Christmas Decorations: How to avoid cat attacks?

[MrsBertMacklin]

I'm going shopping for baubles etc. at the weekend.

I'm going to be avoiding tinsel, glass decorations, anything with feathers or other trailing bits that will present the temptation to attack.

Any other tips? Other than buying BertCat a gravity belt?

[fortifiedwithtea]

Give fairy lights a miss. Its been years since I had a cat. But one (Percy) little sod wouldn't leave the tree alone until he was an old man cat. We had the Christmas Tree lying on its side for years

[CMOTDibbler]

No chocolate decs either. One of my cats was caught stealing them, taking them to his hidey hole, taking the foil off, then getting the next one.

I put cheap non breakable baubles round the bottom in the hope the cats will just steal those and leave the rest alone

[MrsBertMacklin]

Yes, the plan is to put a set of shatterproof baubles near the bottom.

BertCat isn't particularly mischievous, but loves feathers and anything else that appears to move of its' own accord, so anything sparkly or with trailing bits is out.

Hoping my Vegas Elvis, sunbathing flamingo and other random decorations are going to survive.

[cozietoesie]

I usually have Siamese so I just tell them NO. It becomes a temporary sub-clause to House Rule 1. (No going on kitchen surfaces.)

[TheNoodlesIncident]

the plan is to put a set of shatterproof baubles near the bottom

I suggested this to DH and he reminded me of the umpteen Youtube and You've Been Framed videos showing cats launching themselves at the Christmas tree, and the whole lot going over like a factory chimney on demolition day.

So the amended plan is shatterproof ornaments throughout. I'm sure I've read on here that Christmas trees are like Thorpe Park to cats...?

[MrsBertMacklin]

This is why I've bought a small, fake tree.

I'm sure BertCat will be different to all other cats and wil be completely disinterested...

[SparklesandBangs]

SparklesCat thinks the day the Christmas Tree comes out of the loft is the BEST day of the whole year.
No sooner have we opened the box and she is in there, the tree goes up and she climbs in. The rest of the festive period is spent with her in the tree, playing with the tree, removing the decorations etc.
We just make sure she is shut out of the room when everyone goes out otherwise we use normal baubles and lights.

[cozietoesie]

I suspect that the way to go might be to insist that the cat played with it as you were putting it up - you know, picking them up and trying to get them to paw things. Cats seem to take a real scunner to being told what to do.

[chemenger]

We were really looking forward to fun and games when we had 5 month old kittens and a Christmas tree...they ignored it completely. It was as if it just did not exist. We took to putting specially tempting decorations near the bottom, no reaction at all. Previous cats have stripped the tree bare in seconds, not these boys. We actually tried picking them up and trying to get them to pat things, they were not interested.

[HippyChickMama]

Hang orange and lemon slices on the tree. It worked for us when we had kittens, apparently they don't like citrus smells.

[QueenFuri]

The cat was about 5/6 months last Christmas and the little sod terrorized my tree last year, this year I'm leaving the tinsel off as she seemed too like this best. I can bet my last penny she will have the tree on the floor within an hour!

[IHaveBrilloHair]

I have a rope tree and a cherry tree with no decs on them, just doesn't work

[FishOn]

After a couple of climbing incidents we tie the tree to the wall. Screw in the wall tied to string. Low enough and at the back so you can't see it.

Mostly now they seem to just chew the branches. Yum, green plastic

[HemanOrSheRa]

I've just hoovered up the carnage caused by our 6 month old kitten when he got hold of the loo roll. I don't hope out much hope for the tree.

[HemanOrSheRa]

*hold out much hope.

[LikeASoulWithoutAMind]

White sewing thread doubled up a few times then tied round the top and to the wall is surprisingly strong works for toddlers too We had a tack knocked into the top of the picture rail but you might need something a little stronger if it's just going into wall.

We also had ours partially cordoned off by the furniture which helped. Our cat pawed at the odd low hanging bauble but that was about it.

[LikeASoulWithoutAMind]

We never had her as a kitten though to be fair

[MrsBertMacklin]

I've had a brilliant idea and have put just the tree, lights and bottom baubles up for a dry run, to get BertCat used to the idea of the tree.

She is trying to chew the (fake) branches .

[StillMedusa]

I've just bought a larger , heavier artificial tree for this year..and am planning to cordon it off with furniture/tie it to the wall! Last year's smaller tree lasted about 10 mins before the first crash

And OMG the fairy lights... Ophie was the worst..she crunched them like sweets with a 'Whaaaaat???? I'm only LOOKING' guilty face when caught!

We just assume that they will get the tree down at some point and prepare to re- bauble :)

[StillMedusa]

Last Xmas..Obie deciding which bauble to whack down next...

[flannelwash]

Haven't read the whole thread so this may have been suggested already but try using a little citronella oil diluted with water, using a spray bottle, lightly mist the tree, obviously you'll have to leave it to dry before decorating. Hope thats readable I've not got my glasses on!

[Archfarchnad]

Last year we sprayed the tree with orange-scented room spray to deter him from going close, then just in case he decided nonetheless to go for a climb we also attached the tree to the ceiling with string (hung a hook from the ceiling and chose a tree high enough to leave very little distance between the angel at the top and the ceiling so the string isn't visible). Oh, and he was kept out of the living room at night. Both tactics seemed to work, we didn't have a single broken bauble.

Medusa, he's actually looking quite pensive and sweet on that photo as he delicately extends a paw, presumably to lull you into thinking he's not about to whack the next bauble down.

[Lolimax]

Omg reading this thread with horror. We've just got 2 eight week old kittens and they are already a pair of stinkers. Tree isn't due up for a couple of weeks so I shall prepare them for it with tales of what happens to naughty kittens who climb and dismantle Christmas trees. That's bound to work.

[Archfarchnad]

"tales of what happens to naughty kittens who climb and dismantle Christmas trees"

Er, what does happen to naughty kittens who do such things? I can't imagine.