Any polite accepted wisdom for keeping a cat out of a Christmas tree?
We have a cat that's now a little over a year weak. As I begin to see Christmas trees already on display in stores, I'm wondering if it's even worth the trouble to put one up within our house this season. We were fostering a young cat in our domestic a few years ago, and were forever having to pull her out of the tree surrounded by the mornings. We'd awake to the sound of breaking bulbs, and there she'd sit, little head poked out, and stuck surrounded by the branches halfway up. I was thinking of a pre-lit tree this time, probably a small one, but think our cat would still be tempt to climb and paw at it. Any ideas?
newspaper on the antenna till she stops , i know it sounds mean but you don't have to hit her hard simply enough to make a noise every time she move about near the tree.. or don't put the tree up its up to you . but cats are very smart ,you can teach them pretty trouble-free,good luck.
Aside from putting the tree into a closed-off room, there is no way to keep a cat out of it. You will cause your cat, yourself, and the whole holiday season very stressed trying. I just put up a cheap tree beside some safe ornaments and let it be. As they grow older, I've notice mine calm down at about 3 years old but I other manage to acquire a kitten every year (rescue). Use plastic baubles for ornaments and enjoy the antics. No tinsel and construct sure your cat doesn't chew on the lights and wires.
Answers: No glass ornaments...
One year, we tethered it to the ceiling, so it wouldn't actually dive over, only had to pick up the decor.
My Thomas is 12... should have grown out of that by presently.
For anything your cat does that you don't want it to do, I've found the best way and the nicest way to do it, is find a tiny squirt bottle, you can find them at wall-mart in the hair products section. Fill it near water and squirt your cat everytime it gets into somethin gyou don't want it to.
It works wonders! and is painless and not harmful :) GL
If this is the cats first christmas, I would jsut take it in steps and keep an eye on her. Try the tree up near no decortations, and see if she climbs it. If she does, you will need to adjust your ornament plans. No breakable ones, zilch with small enough peices to swallow, no cords or strings to get caught on.
If she doesn't climb, start near a couple of ornaments high up that aren't breakable. Work your way down the tree, and stop adding whether she shows an unhealthy interest.
Make sure there aren't table nearby, we have to put mine near the dining room table and one cat prefers to play from in attendance. We keep the soft ones ont he bottom and near the table, and the breakable ones away from where on earth they reach. They don't climb the tree itself though.
We always have bows on our tree- possibly you could get some of those since you can tie them to the branch. They look nice and if the cat decide the tree is its new home you may not have masses options.
I was wondering the same piece. We acquired 2 cats since last Christmas (we didn't have any before).
I'm thinking it would be simplest to not put a tree up at adjectives, but we have two 5 year old children who might have a problem next to that!
I'm going to try the tin foil underneath the tree.
Tin foil does work used it for one of my cats, I'm dreading putting my christmas tree up, my 10 month old kitten think everything is his toy and is there purley for his enjoyment. I liked the belief of having it suspended though so it dont fall over might give that a try. I would dance for safety first baubles that wont shatter, other decorations that he cant swallow,cut or get matted up in. I imagine vets bills will be rediculoius on christmas morning.
Good Luck
If there's any way you can keep her out of the room the tree is in, that's the ticket. You can try bitter apple spray on the tree, but some animals aren't deterred by that.
My cat doesn't seem to be to have any interest in christmas trees.
I enjoy a 7 year old that loves trees. lol. In all our years together all I enjoy learned is. . . No glass bulbs, Pre lit fake is better but don't expect to use it to oodles years in a row ( the branches bend ) and the stay out sprays only work for a short time so use individual when company is coming! lol good luck
it's impossible. simple as. unless you lock them out of the room. i have 7 cats, they all love to climb, play next to, and topple over my xmas trees. its mayhem, but quite funny. lol.
I'm just not having one, unless you shut your cat out of the room where on earth the tree is, which ends up being a hassle in itself, then I would a moment ago give up. I get sick of having to pick it up time after time and after a few go it starts to look a bit tired and pathetic so I think it will be more stressful to have one next to not have one.
-Lock her up (or at least out of that room) at dark and when no one's home to correct her. It won't kill her.
-During the hours of daylight, use a squirt bottle or squirt gun and a firm, "No" to correct her. Eventually, she'll listen to the No and the squirting won't be necessary. I doubt you can completely train her out of it, though. I suspect the most you can hope for is to teach her that whether someone's around and she climbs the tree, she'll get squirted.
-Maybe buy her one of those contraptions that cats can climb and has shelves and caves to "replace" the tree.
- There are also "repellant" products out nearby. How well they work, I don't know.
Good luck!
PS- Please don't put tinsel on the tree. There's nothing grosser than tinsel poops!
EDIT- That foil idea sounds promising, but I'd deduce it'd have to be CRINKLED foil. I could be wrong, tho. Won't hurt to experiment with the foil long before the tree go up, tho.
Spread aluminum foil on the floor around the base of the tree. Cats hate the feel of it underneath their paws.
If this doesn't work, keep the area near the tree in it closed off (you can use those portable baby 'fences' or similar) when you're not around to view your cat.
I know what you mean, I am thinking back to finishing Christmas's horror.. The Tin Foil didn't work with Dallas ..he just pulled it out from under the tree. He pulled sour the Garland with his mouth and would try to run away with it, he played near the ornaments.. he lived under the tree till we took it down which wasn't soon enough! I think getting the pre-lit tree is worth a try..we are in fact doing that this year, we are are going to put on unbreakable safer ornaments ..just to see if he will be smaller amount interested this year. We will just decorate more around the house to make it festive, at least possible you can put things up higher. We actually string lights around the room up by the cieling so that replaces what we are losing on the tree.
Good Luck!
My cat does the same point.
I cant figure anything out either.
Either get rid of the cat, or the Christmas tree, Simple.
