How can I keep my hyper-active cat out of my Christmas tree?

Question

My cat has to stay by itself most of the time because my husband and I are away almost all day. It'll stay out of it while we're around, but while we're out, it can't help itself. It's usually not bad about keeping out of things, but I don't know what to do. Reprimanding it doesn't help-I think it likes the attention. I'm willing to do pretty much anything!! Please help!

ok- putting the tree in a different room is not an option because it's food, water, and litter box are in separate rooms and we only have a living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. unless we lock it up in our bedroom, but then the bedroom gets to be freezing. The tree HAS to be in the living room!

Answer 1

The answer to your dilemma is deceptively simple: just keep the cat out of the room where the tree is.

Every year, hundreds of cats across the country die or have to undergo emergency surgery to try and save their lives due to getting into the Christmas tree. To them, it's just one giant cat toy that you put up *specifically* for them to play in. You can't expect them to understand why it would be there otherwise.

It's your responsibility as that cat's "parent" to protect it from itself. Just like you would restrict a child from playing in traffic, you have to make any potentially dangerous areas off-limits to your cat, as well.


ETA: Leave the tree in the living room, of course. I didn't suggest putting it anywhere else. I said to keep HER out of that room. There's no reason in the world why she can't be restricted to a bathroom, utility room, or a bedroom when you're not home or while you're sleeping and can't supervise her directly. You can also buy a 'cat condo'....which serves the same purpose as a young child having its own room or playpen. She would have her litterbox, her food, and at least 2 levels/perches to lounge on.

Your other option would be to not have a tree.

Answer 2

i have always had cats and this has always been the problem at christmas time. All i can really say besides keep the cat away from the tree is to spray the tree and surrounding area with repellant. It works 2 ways. One you can spray it so the cat wont liek the smell, you wont notice or shouldnt notice a smell and 2 there are certain things cats dont like the tatse of. For example, if you dont want a cat eating your plants, put lemaon jiuce on the tips of theleaves and that should eter a cat from doing so. NOt a cure but it helps. I found a link to petco, and it shows a few cat repellant products on the market today. You may have to experiemnt by using these applications on household areas your cat(s) may go you dont want them to go to start with. Ive used a few and they all seemed to do the trick, for a little while. Ech product should give a period of time as to how long the treatment works for.

Answer 3

The cat is going to do what it wants to do, even if it has to wait until you aren't looking. You can try some of the ideas of some of the other posters, but my husband and I just don't put a tree up anymore. We decorate for the holidays in other ways.

When the kids were still small, we would put up a tree with unbreakable ornaments and no tinsel or harmful stuff...no lights, etc. Now, I can live without a tree for a week or two, but I have my cats all year round.

Answer 4

stable for you- we are the masters, ideal? properly, perchance the cats do no longer recognize that, yet perchance we are able to be a minimum of extra sensible? I study each and all of the solutions, and particularly a number of them have been precise- try some. I easily have 6 cats and each and each has desperate notwithstanding if or no longer they're fascinated interior the Christmas tree. If desperate, they'll get in it. We first tried putting very jingly embellishes on the tree, so as that could alert us to come again shoo them away, yet that have been given annoying contained in the direction of the nighttime. Later we tried attaching grotesque plastic grocery luggage to the decrease limbs, then aluminum foil- all of which they'd desire to have had a stable laugh at. we've even tried the table precise thought- in spite of the undeniable fact that it somewhat is somewhat akward with a 6 foot tree! Now, years of Christmases later, we firmly base the tree so it does not tip over, placed breakable/effective embellishes up bigger and extra securely related. we've developed a marginally nerve-racking noise to yell while they attempt to tutor the tree right into a toy that's something like, "Aaaannnn!!" a minimum of it distracts them and makes us think of as quickly as returned we are the masters, no longer the cats. Merry Christmas!

Answer 5

Cats don't like coco bean husks (it is a popular mulch for gardeners) something about the smell, sprinkle that in the bottom of the tree, and believe it or not get some lemon juice and put it in a squirt bottle and spritz the tree, if he takes a bite out of the limbs he will have a very nasty surprise. (I promise it won't hurt him). And if that doesn't work, get some plastic bulbs and put them on the last branch of your tree and he can play with those and maybe not be so tempted to climb up.
Good luck!

Answer 6

We're lucky, we have a den where we lock up our tree.

Cats will eat the "needles" of even a fake tree. They'll throw up. Not good! Then there's the strings, wires oh boy!

When cats are older, they'll be less interested. Until then, you have to think of your cat.

Seriously, some people hang their trees from the ceilings. I kid you not. Some "fancy" decorator magazines show this. You could do it with a swag lamp type hook or an "L" bracket placed on the wall.

Be creative!

Answer 7

If you could block the tree off it might help...this was a problem I just learned to deal with and didn't buy any glass ornaments, b/c my cats would knock the tree over....or you could try sprinkling cat nip on other areas where it is ok for your cat to plunder.

Answer 8

get a spray from a pet store... if you mist the tree with it, the cats with smell it and probably not want to go up in it, my friends has cats that liked to climb the christmas tree, and they got a special cat spray just for situations like this. (it worked)

Answer 9

Put some traps in front of the Christmas tree like puoring water on ur cat. Besides cats hate water. Or give him some sleeping peels all the time. Peace u later.................

Answer 10

Water bottle or squirt gun!
Get the cat his own tree, but it sounds like yours much funner.
Please be aware that things like tinsle, broken balls and such cause obstructions in cats. Also he can be electricuted by the lights if he chews on them.