I’ll never forget the crash and then scream from my mother as we realized our beautifully decorated tree was now decorating the floor. A blur of fuzzy white shot up the stairs as our cat, Baby Cakes, ran from the scene. Luckily, she was okay and we only lost a few ornaments.
Christmas can be a tricky time when you have cats. Trees inside the house, ribbons everywhere and twinkly lights can spell trouble for our frisky felines. But with a few easy steps, the booby-traps of Christmas are easily avoidable.
Step 1: Secure the Tree
Make sure the tree is secured tightly in a heavy base. You can also use fishing wire to tether it to the wall in case your cat actively tries to climb the tree. This will help it not topple over when they get excited about having a tree in their living room.
Step 2: Avoid the tensile & fragile ornaments
Tensile is almost irresistible to cats. I mean, it’s shiny and it moves with the slightest breeze, what’s a cat not to love? Make the tree safer by not using tensile and also keeping any fragile ornaments put away. If the tree or even a few ornaments fall and break, the shards could easily cut kitty’s paws.
Step 3: Hide wires for the safety from cats
Most of us know the iconic National Lampoon’s cat that chews the tree lights at Christmas. Thankfully that cat was okay, but the danger is real. For whatever reason, some cats can resist a delicious chewy wire, especially one that’s not usually there. Play it safe and tuck those wires behind furniture or anywhere else you can think of that your cat can’t get to.
Step 4: Water the tree often
Pine needles are harmful to our pets. By keeping the tree nice and hydrated, the needles won’t fall off as easily. This will help prevent your pet from eating them. If your pet has unexplained vomiting, lethargy, changes in appetite or behavior, they may have eaten some of the bark or needles.
Step 5: Keep an eye on the gifts
Ribbons and cats are like best friends. Try to skip out on extravagant ribbons when decorating presents that are to be left under the tree. They could ingest them which can lead to some nasty intestinal blockage. If you’re giving away yummy treat baskets, put those away until it’s time to give them out. The smell of smoked meat and cheese could be too much for your cat to ignore.
Like the old saying goes, “If ifs and buts were candies and nuts we’d all have a merry Christmas,” and if we follow these steps, no ifs or buts will be needed and we’ll all have a Merry Christmas!
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