Cats are demanding the Christmas recognition they deserve after a new translation of the Bible suggests that Mary’s beloved cat, Snuffles, was present at the birth of Jesus.

Many feline historians believe that several large tomcats who lived in the neighborhood of the Bethlehem manger joined Snuffles as the first protectors of the baby Jesus.

“These findings help explain a phenomenon which many cat owners have observed for years,” said Felicia Banks, President of The Cat Fanciers Association. “That cats will climb into nativity scenes and curl up in the straw with a familiarity and comfort that belies reason. Now we know why…a cat was there when the savior came into the world!”

Ms. Banks said that feline historians have suspected for decades that a cat was present at the birth of the Lord. Pope Pius XII lent credibility to the theory when he made this offhand remark during his Christmas Eve mass in 1948: “… and let us always remember the little lion who’s gentle purring soothed Mary during her long and difficult night.” When asked afterward about the “little lion” allusion, the Pope hurried away, never to mention it again.

Most cats will run directly to a creche recreation, sprawling out to shield the Son of God, just as Snuffles did with the true King of Kings more than 2000 years ago.

According to Matthew 2:11, we also know that one of the Three Kings, Melchoir, was carrying not only frankincense when he arrived to worship the baby Jesus, but also kibble. Apparently he was aware that Mary had brought Snuffles with her to Bethlehem.

A final clue that a cat was lying next to Mary as she bore the holy child is a persistent piece of oral history that mentions the other animals traditionally included in creche recreations — a sheep, an oxen, and the Holy Family’s burden donkey.

Cats have an almost compulsive desire to insinuate themselves in the manger scene, leading cat behaviorists to call it the “Divine Feline Response.”

The spoken account tells of the mighty oxen getting spooked by a mouse that was scurrying under the manger hay. The oxen’s sudden movements frightened the sheep who leaped into the hind quarters of the donkey.

As the story unfolds, Snuffles immediately intervenes to capture the mouse and calm the other animals, ensuring that peace is restored to the sacred manger just moments before Mary brings the messiah into the world.

The confluence of new cat evidence is apparently good enough for Fontanini of Italy, the venerated nativity figurine manufacturer. The company announced that it will be adding an heirloom Snuffles the Cat statue, available in all sizes, to its nativity collection next year.