This family tradition makes Christmas purr-fect for some shelter cats

Some people donate money to their local animal rescue organization. Some people donate pet food or cat litter, or even blankets.

But over the last seven years, Margot Hayes has mademore than 700 white toy mice stuffed with catnip for the Fredericton SPCA.

It's a tradition started by her mother, and one that Hayes promised she wouldn't neglect.

"My mother did it before me for several decades," Hayes said.

"The last thing she said to me when she was dying was, 'You're going to make the mice, right?'"

Mice filled with catnip for the Fredericton SPCA

6 years ago

Duration 0:44

Margot Hayes has made more than 700 white toy mice stuffed with catnip for the Fredericton SPCA.

Hayes said her mom started making the mice because of Norwegian folklore.

"My mother was half Norwegian. My grandfather believed the old tradition that on Christmas Eve animals kneel down to pray and can speak," she said. "My mother sort of believed that and felt that every cat deserved a mouse at Christmas."

Continuing the legacy

Hayes makes more than 100 of the tantalizing stuffed toys for the SPCA, her mother's favourite place, and about 20 for her friends and family every December.

Naturally, she also makes a couple for her own two cats.

"[My cats] love the catnip season," Hayes said. "They roll on the floor and they climb my legs and I'm sure I have several good cuts from them."

She said it's not hard to make the mice.

"There's just a basic pattern. You place part of it on the fold and you cut out two little semicircles or half moon shapes and that's on the fold and you sew it up."

She leaves a hole at the end to stuff the mice with catnip and then sews it up. Once the mice are finished, she brings them to the SPCA.

SPCA staff savethe mice for Christmas morning and hand them out to the cats as "gifts."

Hayes said she hopes someone continues the tradition for her, too.

"I'd like to find somebody who in a few years, like another 20years, would like to do it for me," she laughed.