Kitten Peeking Through Christmas Tree Branches

The kitten's face peeks out between thick bunches of evergreen needles, and one soft paw rests on a branch in the foreground. It has large round eyes with bright highlights, a tiny heart-shaped nose, long whiskers and fluffy tufts of fur on its ears and cheeks. To the right hangs a big round bauble with a metal cap and hook, decorated with wavy stripes and a row of five-pointed stars. Strings of round beads loop across the branches at the top and bottom of the page, and the dense needles give patient colorists plenty of small spaces to fill.

Christmas Trees and Curious Cats

Decorating evergreen trees at Christmas became common in German-speaking regions in the 16th and 17th centuries and spread across Europe and North America during the 19th century. Early trees were hung with apples, nuts, paper shapes and small candles.

Cats find a decorated tree hard to resist, because swinging ornaments and twinkling lights look like moving prey to a natural hunter. Branches also offer a hiding place and a lookout at the same time, which suits a kitten's instinct to watch the room from cover. Many cat owners hang breakable ornaments higher up and choose sturdy, unbreakable ones for the lowest branches.