Cats and Christmas trees?

Question

I have a black cat and it is only 1year and 11months old. My mom won't let me get a christmas tree becuase she says that the cat will rip up everything and that all the glass toys are going to break! The only reason she believes this is because he rips up the new rug in the living room and he likes climing everywere and i can't get him to stop. By the way I can't use water bacuse my cat likes bathing in water so spraying him won't help. Also, my caat doesn't mind nioses, so rattles and things like that won't get him to stop.
Is there any other way to get him to not break the toys on the tree? and how to make him stop climing on tables and cabnits? SOMEONE HELP ME!!!!!

Soory there are a lot of spelling mistakes forgot to spell check!

Answer 1

Think about it... Christmas trees are a cat's dream come true! A huge climbing post with lots of colorful, sparkley toys habnging from it! Last year my two cats were both under a year old and they completely tore apart my fake tree. Every morning when I woke up and every evening when I got come there were more needles, ornaments and branches on the ground. After Christmas I ended up throwing the tree away. I tried squirting them with water guns and it would work but as soon as I turned my back or wasn't around they were climbing it and batting at the ornaments again. They would climb to the top of my entertainment center and jump off the top onto the tree! Then I started spraying it with a cat repellant spray that I purchased at a local pet supply shop. It would work for a few hours but the smell was so horrible that it made both me and my daughter sick! No wonder the cats stayed away from it! The spray was a bit pricy and I would have had to spend too much to keep it up and spraying that often was a hassle.
This year I bought a new tree. I've thought about buying a noisy toy train that will run circles around the bottom but haven't found one. They would probably become immune to the sound after long anyway. So far I've just been keeping them locked in my bedroom. I have an attached master bath and their litter box is set up in there. The problem with that is that my daughter and I are allergic to our cats and having them sleep on my bed all day and having all of the allergens concentrated in one room which we sleep in is really setting off our allergies!
So sorry I don't have a great answer but at least you can see what I've tried and what hasn't worked for me!
I hope someone else posts the perfect solution. Good luck!

Answer 2

Sounds like your cat is very "frisky". If you're going to buy a Christmas tree then don't put any glass ornaments on it, because you're cat will definitely break them.

Keeping your cat away from the Christmas tree... There is a spray that you can buy at Petco, PetSmart, etc. that smells, tastes really bad to cats and dogs. Spray this all over the tree so your cat won't go near it. You can also try putting up a barrier, but I really don't think that will work very well.

***That's my personal opinion, but you're really going to want to check out these website links below... They give you more ideas of how to deal with Cats and Christmas Trees.***

Happy Holidays!!!

Answer 3

The only way to not get him to break the ornaments is to use unbreakable (not glass) ornaments, or to be around the tree 24/7, or hope that your cat just isn't interested. The only way to get him to not jump on cabinets and tables is to shove him off (I know, it sounds mean, but I have cats too...and mine NEVER get on the tables or furniture), and to not feed him treats while you are seated at the table. If there's no temptation, and you claim your territory (you're the boss! not the cat), then the cat will understand that it's not his place. The important thing is to remain consistent and always do the same action. Never once treat him with approval for being on, or near the table. Hmm...I suppose you could apply the same method to the tree...

Answer 4

I can offer your answer in one simple word; SOFTPAWS!!
They are awesome. Prevents the cat from clawing. You only have to put them on the cats front paws. Mine has been wearing them since she was 10 months old and it really helped.

As for the cats behavior he is simply being a kitten and you are playing the role of the frustrated parent. There could be several reasons he acts this way. Might be his kittenish nature he will grow out of, could be that he isn't fixed yet (is he fixed??), perhaps you are giving him catnip or toys with catnip in them, or it could be a negative reinforcement issue. If the cat gets the most attention when he misbehaves, then why would he change his behavior??

I ended up crating my cat at night. At first, she meowled, but eventually she learned that if she was a good kitty, she could sleep with mom and dad. I then began applying this same practice when she misbehaved. I wasn't heavy handed. I just put her on a time out. (Putting in the bathroom works) I also started her on a schedule. I work during the day......she gets bored. When mom comes home, She knows that every night she has playtime before dinner with me. After dinner she receives a treat, before bedtime she is brushed and when the lights go out she goes to bed, sleeping right next to mom.

I know it's hard, but be consistent and he will learn!
Happy Holidays.

Answer 5

The tree you need to anchor well or it will be TIMBER many times before you give up. With the furniture try putting a lot of Pledge or similar product on the top. The put a slippery cover of some sort. Put nothing else up there and watch kitty go flying. He will soon tire of the fight and stay off. If you must have stuff on that piece of furniture make sure it is unbreakable.

Answer 6

Why is everyone so afraid of old fashioned corporal punishment? More effective than anything else. My cat is very playful, and affectionate, but he is also the most obedient cat I have ever met.
He is 15 months old now, never claws the furniture, never bites anyone, comes when he is called, and is trained to use the toilet. This is the result of lots of love and affection, and only three severe spankings (with open hand). Just don't spank on the head or the spine, but the trick was to spank painfully enough that they remember it. Not one or two hard slaps, but many medium slaps, all over both sides. My cat knows who is the master of our little "pride".

Answer 7

There is some spray at the pet store, cat repellent, you can spray it on the tree, the smell is something cat's don't like, supposedly. Is there a way you can keep him in one bedroom until the tree is down? That might be a way to keep him off of it also.

Answer 8

The first year I had my cats, I put up the tree for a few days to see how they would react. Then when I saw they didn't knock it over or anything silly like that, I added my ornaments. You might want to start by setting up your tree with non-breakable ornaments to begin with....then add others if you think your cat will leave the tree alone.

But, be sure not to add tinsel. Cats like to play with sparkly stringy things, like tinsel, but it's not good for them. It can be dangerous for their digestive systems.

Answer 9

Get a tree but put it in a room keep the door closed,Hang it from the ceiling but it has to be light.

Answer 10

Try oranges, they dont like the smell of them.

Try plastic toys on your tree.