We have three cats. This is a lot of cats. I do believe that it makes me somewhat of an expert in the cat management department.
Some cats like to climb. Others like to spray. Others like to bat things around the floor. When you bring the magical Christmas tree into your home, you bring a ready-made climbing-spraying-batting extravaganza into the living room. Lucky you. Lucky cats.
Your tree might delight your cats, but if the ornaments end up on the floor and the cats climb the tree, you’ll be less than delighted. Here are a few tips to enhance your Christmas time kitty management.
Choose a lightweight tree. Our tree is tiny, and it comes indoors in a big pot, since it’s an outdoor tree most of the year. Either choose a tree that will not cause too much chaos if it falls, or choose a tree that’s so sturdy that it will not fall, no matter what kitty chooses to do to it.
If you’re a cat owner, you’re used to making things difficult for your cats. We keep things off the counters so the cats won’t have temptation guiding them to the big, tasty morsels in the sky. Keep the tree away from places that the cats like to climb, and they’ll have a harder time propelling themselves onto the tree.
Watch for small objects that cats could eat. Tinsel is a big one. Who wants some tinsel with their food? Why a cat, of course! Tinsel is shiny and oh-so-delicious, until it gums up your insides. Avoid anything that your cat will eat, and you’ll avoid expensive Christmas time vet bills and cat trauma. If you’re decorating a tree that cats could visit, keep the bottom branches free of decorations. Choose kid-friendly decorations and you’ll likely choose cat-friendly ones too. Focus on paper, cloth, and wood decorations rather than shiny, moving, and sparkling decorations. Those scream “cat toy” to the kitties.
Watch how the cats interact around your tree. If they look totally disinterested, great. If they try to eat it, you might want to place some citronella or other bad-smelling items around the tree so that the cats will avoid eating the tree and making themselves sick.
If possible, put your tree into a room that you can lock, or add a kitty gate to the doorway in the evening. The last thing you want is to be awoken by a resounding crash at 3 am, right? Ok. So install a gate. You can always remove it during the day time.
Do you have cats and a Christmas tree? How do you manage the two?
Image Credit: papa rabbit