The night before Christmas, he had nowhere to go,
The tiny hay-colored kitten was cold to the paw.
He had been lost so long, so hungry he couldn’t walk straight
And people didn’t care that such a small kitten
was out so late.

They were warm in their inns
And they were well fed.
Tired from their journeys,
They went early to bed.

Who would notice a hungry
hay-colored kitten?

The tiny hay-colored kitten went down the road
‘til he thought he stumbled upon someone’s abode.
It was warm inside with a light very bright
And the two people there looked like
they’d give him a bite.

Bread dipped in milk, the lady held a bowl of it
So the kitten moved nearer and mewed at her a bit.
When she smiled, he came over and nuzzled her feet;
The man smiled too and said,
"I think he’d like something to eat."

They scratched his head
And they said nice things
They fed him bread
Warm milk and-oh!-meat trimmings!

The tiny hay-colored kitten had finished eating
When in a hay-covered box something began stirring.
A little new-born baby started to cry
And the tiny hay-colored kitten had to see why.

"Purrrr, purrrr," the kitten said to the baby
who was picked up then and rocked by the lady.
The babe looked around and saw the furry face,
He cooed to greet the new friend in the place.

Outside the wind blew cold so they huddled together-
The tiny hay-colored kitten, with the baby, in the manger.

The shepherds came
The Three Kings too
Baby Jesus smiled
But why, only the cats really knew.