What do you do about a Christmas tree with two young kittens?

Question

We have two kittens age 6 1/2 and 8 1/2 months. We have only had them since September 1st.

We have a very small house. We would like a cut tree, but know they will attack it.

Any suggestions?

Why I asked this question is because they attack most everything in the house, not at one time, but eventually they find many things, they are just exploring there new home.

Yes, I've thought about not getting a tree.

Answer 1

Make sure the tree can not fall over. It has to be tied in to the wall, or the ceiling.

And don't have any tinsel anywhere in your house!

Answer 2

very good question as most people dont think about this, some people dont put breakable decorations on the tree, i would suggest not using that silver tinsel stuff and also would say maybe leaving about the bottom 1/2 foot of the tree un-decorated.... also i have 4 cats and this is what i do every year.... i put up the tree a few days before i am actually going to decorate it, mine is fake, but it should be fine either way, then since usually we will decorate it a put the lights on and then wait on more day then finish.... i haven't had to many problems but i got a new kitty a while ago he wa a feral cat i was taming and by the time he was alloweed to free roam in the house it was time for christmas, his first christmas, and we have had some issues with him climbing it, but he has never knocked it over and any time he goes around it i tell him no and he runs aways fro mthe tree, anyway hope some thing helps, honestly, just be careful and i really dont think you should have to much trouble!!! :) hopefully....

Answer 3

They very well might, my family adopted two kittens around three years ago, and they attacked the tree the christmas balls, the priceless ornaments. Everything. We wound up putting a 3 1/2 x 1 3/4 box around our tree. Don't use anything breakable. And if their boys, and have not been nuetered, watch out, because they may spray a real tree a lot. Don't use tinsle, and if you want to keep the cats off the tree use a non changing lightset. (no blinking/flashing) they always go after the blinky ones, hope that helps.

Answer 4

I have always had cut trees with my cats, even as kittens. 1) Tie the tree to the opposite sides of the corner, like to woodwork. A small nail in each spot and a thin piece of string around the top part will help. Tie the string to each nail AND the tree trunk itself. 2) Put your favorite beakable ornaments at the middle and top. Put some plastic balls towards the bottom -- if they pull them off they won't break. 3) Cover the water part where you fill the tree. I have no research on this, it's just that it disgusts me when my cat drinks tree water, it's so sappy. 4) Have a great holiday -- cats are a part of our lives too. I don't reprimand my cats when they climb the tree -- from their perspective, I'm the idiot who brought the thing where they find the birds indoors. They are just hunting and exporing as they wander. They will soon tire of the climb-the-tree routine and go back to normal.

Answer 5

Anytime I have had a young cat in my house, I have always opted for a small table top tree for the first year with some inexpensive ornaments and then tried a regular size the next christmas. I figured it was a small sacrifice to make one time until my kittens grew up into adults. Good Luck. Happy Holiday!

Answer 6

First of all, I would not suggest a live tree with new kittens. They will be inclined to climb it because it's in their nature. Because of this, they will likely get sap on them which is a MAJOR pain to get out and the cat hates it. I would get an artificial tree and don't decorate the bottom part of it. Anything up to the kittens reach. They will play in it, there's no stopping that at first. But using a squirt bottle and spraying them when they get near will eventually lead them to believe that the tree equals water and they will stop going near it. Good luck!

Answer 7

I have the same problem as you. I have kittens that are 5 months old. I'm thinking that I'm going to tie a rope around the tree to the wall and only put non breakable items on the tree this year. I hope this will work. Good luck with yours!

Answer 8

The tree will be able to handle it. On the other hand, the decorations on the tree may not. The best thing to do in this situation if you're going to get a tree is to leave the bottom of the tree undecorated so your cats don't ruin any of the decorations or get themselves stuck in the lights.

Answer 9

Breakable ornaments only at the top, but maybe you should consider no breakables. ABSOULUTELY NO TINSEL. Tinsel will not agree too well with their digestive system and may cause serious damage. Make sure you have a good sturdy stand to hold it up and don't put any breakables near the tree because they WILL climb the tree and it may fall. (I have a 5 month old and he climbs everything, kittens will.)

Answer 10

You could get one of those small trees and possibly set it on a table or something. It's still a cut tree but it's smaller, and probobly less likely for the cats to attack it. Hope I helped, good luck.

Answer 11

first off try to get a tree with a longer trunk, and also, put the better (more expensive/more sentimental value) ornaments toward the top. cats are not very good tree climbers, especially with a pine. as for the other trimmings, wrap the cords around the trunk to make sure you dont have any hanging wires to entice the cats, if all the have to play with is sharp needles at the bottom, they wont play with it for very long. if nothing else, cayene pepper is fairly good for keeping cats away from anything.fish tanks/doors/rooms.