Cats Crashing Nativity Scenes

There's an old Christmas legend involving a tabby cat who Mary and Joseph befriended on the night Jesus was born, which may explain why you often see tiny figurines of cats in nativity scenes. As the legend goes, Mary was so grateful to the little barn cat for watching over Baby Jesus all night long that she reached down and petted his head. This, the story explains, is why the coloring on the heads of many tabby cats seems to form a letter “M.”

As you’ll see from the following cat nativity scenes, many cats have not only never forgotten the role they played in the first Christmas, but also insist on making sure no one else ever does either. Here you’ll find a collection of funny cat nativity scenes featuring kitties who insist on reenacting the story, no matter how small the manger in question may be.

From full-size nativity scenes in front of churches to tiny figurine mangers intended to decorate the foot of Christmas trees, you’ll find that no scene is safe from the nearest cat's affection. These adorable little felines may not have been formally invited to the party, but they’ve definitely succeeded in becoming the life of it!