble out—don’t you dare give us stale food tomorrow. We will eat it but it’s humans, not we cats, who love old stale food.
Some plants are deadly and poisonous.
We love plants but some are poisonous to us, including poinsettias, holly, amaryllis, and mistletoe. So are tropicals. You need to be carefully creative and place these things out of our reach—or even better, don’t have them inside the house at all.
We appreciate your vigilance, and we love your affection so thanks for putting us first.
Cheers for a furry, fun holiday and… Be Aware While You’re There!
Meow.
