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Cats and Christmas trees

How do you manage? For once last year was actually not bad (not the normal!) but this year the cat is back to biting, jumping, and a new one trying to use it as a scratching post! It’s a fake tree.
What are your tips for keeping the tree safe and the cat happy? Right now we just have a spray bottle of water underneath but soon she will figure out it won’t spray itself

We have real trees and now older cats who (USUALLY) are not a problem. However we ALWAYS secure the tree top to a beam, ceiling or the built-in bookcase, so it can’t tip over. With kittens we had tree secured plus a puppy pen, child’s play pen with our toddler, around the tree base to prevent kitten or child easily getting into tree. And constant correcting behaviour to train the kitten. At night she got locked in the big dog crate with food and litter pan, which was normal already. No surprises to wake up to!!

With age we were able to quit using the puppy pen. But sometimes a cat just is attracted to the decorations they ignored before! Sparkly things are magnetic to cats and kids! The one cat loves the heavy fringe on the tree skirt, but so far just bats it around, not pulling it. Cats also curl up as a decoration on the velvet tree skirt (like the feel) and among the multitude of livestock I surround the stable with. Baby Jesus needs ponies as well as sheep, goats, cats and dogs, a couple camels, donkeys and cows visiting on his Birthday! The real cat mixed in is good for cute pictures! Unbreakable ornaments on lower branches in case they try stealing it. Also good for grabby children of toddler ages!

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I have a 4’ tall artificial tree decorated with ornaments that are either soft, wooden or aren’t breakable. I also tie on with yard so the cats don’t get a hold of the small ornaments hooks. My tree is pre lit and so far the monsters haven’t destroyed the lights.
Good luck!

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I have never had much problem with my cats messing with the tree but one of them peed on the tree skirt. :roll_eyes:

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Mine too!

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Many decades ago, my tree always had three crochet ornaments amongst the glass balls. Even though I would put them near the top of the tree, my two cats could always get them down to play with. Apparently, they looked just like cat toys.

Sorry, no advice on how to prevent pillage on your tree. :grin:

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Ah cats, most of the time they are great. The rest of the time they drive you crazy! lol

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I used to have a cat that loved nothing more than destroying the tree and the ornaments. You would catch her in the act and she would look right at you and defy you to make her stop. I even got cardboard ornaments and some cheap fabric poinsettias and she ripped those off the tree and mangled them, too. Or the cat that ate the fiberoptic strands off the lighted tree - had to take that away before she got a perforation in her guts. I gave up years ago. I can put little bits of things around so long as they are high up, but alas no tree. Not yet. My kitties aren’t bad just naughty and very curious.

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We have a tree with most of the ornaments now pushing the century mark. A couple of things, first it is a real tree in a heavy stand, second, the tree is always secured at the top and halfway up: top to the ceiling, halfway to a hook on the corner of the wall. It is in a corner. Finally, the bottom, easily reached section is decorated with unbreakable ornaments that (And This is the Key) are easy to bat off. The cats happily remove and play with the ornaments, a variety of jinglely, shiny, yarn, things, and the rest of the tree remains untouched. I think having ornaments they can remove every day ( and I put back every day) plus a securely anchored tree seems to solve the problem

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Christmas trees aren’t too much of a problem. Anything else is fair game. I talked to my mom the other night and she told me about this beautiful flower arrangement she’d made for the holidays- flowers and feathers. Fantastic! I replied, it should keep Gladys the cat occupied for hours.

Last time I was at her house with the cats, one of them methodically destroyed her flowers on the dining room table. She (the cat) had herself a ball, there were flowers everywhere. The spike mats helped for a short time. This year I’m taking the scat mat with me. They don’t mess with the scat mat.

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hahaha that is hilarious! I’ve had good luck and never had a kitty who tried to climb our real trees.

They do love the tree water though, and constantly play with the tree skirt, so I decided to do away with it. One concession I make is to put only unbreakable ornaments on the bottom of the tree in the ‘swipe zone.’ Learned the hard way that wood floors + glass ornaments + rowdy 3 year old wrecking ball was not a good idea. So now all the breakable stuff goes near the top of the tree.

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The only tree they’ve ever bothered is one of Mom’s. It’s a tall skinny tree next to the steps. The cat can sit on the steps and reach the tree. If it were just ornaments there’d be no problem, but she puts ribbon & flowers in it and well, game on. Strangely enough, they don’t eat tinsel.

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These are great!! :rofl:

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https://www.tiktok.com/@theshadixshack/video/7033081302714846511

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That’s hilarious. You just gave up and catered to them. Win- win.

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So I put a little fiber optic tree my neighbor returned to me up. SOMEone has been munching on the fibers and then throwing them up. Yay and joy. argh Everybody but one cat came and looked at it. Smudge was like Huh? and then over it. Duncan and Bonnie checked it out quite thoroughly but have not looked at it since them. Jack and Baler are very interested. Baler keeps coming back to check it out - he is sitting there staring at it right now. I may have to put it away while I am at work. I foresee bad things happening.

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We can set the lights on our tree to twinkle and the cats will watch them and tentatively bat one with their paws. It’s fun to watch them!

I found a Xmas tree I can have - it was at the front entrance of my local Barnes and Noble. A cardboard tree made with pictures of books. Perfect.

Or thi sq-paws-catmas-tree-001.jpg (750×1050) (morefm.co.nz)

or this
Christmas Tree Multilevel Cat Scratcher House - Xl - Wondershop™ : Target

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A poem I wrote last year when my three orphans were still little things.

A Prayer for the Christmas Tree When You Have Kittens:

Now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray the Christmas tree will keep,
That it will hold against sharp claws
And playful swipes from catly paws,
That it will stand secure, upright,
Throughout the unobserved night,
And that when morning’s daylight dawns,
It will have received feline yawns.
If it should fall before I wake,
I pray that nothing on it break.

I set up the tree this evening. Said three orphans are now one year old. Have they settled down? Not too much.

Mom collected musical instrument ornaments that were unbreakable. Ah, Mom. She always was good at multitasking.

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