Cats and Christmas trees

[wvjules]

We put up one of our trees yesterday evening. The cats took it down last night. Any tips on keeping them away from it? I have it in the family room down stairs so I can block off that room by buying a door or something but I'd rather not do that. Any other suggestions?

 

[Imzadi]

Did it look anything like this?

http://www.fluffytails.ca/christmas.asp

 

[akhenaten]

We tie our tree up to prevent cat/kids from knocking it over...

 

[browneyes106]

Growing up my family always had problems with our cats and Christmas trees and we train them not to miss with the trees with squirt guns. We would spray them if we saw them getting close to the tree after a few days they didn't miss with the tree.

 

[KATHINOWA]

Growing up my family always had problems with our cats and Christmas trees and we train them not to miss with the trees with squirt guns. We would spray them if we saw them getting close to the tree after a few days they didn't miss with the tree.

Would this work for small dogs? It's our first year with a dog and we're very worried about our tree this year.

 

[NotUrsula]

You should anchor the tree to the wall with a couple of loops of fishing line and an eyebolt in the wall a little above the halfway-height level. That will keep them from tipping it.

No breakable ornaments on the bottom 3 feet of tree, and none that are within swatting range if the animal is perching on furniture, either. Fine broken glass and cats do not mix -- they step on the shards and then ingest them when they lick their cut feet. If you use breakable ornaments at all, be sure to firmly wire them to the branch.

Also, be sure NOT to use tinsel icicles anywhere on the tree. Cats will often eat this stuff, and it gets tangled in their intestines. Surgery to try to save them when this happens is usually a major and often futile ordeal; eating icicles is nearly always fatal to cats.

As to keeping them away from it, squirt guns are usually good. If you have to leave them alone when they have access to the tree, you can spray the tree with a cat-off solution at regular intervals. Also, using a wide skirt with aluminum foil under it might help -- cats can't stand the sensation of walking on foil.

 

[Cool-Beans]

Also, be sure NOT to use tinsel icicles anywhere on the tree. Cats will often eat this stuff, and it gets tangled in their intestines. Surgery to try to save them when this happens is usually a major and often futile ordeal; eating icicles is nearly always fatal to cats.

Seriously?! I love my tinsel icicles! It isn't a Christmas tree without them, IMO!!!

But, obviously, don't wish to kill the cat.

I guess I can string popcorn.

This sucks.

Are you sure about this icicle business???????? And if so, thank you for mentioning it. Geez, I'd have hated to find out the hard way. The DIS comes in very handy sometimes, saving me from being attacked by alligators and saving the cat from having a Tinsel Death.

I got all the Christmas stuff out and set aside the tree decorating stuff, because I don't get the tree until about 2 weeks out. DH picked up one with balls in it and said, "That cat of yours [sic] is going to have fun with these."

He thinks the cat will climb the tree and try to kill the ornaments and knock the whole thing over.

 

[NotUrsula]

Seriously. Here's a story from the NYTimes about all of the various hazards that pets can encounter at Christmas time:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpa...1A15751C1A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

 

[Cool-Beans]

Seriously. Here's a story from the NYTimes about all of the various hazards that pets can encounter at Christmas time:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpa...1A15751C1A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all

Oh, ****. No icicles. ****, ****, ****.

I really, REALLY like my icicles.

****.

Flippin kitty.

 

[nuke]

Friend of ours had a cat that ate tinsel. He walked around for a few days with it hanging out of his heiney. Luckily it did no physical damage.

 

[LuvN~Travel]

Last year our cats ruined our old artificial tree, so instead of spending the money to buy one this year, we are using the one small one my grandmother (who passed away this year) had for her apartment.

But, since we also now have a dog (lol), we have it on a table in the living room. Currently we are keeping the dog to the kitchen and dining room area by way of a baby gate, and have the cats limited to the back of the house (the bedrooms and Florida room area).

When they are out (when we're not gone or asleep) we are keeping the water bottle handy. So far our tortoiseshell hasn't bothered it too much, (she learns from the water bottle faster lol), but the white and ginger cat is just ITCHING to get back into the living room and to the tree.

But, the biggest thing we did this year and last was to buy some plastic ornaments to use instead of my nice collection of glass type. Luckily, they've had some real cute ones out there to buy too.

Good luck with the cats everyone!
Kim

 

[Rora]

Friend of ours had a cat that ate tinsel. He walked around for a few days with it hanging out of his heiney. Luckily it did no physical damage.

This is our cat's every year.. I know I know, we shouldn't put up tinsel but I have to have tinsel. We monitor the cats as best as we can to prevent them from eating the tinsel, somtimes we fail but most the the time we can get to a cat before they actually eat it.

We have had to pull tinsel out of cat butts on more than one occasion.

 

[Laura]

Oh, ****. No icicles. ****, ****, ****.

I really, REALLY like my icicles.

****.

Flippin kitty.

We use this: http://www.builderssquare.com/xp_11862087-Victorian_Tin_Tinsel_32527.aspx

It's hard metal, not stringy, so the cats won't ingest it.

 

[Catzeyes]

We put our tree up last week. It took 3 squirts of the spray bottle before the new kitten learned she had been not keep climbing it.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

No popcorn, no tinsel and until your cat is trained, no breakable glass ornaments.

It is doable. My sister has 2, 2yo cats and she just got 2 kittens last month.

She put up the tree without lights and left it for a few days. Then she put up the lights.

She is not putting any breakables on because she has kittens.

 

[Soilap]

My eprsian is VERY layed back. she love the tree the first christmas. A niff he and asniff there.. a battered limb here and there. It was all fixable..until she began to get itno the adorments.

what really works well are those Cat sprays to keep them form scratching couches and the like. Spray those on the lower branches (not on the adornments, because the solution might damage them) and it should work for the entire on teh of December. Repeat on any other (cloth, cotton, pine) decoration you might have.

 

[FergieTCat]

see also "Cats and Menorahs".

In my apartment, we have Hanukkah, aka "8 Nights of Burned Noses". You would think after the first or second night my cats would learn not to sniff the candles -- nope, not my rocket scientists!!

While not as messy as dismantling the Christmas tree, it is still as frustrating to watch. I must remember to take pictures this year.

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

We have had to pull tinsel out of cat butts on more than one occasion

Oh Tag Fairy.... yoohoo!

 

[Cool-Beans]

No popcorn...

Exsqueeze me? I'm already pissed about no icicles and using popcorn as my consolation prize.

Why no popcorn? What is that going to do to the cat?

 

[Cool-Beans]

Hanukkah, aka "8 Nights of Burned Noses".