"...I first heard it told on radio by Paul Harvey many 
years ago. I've probably altered his exact words, but 
here's the gist: 

When Jesus was born in the stable in Bethlehem, one of 
the animals there was a dusty little tabby cat. 

It was cold in the stable, and the baby started to cry. 
The little tabby cat washed and washed and washed until 
his coat was clean and shiny, and then jumped into the 
manger and lay down next to little Jesus and began to 
purr. He was so warm, and his purr so soothing, that 
soon the baby had gone to sleep. 

Mary wanted to thank the cat, so she drew her initial 
on his head with her fingertip. And from that day to 
this, every tabby cat has worn a letter "M" above its 
eyes - the mark of the grateful Virgin." 

Whether truth or legend, it makes a nice story. Cats
are not mentioned in the Bible, except as lions, so
it has a definite appeal. 

Even if we're not sure if a cat was present in the manger 
scene, we know that the best part of the story, which 
we know to be true, is that Jesus, the light of the world, 
God in the flesh, was born of a virgin; suffered and died 
on the cross; arose from the grave after three days;
and taught us that whoever repents of his sin and calls 
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved and will spend
eternity in heaven. It's that simple! And that is the 
story of stories - the greatest story ever told - meant 
to be shared with all the world at Christmas and all year 
long! Praise God!