Cats and tree

[WitchyPoos]

Anyone any tips on how to keep my two knobhead cats off my tree?

[purplecat27]

I tried everything last year. I put tin foil all around the bottom, I sprayed it with citronella, I made citrus 'baubles' out of orange slices and grapefruit slices dried in the oven and hung them all around the bottom... nothing worked. Then we put a large dog crate on it's side around the tree, basically caging the tree into a corner... they jumped over the cage and still destroyed the tree. In the end I redecorated the entire thing on Christmas morning before the guests arrived (by which time they'd snapped it in the middle and it was being held together by the inner tube from a roll of wrapping paper and copious amounts of tape. Even then it was balanced precariously, couldn't be touched or even breathed near, and bent over at the top like Mt Crumpet). It was thrown away after Christmas.

I'm determined to have a tree. This year I've bought a cheap tree (thanks Tesco) and will be treating it as a disposable purchase if they break it again. I'm also not putting any sort of garland on it because if they grab one end and pull then it screws up the whole thing. I'm hoping that the fact my older cat is now 2 and my younger cat is nearly 2 means they will have grown out of the destructive kitten stage. I'm aware they will probably ruin it again and I'll end up redecorating it several times. If you find anything that works, please post it!

[Hassled]

The image of a Christmas tree where the structural integrity is entirely dependent on a cardboard tube and some tape has made me laugh :o.

I think it depends on the nature and age of the cats. Two of mine are pretty thick and docile and barely seemed to notice that there was a tree in the house last year whereas the psycho cat was obsessed - luckily just with batting baubles rather than climbing the thing. I have no idea who you deter them.

[girlywhirly]

My current cat was 8 mths and 1 yr 10 mths at her first and second Christmases and both of those she climbed our artificial tree. The following year wasn't interested in climbing, but lots of rummaging under the tree skirt in case there was something hidden under it! I have to say that a sturdy artificial tree with metal trunk and branches, and a good metal stand is worth it, ours is on it's 14th Christmas this year in spite of the cat!

I honestly don't know how to stop them climbing it. Real trees are quite prickly, so that might put them off. Possibly.

[WitchyPoos]

They are just a year old. They try climbing it on the outside. More interested in bashing all the baubles off and having a game of footy with them. It's doing my head in having to redress the tree all the time.

I did a quick google earlier and read they don't like citrusy things. I've put satsuma peel at the bottom and some half way up it and they haven't touched it since
Change the peel everyday and my tree will live hopefully

[Gramgram]

Our first year without a cat in the house, sniff, we had Ginger age 15 pts in July, he had liver failure. We're not ready for another cat yet.

He and his brother always went for the tree. When they were young they used to pull the tree over and chase the decorations around the floor. We used to put the tree up on Christmas eve and take it back down before New Year, because we'd end up redoing it every morning. Yes we did shut the door they would open it. Even if we shut them in the kitchen they would get through two shut doors.

As they got older they would take a decoration or two off after we had gone to bed and rattle them around the floor, so annoying when you'd just dropped off. I'll miss all this.

So sorry no hints or tips, its their Christmas too!

[Cressandra]

Real tree on a good heavy stand, and keep the bottom free of lights and baubles. I don't know if the smell put them off or what, but they never went for a real one like they did for the fake one, and they are much much harder to knock over.

[MissMogwi]

This is my cat every year. She thinks the tree is brought out just for her to wreck.

[Oldraver]

I'm planning on tethering the tree to the wall somehow leave for OH to work out

I've seen a video of cats destroying a tree and dont think i will put any tinsel on...we dont use much anyway but DS insists.

I have decided that any glass or the expensive decorations will wait for another year...

[girlywhirly]

That's interesting Witchy, my cat used to climb up the tree on the inside, so that she was hidden behind all the decs. Two green eyes were all that were visible!