Church Cat Kicks Baby Jesus Out of the Manger, Becomes Instant Internet Celebrity

(Twitter/RevKateBotley)

Everybody should be having holidays as joyful and merry as this tabby cat who just discovered a comfy new bed full of hay in her church; she just had to kick out some old baby doll to make room.

 According to People, Pip the church cat lives at the All Saints Church in Ilkeston, England. When the church set up its annual nativity scene inside its chapel this year, Pip took one look at the hay-filled manger and thought, “Now that’s a good place for a cat.” So she booted the baby Jesus onto the floor and made herself at home.

Everyone loves this. Reverend Kate Bottley posted a photo of Pip in the manger to Twitter, writing: “At my friend’s church, the church cat has evicted the baby Jesus from the manger #JoyToTheWorld.”

Bottley says the baby Jesus waited out the cat’s nap in a fruit bowl.

That’s such cat-like behavior, and Pip looks pretty proud of herself for having found such a nice place to nap. Pip the cat also likes to sit on the offering plate. Reverend Christine French of All Saints Church told People that the church cat is pretty well known in the area, because she likes to do things like come into the pulpit during services, and meowing loudly during funerals. (Pip was later banned from funerals after she jumped on someone’s coffin in the middle of the service. She still likes weddings, though.)

French says Pip tends to get into trouble, and she scared the heck out of the reverend one day when she looked up and saw Pip walking on top of all the organ pipes, because what do you even do if a cat falls down an organ pipe? Is there a cat-removal service for church organs? Fortunately they did not have to find out, and Pip survived to take her rightful place in the baby Jesus’ bed.

Pip might get booted from her spot on the 25th, when she’ll just have to go kick the dog out of his bed. Nobody appears to be mad at her for taking the manger, though, because getting ousted by a cat is far from the worst thing that’s happened to a baby Jesus this year.