Does anyone have any ideas of how to keep cats out of a Christmas tree?

[hookedonears]

We've got 3 cats and it only took 1 day for them to destroy our tree. They did the same thing last year, so you would have thought we would have learned. We tried spraying the tree and tree skirt with Cats Away, but that did no good at all. Maybe there's another product out there that we do not know about. I thought about some sort of electric shock, but my wife wouldn't have any part of it. If anyone has any ideas at all, we sure would appreciate it.

 

[catycatcat4]

tazer?

 

[SusanWasHere]

at PetSmart they sell a double sided clear tape to keep cats away from areas. I have it all over my tree skirt. They weren't climbing up, but one of them was eating and dragging the skirt. So if you had it around the bottom of the tree, they may not even go near it. I also have it on the backs of chairs and it keeps them from scratching. And by the way I have one of those "zap" pad things. It really isn't that bad, but the cats hate it. And I know how it feels bc there has been times I forgot it was there and walked on it. LOL. Not fun - but it only takes 2 or 3 times and they know...

 

[dalt01]

22?

 

[hookedonears]

I have actually thought of many of these ideas. Zap pad? Tell me more, where do get them?

 

[dalt01]

I have actually thought of many of these ideas. Zap pad? Tell me more, where do get them?

aw come on.............ya probably allready have the 22..........its a joke son..............

 

[SusanWasHere]

I got it from that Dr. Foster Smith magazine. One of the catalogs that gets mailed with tons of animal stuff in it. I also got the mat that has hard prickly things on it - that didn't bother the one cat that is a pain. It HURTS my feet like crazy LOL. The zap mat only uses a 9 volt battery and has different intensity settings. They hate that! It just gives a little zap, not prolonged or anything. I also got this little box that has a sensor and if they walk past it a VERY VERY VERY LOUD noise goes off. This would be great for by the tree but if they go by it in the middle of the night, it will scare the crap out of you haha. Here's the web page with a lot of the stuff I talked about. Oh and by the way, I finally just got my one bad cat medicated bc she was so destructive. She's still a work in progress LOL.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/cat-supplies/cat-training/ps/c/3261/1894

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Cotton balls with Vick's Vapor Rub on them. Cats hate the smell. It is the only thing that keeps my cat from chewing wires.

 

[Gigi22]

I sympathize. Truly, I do. I was unable to find anything that worked, so we wound up just waiting it out. Older cats do not seem as interested in climbing our Christmas trees.

 

[Willow1213]

We got one of the shock pads too for our kitten. He is 5 months old and a true toddler! He gets in to everything. It is called a Scat Mat. Ours is a hand me down from my parents. Man does it work! He hit that thing twice and its over. It just gives a little pulse. I compared it to when your hand falls asleep and tingles really bad.

 

[Cyrano]

A guard dog

 

[christygobar]

Luckily ours isn't climbing the tree as much as she enjoys chewing on the wires and the lights at the bottom, as well as messing with the tree skirt. I put gifts under the tree and tried to make as little space as possible for her, and now it isn't quite as bad as it was a few days ago

 

[dpic]

Please refer to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

 

[hookedonears]

Thanks for all of the great ideas. We'll definitely give them a try.

 

[kevrab]

After coming home from work and seeing our cat sleeping in the midle of the tree and waking up to hear him knocking ornaments off the tree or chasing garland down the hallway I tried something and it work great.
I put some BenGay on the lower branches and he won't go near it. Works like a charm.

 

[SoScary'09]

As we speak I've been fighting with my 2 of 3 cats about this! The youngest is 8 months and in the peak of her 'little terror' stage. This morning she climbed up halfway, then peeked out at me like 'See what I'm doing?! Hahaha!' I'll have to try these suggestions. Thanks for starting this thread!~

 

[PeterPan09]

Are they afraid of the vacuum cleaner?

When I was a kid, my cat was terrified of the vacuum cleaner so during the day when we were at school and work, Mom would place the offending machine in front of the tree and I guess the mere suggestion that it might turn on was enough to keep the cat FAR away.