There are no animals featured in this book, and yet this book is dedicated to a whole lot of them.

This is to Groomer and Sansa and Bowie and Lorelai and Rory and Salem and Tilly, for all the love and all the laughs.

And this book is also dedicated to the pets that have been lost over the years – so this is to Ziggy, to Sylvester, to Mammy Cat, to Pooper, to Sherlock, to Mabel and to Ali – the inspiration for Xena and the greatest dog who ever lived.

To all the good girls and all the good boys. If you have a pet, you are their whole world, so love them accordingly. If you don’t have a pet but you have a younger sibling, pretend they’re a kitten and love them too. Also, dress them up in stupid outfits and laugh at them.

For isn’t that what Christmas is REALLY all about?