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The Twelve Cats of Christmas

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Celebrate the holidays with twelve adorable cats—and one kitten—with this festive feline take on the classic carol The Twelve Days of Christmas!

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave me cats:
FOUR on the gifts,
THREE dressed up,
TWO batting bows,
and a kitten under the tree.

From chasing ribbons and shredding paper to cuddling by the fire and climbing the Christmas tree (uh-oh), the sweet and mischievous kitties teach readers of all ages to enjoy the holiday season in true feline fashion. With festive illustrations and irresistible text that invites readers to read—or sing!—aloud, this charming Christmas picture book is guaranteed to delight all.

CHRISTMAS IS BETTER WITH CATS: No furry companion celebrates Christmas better than the universally beloved cat! With amusing, relatable antics that will have cat people chuckling in recognition, this book's cast of kitties bring good cheer to the most wonderful time of the year.

A TRULY SPECIAL GIFT: From charming illustrations to an embossed jacket embellished with vibrant gold foil, this one-of-a-kind holiday book makes a wonderful gift.

HEARTWARMING AND HUMOROUS: This joyful Christmas story combines the warmth and spirit of a timeless holiday classic with the funny and familiar quirks of cats—from their ability to squeeze into small spaces to their penchant for bird-watching, and more.

Perfect for:
Cat lovers
Parents and grandparents
Holiday gift-givers

48 pages, Hardcover

First published October 11, 2022

4 people are currently reading
106 people want to read

About the author

Feather Flores

5 books1 follower

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5 stars
174 (45%)
4 stars
129 (33%)
3 stars
65 (17%)
2 stars
11 (2%)
1 star
1 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
Profile Image for Ann.
540 reviews
December 21, 2022
So adorable, cute, fun, festive (and highly accurate, haha!).
My nephews also love this, and the "seek and find" on each spread for the "kitten under the tree".
The illustrations are such a delight, and the cadence of the poem/song works great.
Loads of fun!
Profile Image for Tori Thompson.
287 reviews12 followers
October 13, 2022
Exquisite. I'm so in love with these illustrations and the expressions on the cats' faces, I could cry. Definitely my new favorite christmas book.
Profile Image for Tayler K.
995 reviews45 followers
April 29, 2024
This is soooo cute! There are 12 cats plus a kitten, and fortunately the 12 Days of Christmas framework reuses the same cats instead of bringing in a new group for each activity, whew! The illustrations are so rich and warm and detailed. The cats are adorable and there's so much to look at! I like that even the ornaments look terrified after everything has toppled over. And of course there's a few classic x-style cat butts thrown in.

I loved the cat bios at the end! That was such a lovely unexpected surprise. There's a little illustration of each cat, all doing different things and in different style frames, and we get to see their names, a few likes and dislikes each, and favorite Christmas activity. So fun.

I'm always a sucker for endpapers and these did not disappoint. The front features vertical stripes in repeating patterns of cat mischief and festivities, while the back has the same thing but with the wallpaper scratched up and the cats in the stripes looking distressed, the snowflakes melting, the gift boxes upended.... It was lots of fun.
Profile Image for J.
3,965 reviews33 followers
January 13, 2023
A bit late for Christmas but who can resist cats?

The Twelve Cats of Christmas is a bit of a misnomer since there are thirteen actual kitty characters. Although if you want to be technical than yes there are twelve as the unmentioned one is not an actual cat but a kitten thus making it even more sad it's not even mentioned in the title.

The writing is just basically the song The Twelve Days of Christmas although tossing cats into the mix and replacing the original gifts with things cats like to do or don't such as sitting on boxes, dressing up or strangely put looking out the window at winter. And since the same thirteen are used each time I feel a bit let down that there aren't the actual full 78 but I guess we're pushing for responsible cat companionship.

The reader can most definitely pick-up that both the author and artist are cat friends since they hit the behaviors and responses right on the nose although I felt the kitten should be sleeping in the tree and not under it. As a result the most fun I had with this book was trying to track each individual cat to see what mischief it was up to.

And for those really into the cats there is in the back a glossary providing bios on each of the cats in the story. This the reader can learn their names, what they like to do, their dislikes and their favorite Christmas activities.

All in all it was a nice and fun book while one that cat-lovers will enjoy during Christmas.
Profile Image for Peacegal.
11.7k reviews102 followers
January 5, 2023
Squee! While the words don't always perfectly match the famous song's melody, this adorable, laugh-out-loud book is bursting with illustrations that will have cat lovers young and old grinning.
Profile Image for Stacie.
1,906 reviews123 followers
October 26, 2022
If you are a cat family, then you know some of the pitfalls that can happen when you combine cats and Christmas. Cats love sitting in all the gift boxes. They love shredding wrapping paper and chasing after ribbons. But, the most desirable thing of all is to climb the Christmas tree.

Just like the famous Christmas song, kids will be able to read each verse as the words repeat. They will giggle at the silly antics of the cats and look forward to finding the one tiny kitten that tries to join in on the fun on each page. Of course, there are all kinds of problems when that many cats join in on the Christmas fun. The Christmas tree may not survive this year.

The end of the book includes a bio of each of the cats including their name, likes, dislikes, and favorite activity. This smaller-sized picture book is a great kickoff to the Christmas season!

Profile Image for Nicole.
254 reviews4 followers
Read
November 19, 2022
I would not have checked out a Christmas book this early were it not for the 13y/o pointing it out on our last library expedition, and wow am I ever glad he did. These cats have HUGE and distinct personalities, and singing the 12 cats of Christmas while reading this book has been one of my fav parts of bedtime routine this week. (There is a really great four-page spread at the end that introduces you to each of the cats, which I loved.) As I write this, I hear my husband singing the 12 cats of Christmas as he puts the baby down for a nap. I might ask for this one for Christmas.

