How can I stop the cat from climbing the Christmas tree?

Question

We just put up our christmas tree Saturday morning and all she's done is climbing. She's a little over a year old, we've had her since she's 5 weeks. I've only got her down once and she bit and used her back claws against me which really pissed her off and went straight back up the tree. I left her alone and she basically just lays in the tree and comes down a little later. She thinks it's just a place to lay and that the ornaments are her toys. She never goes to the top, just the middle or bottom. But my mom is scared she's going to knock it over or ruin the ornaments, and we're worried about her getting hurt.

I don't know what to do, i've tried telling her firmly no, but she just does it anyways. I've tried to lightly spank her, she just thinks i'm playing with her. And now my dad is threatening to spray her with water, which I don't approve of.

Any suggestions, or anyone that's gone through the same situation and has got there cat to stop?

Answer 1

The first concern, I hope, is for your cat. Those swinging shiny ornaments are irresistable to your cat, and really, how can he tell them apart from the toys he is supposed to play with? You could try enticing him with some new catnip toys, btw....to distract his interest in the tree. There are a couple of hazards here. For one, the cat could get caught on or try to bite the electrical chords of your lights. There are many small parts on ornaments your cat could swallow, and if he breaks glass ornaments he could get pieces of it in his paws or ingest it. Also, I am praying that you are not using tinsel. If a cat tries to chew on tinsel, it can get caught on the barbs on the back of the tounge, forcing the cat to swallow it...this is true of any string/type thing they can swallow. tinsel is especially dangerous because it can cut your cat up inside if swallowed.

So much for the cat safety warnings. Now as to the behavior modification you need to employ, the last thing you EVER want to do is hit a cat. Cats cannot be taught anything but to dislike you if you hit them, and can develop more serious behavioral problems then climbing your tree at Christmas time. Some respond the same way to the water, so I tend to avoid that, plus I am assuming that you have lights on your tree, and spraying water on lights is rarely a good plan.

I like the foil idea...that can help. In addition to a barrier around the tree...actually wrap foil on the trunk itself, especially the first few feet. There is a spray you can get called Bitter Apple that makes things they chew on taste bad, so it is good for electrical chords, but I don't think it has a scent, so I'm not sure that would be helpful here.

Understanding how a cat is motivated will go a long way here. Cats are pleasure driven. If they are rewarded for a behavior with something pleasant, they will continue the behavior. If something unpleasant happens, they will avoid that behavior. So this is what I would do, in your situation.

1. Remove the tinsel and glass ornaments or ornaments with small parts the cat could choke on. Safety first.

2. Negative experience: Get a metal can and fill it with coins. Watch for your cat to go toward the tree and as he gets ready to climb (timing is everything here--wait until he is actually beginning the behavior) shake it vigorously. Or find another sound your cat doesn't like. Do this repeatedly., every time he is about to go up.

3. Reinforce with positive rewards for getting OUT Of the tree. When you find the cat in the tree, get a treat, such as some shredded chicken or a bit of drained tuna--something really special. temp him out of it while saying his name, followed by "DOWN" Sound commanding, firm, but not scary. Praise your cat when he jumps down to get the food and be sure to give it to him right away, almost as soon as he lands on the ground. If he starts to go up again, shake the can. He will get the idea that climbing the tree results in an unpleasant sound and staying on the ground by the tree gets him treats. The surest way to get good behavior from a cat is to bribe him to do it.

If you do both steps 2 and 3, you may be able to train your cat to avoid doing what all of his instincts are telling him to do. Just yelling and spanking is going to get you a neurotic cat, and not solve your problem. If you don't have a cat tree, you could get him one--when we appreciate and accommodate a cat's basic instinctual needs, it tends to exhibit much less destructive behavior. Destructive to us, that is...the cat is just doing what comes naturally. Training, not punishment, is what is called for here. Good luck! Be patient and consistent and I'm sure it will work.

Answer 2

This is impossible to do from my experience...all four of the cats I have had since being a child have all done this!!

Spraying her with water is a good way of doing it...it isn't cruel and the cat will learn real quick (we use water spraying things to stop them from tearing up our sofa and that worked)

We tried spraying aftershave on the base of the tree which worked to a degree once. The cat really didn't like the tree after that...a couple of days later and he had pulled the thing down again! Don't worry too much about the cat getting hurt though...they are good at falling out of trees !!

Answer 3

Go to the pet store and they have a spray that you can put on anything you don't want the cat to go near. To us it doesn't smell bad but they HATE it. Cut some thin long pieces of cloth, about 4-5 inches long ane tie them to the bottom of the tree, like touching the floor, you don't need very many, spray them with the repellent and she will stay away. After she stops for a few days or so, you can take them down and she will be trained to not go there.
This also works for cats who want to play with electrical cords.
Sorry I can't remember the name of the spray but the store will know.

Answer 4

A spray of water is an approved method, and as the other person said it is better than spanking. If you have electric lights on your tree, spraying water at it might not be a good idea though. I do have one other idea.

Surround your tree with slightly crumpled up aluminum foil. Cats usually can't stand to walk on it, so put it out far enough she can't easily jump over it, and close enough to the stand that she doesn't have anywhere to land if she does jump. That might keep her off.

Oh, and some pet stores sell anti cat sprays, they stay away from the smell. Doesn't always work though.

You probably should combine all three ideas (water gun, foil, spray), and that should teach her to stay off in future years.

Answer 5

In the old days, the german people used to light their Christmas trees with actually candles.

You can do something like this today, but in a more controlled way. Take some waxpaper Dixie cups and put candles inside. Light the candles and hang them on the tree so that there's one every square foot or so. The cat will learn a lesson soon enough by getting a small, insignificant burn when it tries to climb the tree.

If the candles don't work, the next step up is a flourescent bug zapper.

I know that these sound harsh, but if you want your tree to still be standing by tomorrow morning, it's time to show your kitty some hard love.

Answer 6

I think you can make her a place to climb on that is similar to the tree so she could climb on that and not on the tree. You can use a ball or toy to keep her away from the ornaments.

Answer 7

Yup I know what you mean. It's so crazy, every year we get a Christmas tree the legs break. It's always happened as hasn't stopped yet.

Answer 8

i dont have a cat but i know that cat loves to climb in a tree or any part of the house that is elevated bec. that's where they feel secured. u cant stop them from doing that unless u put her/him in a crate.

Answer 9

I've had that problem. You're dad is right, just get a cheap water gun and squirt her whenever she's doing anything she's not supposed to do. It's a lot better then spanking her (even lightly) and it works faster.

Answer 10

A spray bottle works best. In any case don't use khockey10's suggestion unless you want to burn down your house.
LL