Cats and Christmas Trees Don't Always Mix Well!
Trying to keep a cat out of your Christmas Tree can become a time consuming challenge.
We have two cats that think the Christmas tree is put up and decorated just for their night time entertainment. They are very smart about it. They don't try to climb the tree during the day or when we are nearby. Nope. They just attack the tree during the night. Cats really are night creatures.
Eventually, I did find a few things that work to keep the little kitties out of the tree. I also collected other suggestions from other cat owners. Hopefully, you can find something that works for you.
Cat Proof Your Christmas Tree
Cats love to climb! So, you put up a lovely Christmas tree and hang all those shiny, bright, moving items on it. Then you wonder why the cats want to climb the tree! One thing you know for sure, your kitties love their new cat-tree that you were nice enough to put up for them!
Unfortunately, you are not nearly as happy as your kitties. You have put so much time and effort into decorating your tree, so of course you do not want your kitties in your Christmas tree.
Climbing the Christmas tree really is not the best thing for them. Your kitty could get hurt by knocking over the tree, chewing on a cord, or by chewing on the branches of an artificial tree.
So, it is in the best interest of your cat to find some way to keep them out of your tree.>
- Place orange peels around the base of your tree. Cats do not like the smell of orange.
- Spray your artifical tree with some Citronella oil that is mixed in a spray bottle with water. Again, cats do not like the citrus smell.
- Spray pine cones with the Citronella oil/water spray. Spread the pine cones under your tree.
- Use an artificial tree. Maybe your cat will not be tempted to climb the metal branches.
(Note: my cats did not care that I had an artificial tree when they were younger!) - Use a spray bottle with water. Yes, it sounds cruel...but it works. When you catch your kitty in or near the tree, you have to spritz them. It does not take much. After spritzing a few times, all you have to do is shake the bottle at them. They learn fast!
- Place bells around the bottom of your tree. No, the sound of the bell does not frighten the cats, but it does sound an alarm for you! Once you hear the bells, you get the water bottle. Before you know it, the kitties learn the connection.
Jingle Buddies Cat Kitten Christmas Ornaments
Not only do the jingle bells let you know when your cat is too close to your tree, but they also look so cute on the tree!
Cats and Tinsel Do Not Mix!
If you have cats, do not put tinsel on your tree. If your cat does eat tinsel, call your vet immediately. Your cat can become very ill from eating tinsel.
Cats that are Allowed to be on Your Cat Proofed Christmas Tree
Old World Christmas Ornament Cheshire Cat #125052
Amazon Price: (as of 12/31/2009) 
Christmas Cat Hanging Ornament
Amazon Price: $7.69 (as of 12/31/2009)
My Before and After Christmas Tree Photos
Human decorated version:
Kitty decorated version:
My cats created their version in two days.
Cat Proof Your Christmas Tree: What Worked for Me
I did learn to use the water spritz bottle and the bells. Those two things together worked for me.
I also learned to place my fragile ornaments near the top of the tree. My cats became too big to reach the top of the tree, so those ornaments were safe.
One thing that helped a great deal was the new tree that I bought. The Christmas tree that I purchased had lots more branches on it. The tree was not as easy for them to climb, especially as they became a little older.
Meet Our In-house Decorators
And decorator two, our Jake. As you can see, he is admiring the previous evening's work. Most likely he is calculating his finishing touches at this point.
Any Kitty in the Christmas Tree Stories?
I would love to hear stories and comments about your kitties and Christmas trees.
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Reply
- stargazer00 stargazer00 Nov 8, 2009 @ 5:08 pm
- Your kitties are so cute and I love the before and after pictures of your Christmas tree. Too Cute!
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- 24websurf 24websurf Oct 22, 2009 @ 10:09 pm
- I was laughing so hard! I had a cat for 20 years.. and yes she decorated her way! ~ Blessed~
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- lakern26 lakern26 Oct 22, 2009 @ 12:05 pm
- It's a good thing those kitties are cute, huh! I don't have any kitty catastrophes, but our dogs love to roam around behind the tree, spin it around, and leave dog fur all over the tree skirt. Not nearly as bad as what happened at your house, though! Great lens!
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- Oct 17, 2009 @ 2:57 pm
- Good idea! We have dog proof every year- and only the top half of the tree seems to get decorated -:) Excellent lens 5 * Fav
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- Stazjia Stazjia Oct 15, 2009 @ 3:57 pm
- Lots of useful information to stop cats climbing the Christmas tree. I could have done with it a few years ago when I still had a cat. Blessed by an Angel.
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- Sylvestermouse Sylvestermouse Aug 23, 2009 @ 10:46 am
- Great Ideas! I will share this lens with my daughter. She has not put up a tree since she got her first kitten. One year was enough for her. Now she comes to our home to enjoy our tree! Hm... maybe I won't share this lens after all. I don't get to see her often enough as it is:)
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- BarbRad BarbRad Aug 18, 2009 @ 4:33 am
- I don't have any stories on kitties and Christmas trees to share, but I loved yours.
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- CastleRoy CastleRoy Aug 5, 2009 @ 6:00 pm
- great lens we used to have a cat when i was a kid that slept up in the middle of the the tree and others under it until it was filled with gifts i love this lens lens rolling to cats and dogs are family
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- sandyspider sandyspider Aug 2, 2009 @ 4:28 pm
- I don't have a kitty tree story, but we had a Ferret that loved Christmas trees. She would climb it and drink the water, which wasn't good.
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- bdkz bdkz Jul 31, 2009 @ 7:21 pm
- Very cute lens!
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