My one extremely nit-picky complaint is that "days" are not very literal; as best as I can tell, all of the events in the book happen on Christmas Eve. But the story of the cats' escalating mayhem is just fantastic.
Profile Image for Union County Library.
579 reviews57 followers
December 14, 2023
I present: The Twelve Cats of Christmas by Feather Flores!!! This book made me giggle so much and the expressions on the cats faces alone will keep me laughing for the rest of the week. This is a spin on the song The Twelve Days of Christmas but instead we get cat chaos that includes: getting into the boxes, shredding the paper, and of course getting into the tree. There's one picture of the tree chaos and it is just a cat gripping onto the star for dear life and I just can't stop laughing because that is me on any given day. 10/10, I will be buying my own copy. Highly recommended for anyone who wants a funny children’s Christmas book or any cat lover out there.

- Reviewed by Tesla R.
Profile Image for Caroline Perry.
Author 5 books15 followers
November 2, 2022
A simply adorable twist on the classic 'Twelve Days of Christmas' carol. All cat lovers will recognize the festive felines' behaviour: chasing ribbons, shredding paper, taking up residence in empty boxes and—oops!—climbing up on the beautifully-decorated tree! Feather Flores's clever text is perfectly paired with Carrie Liao's charming illustrations (and my daughter loved 'meeting' all the mischievous moggies at the end!) A new favorite holiday book, by a whisker ; )

599 reviews2 followers
November 23, 2025
The illustrations make the book! It doesn't exactly follow the pattern of the song, but it's very cat correct. The seventh day happens at my house everyday, and the twelfth day imagery is fabulous. The cat expressions are spot on. The illustration details are awesome - the front and back end plates reflect the story, as does the book jacket and the book cover. Purrfect for families and people who know cats and love decorations!
Profile Image for Alyssa Gudenburr.
2,536 reviews17 followers
November 15, 2022
A funny book about cats behavior during Christmas with the theme of the Twelve Days of Christmas. The only thing that threw me off is the number sang in the song is the TOTAL number of cats, not the amount of cats introduced each time like in the original song. Otherwise a great and funny book to be shared with cat lovers.
Profile Image for Earl Grey Tea.
739 reviews34 followers
January 6, 2023
This was a quick children's book that reimagines the song the Twelve Days of Christmas with cats. The art style was cute and the different actions and poses of the felines were adorable. It was a fun book to flip through. If I knew that someone's child loved cats, I would get this book for them for the holidays.
Profile Image for Andrew.
1,972 reviews127 followers
August 19, 2022
This book is filled with festive fuzzy felines, purrfect for cat lovers of all ages! The Twelve Cats of Christmas has a perfect balance of snuggly sweetness and kitty chaos. There's even a guide in the back with names for every cat! Can you name them all?
Profile Image for Thomas Bell.
1,904 reviews18 followers
December 4, 2022
Correction: 13 cats of Christmas. They introduce two new ones on day two and then one more each day from then onward.

The book was okay, and it was fun seeing what cat was added each day. And the 12th day was fun - though it was completely expected, I liked how the author did that.
Profile Image for Kathryn.
4,787 reviews
December 27, 2022
My children's favorite new Christmas picture book this holiday season. I loved it, too. We smiled and giggled every time we read it. Perfect for our first Christmas with our new furry, purry family members! You can tell the author and illustrator really know and love cats :-)
Profile Image for Jenny.
3,380 reviews39 followers
January 5, 2023
One of my best friends got two kittens this year, and she posted multiple photos of the kittens getting into holiday trouble as they climbed the tree, opened gifts, etc. This darling picture book made me giggle.
Profile Image for Liz.
2,226 reviews26 followers
September 14, 2023
A cat version of "The 12 Days of Christmas" as the cats enjoy the holiday decorations as only cats would. The one kitten made it confusing for counting, especially for the intended audience. Still cute. For cat families.
Profile Image for Rini.
315 reviews5 followers
November 14, 2023
Ok this is an instant favorite. It’s twelve days of Christmas obviously, but with cats. She couldn’t stop laughing all the way through and the illustrations were adorable and it can be read/sung to the song
Profile Image for Lady Galaxy.
884 reviews
December 2, 2023
This is not just a book for kids, it's a Christmas treat for cat lovers of all ages. The parody of the song was so fun, and the illustrations were wonderful! I read the Kindle edition on my Fire tablet. Now that I've seen the illustrations, I plan to buy the actual book.
Profile Image for Connie T..
1,641 reviews8 followers
March 9, 2024
The cats really get into typical cat mischief (batting bows, chasing ribbons, climbing the tree...) in this fun take on The Twelve Days of Christmas. The cats, and their expressions, are so adorable.
Profile Image for Patricia Strot.
199 reviews1 follower
December 14, 2024
Quite a delightful story mimicking “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” I could see those cats as they mischievously chased, batted, shredded and got in boxes, etc.

Children would enjoy the repetition of counting cats and the mischievous actions.
Profile Image for Selena Pigoni.
1,941 reviews263 followers
December 15, 2025
Kitty chaos abounds in this very singable parody of the 12 Days of Christmas. Purrfect for the cat lovers in your life, the art is expressive, cute, and lively and the kitty antics adorable.

A fun read
Profile Image for Laurie Fieldman.
109 reviews35 followers
December 18, 2025
Charming Christmas read, especially if you’re a cat/kitty lover. The illustrations are colorful, full of kitty cat energy and the joyfulness of Christmas. Adore the cat (& kitten) humorous profiles at the end: likes, dislikes, favorite Christmas activity. Highly recommended!
Profile Image for Tina Reitz.
339 reviews7 followers
October 20, 2022
Nothing better than cats!!! Especially the back pages in this book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews

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