Cats and the Christmas tree?

[kty78]

I don't have it up yet but I can already foresee it being a problem. I have read oranges around the tree will deter them. I am not too sure about that but will try it. Anybody found anything that worked to keep them out of the tree? I am pretty sure my new ornaments I bought on clearance last year are plastic, but I just don't want them destroying the tree in general.

[3furbabies]

Last year we only had two out of the three cats. I don't see the older one posing a problem but the younger two will again. We had a little tree and they knocked it over several times a day and broke all our ornaments. It was to the point we would have to move the tree in another room when we weren't home. Pain in the rear. We are still debating if we are going to get a large tree or not. Can two cats knock over a 6 foot tree?? Lol

[Ragdoll_Joy]

First Christmas with our little feline....We are getting a real tree and have plastic ornaments. We plan on usuing wall anchors but are still a little worried!

[shishathecat]

My Shisha (4years old) still goes crazy over the tree. I got some picture hanging wire and 2 wall anchors that I keep stored with the tree. I keep put the tree up in the corner of the room and wrap the wire around the center, securing both ends into the wall with the anchors, in the corner where the tree blocks them from view. IN 2 years she hasn't been able to take it down lol.

[Nan]

I put up a tree (fake) last year. They played with a couple of the ornaments at the bottom but genereally didn't bother it. They liked to lie on and play on top of the tree skirt underneath & it was always getting messed up.

[munchkn8835]

We may just put ours out on the deck like we did last year!! No mess inside and it was so nice to look out on the deck and see the tree.

[Nell]

I've never had a cat knock down a tree, but for those with more rambunctious felines, the wall anchors sound like a good idea.

There are other hazards to Christmas trees to be aware of, as well, but if you take a few precautions, you and your kitties can have a safe holiday.
I would suggest keeping the fragile ornaments towards the middle to the top of the tree in case you're cat decides they'd make good toys. Some cats also like to chew on electrical wires, which can be very dangerous, so, if you have a chewer, make sure wires are not hanging where they are easy for kitty to reach.
Tinsel is another thing that can be dangerous for your pet. Shiny, dangling tinsel...so tempting to play with! Tinsel, if eaten, can become tangled in the digestive track, which would result in emergency surgery to remove the obstruction. Better to skip it altogether I think.

[Zilla]

Never seen a cat knock over a tree but Id imagine its slightly comical haha My past cats usually just liked to sprint under it and play with the ornaments. I haven't had a tree yet with the current ones. We are thinking about getting a big one this year. Im not sure how great its gonna go.

[Mom of 4]

Two out of the three love the annual cat tree. They manage to climb up 6" from the top - such cute faces peeking out. But we do discourage tree climbing. And I don't put fragile ornaments, garland or icicles on the tree.
It's fake tree, with a very wide base.

[nicichan]

We were looking after someone's kitten over christmas last year and she didn't really try to climb the tree, she was just pawing the baubles and biting some wooden ornaments. I think one or two broke, but it wasn't too bad. Now we've got our own cat and she loves climbing, so I'm worried about this as well. She doesn't have access to the living room when we're not home though so I hope we can stop her from knocking it over. We probably won't have a quiet minute once that tree is up though..