Stopping cat from climbing Christmas tree

Navy blue · 28-11-2020 3:29pm #1

Hi all, I wonder if anyone could give me suggestions. Put up the tree yesterday and my 7 month old kitten is constantly climbing it, knocking oft branches and nearly toppling it. I’ve tried tinfoil along the bottom, no joy, citronella spray, whole house stinks but no joy! And orange peel, ditto. I have a lot of decorations that I’ve collected from holidays down through the years and they mean a lot to me. Any suggestions? It’s only been a day and I am at my wits end ðŸ™ˆ

em_cat · 28-11-2020 6:58pm

OP, I think you might do well to look at the Jackson Galaxy vids on cats & Christmas trees. You probably should display your more precious decorations elsewhere instead of the tree if you want to protect them, it’s always what was done in ours and defiantly secure the tree so it doesn’t get knocked over. Also if it’s a real tree be very careful as the pine needles & water are toxic to cats.

Graces7 · 29-11-2020 1:44am

Navy blue wrote: »

Hi all, I wonder if anyone could give me suggestions. Put up the tree yesterday and my 7 month old kitten is constantly climbing it, knocking oft branches and nearly toppling it. I’ve tried tinfoil along the bottom, no joy, citronella spray, whole house stinks but no joy! And orange peel, ditto. I have a lot of decorations that I’ve collected from holidays down through the years and they mean a lot to me. Any suggestions? It’s only been a day and I am at my wits end &#55357;&#56904;

It is a lost cause, and must be very stressful for the kitten who is getting told off for just acting normally. And for you it is really banging your head against a brick wall, kittens and Christmas trees will not go together. Just accept that!

Kitten is doing nothing "wrong".

Work on a new way to display those precious decoration? And to ENJOY them and put that tree outside?

I have not had a tree for decades as cats climb trees. This year I am trying an artificial small tree.

taylor3 · 29-11-2020 2:04am

I'm here laughing reading your post. I have 2 cats and honestly the first year I got them and then put up the Christmas tree that year was a joke. One cat in particular was absolutely loving it, she would play with the baubles that were hanging low, grab them off the tree and go run off with them, she'd climb the tree and it was the funniest thing she was like a koala bear hugging the tree and wouldn't let go ðŸ˜‚ in the end we took the tree down and for the next three years we wouldn't put it back up. We decided to wait til they were a bit older. Obviously we would decorate the house but the tree was a No No.

Your kitten is only doing what comes natural. Like another poster said your cat is probably wondering why they are getting into trouble for climbing it. I don't have any advice as such but that's what we did. Now our cats are 10 and 8 and there isn't really any issue anymore but we scarcely decorate the bottom of the tree just in case. But one likes to sleep underneath it. Oh and finally if you wrap gifts and place them underneath it for us that too was a problem, one of them went sniffing and starting tearing the paper ðŸ˜‚ Good luck with it.

Graces7 · 29-11-2020 2:27am

taylor3 wrote: »

I'm here laughing reading your post. I have 2 cats and honestly the first year I got them and then put up the Christmas tree that year was a joke. One cat in particular was absolutely loving it, she would play with the baubles that were hanging low, grab them off the tree and go run off with them, she'd climb the tree and it was the funniest thing she was like a koala bear hugging the tree and wouldn't let go &#55357;&#56834; in the end we took the tree down and for the next three years we wouldn't put it back up. We decided to wait til they were a bit older. Obviously we would decorate the house but the tree was a No No.

Your kitten is only doing what comes natural. Like another poster said your cat is probably wondering why they are getting into trouble for climbing it. I don't have any advice as such but that's what we did. Now our cats are 10 and 8 and there isn't really any issue anymore but we scarcely decorate the bottom of the tree just in case. But one likes to sleep underneath it. Oh and finally if you wrap gifts and place them underneath it for us that too was a problem, one of them went sniffing and starting tearing the paper &#55357;&#56834; Good luck with it.

One of my Siamese used to eat tinsel. I only learned that when I saw it trailing out of his backside :eek: Literally.

Critters and Christmas needs care ….

Stratvs · 29-11-2020 12:03pm

Even as adults ours would mess with the tree and knock stuff off and sometimes knock it totally over. Also had the problem Graces7 had with silver strands of tinsel, one used to get it stuck in her teeth. So in the end we decided no more traditional tree. We now get a suitable branch something fallen from the woods and hang it from the ceiling and decorate it. We have some baubles that are sentimental from trips and family so this is the safest for all.

29-11-2020 12:17pm

My sister sits her hoover next to the tree and that's enough to stop her cat going near it.

My cats (and I'll jinx myself just saying this) aren't bothered with the Christmas tree.

Graces7 · 29-11-2020 1:15pm

This year I am investing in a small artificial tree so we shall see. lol. The two older ones will be fine but Oliver?

But then cats like babies change your whole lifestyle perforce.

SillyMangoX · 30-11-2020 2:00am

11 years old, arthritic and unsteady on his back legs due to epilepsy medication...
there is just no way to keep them from a tree :pac:

scilover · 30-11-2020 6:28am

You have quite an aggressive cat. Maybe the kitten wants to be the stars? You should try to put away your cat for a while. I mean make it so that it wont be near the tree. Either put the tree outside? or put it where the cat won't go much

pottokblue · 30-11-2020 10:20pm

Sillymango, love your old cat up the tree. The Guinness bauble matches his black ear patch. I noticed a bauble with a ginger cat did you get this made? I'm thinking of doing a christmas bauble of a colleauge who died suddenly at work this year for our work Christmas tree......

Graces7 · 01-12-2020 6:50am

Tree lights arrived and tree due tomorrow... we shall see! That photo is wonderful! Thank you.

acequion · 01-12-2020 9:15pm

I know the Op posted here for help but it has turned into a charming and entertaining thread. Loving the stories and pics.:pac:

I'm very lucky with my cat, who though playful, has never bothered with the tree. I could be jinxed too but she's now 8 so that's 7 Christmases with her and never an issue with the tree.

But no advice for the Op except to second the one about putting the hoover near it. Or something she finds scary. Mine hates lots of kitchen noises like the kettle, the micro wave, the cooker fan. Any noise anything like that near your tree Op?

JustAThought · 03-12-2020 2:41pm

Just finished cleaning the far obscure
corners of house and moved the double curtains in the downstairs corner - to find a graveyard of bit of last years broken Christmas bauble parts! I blame the (old) visiting cat entirely!!! Put your fancy decorations away OP - nowhere is safe! Glitter and string - not a hope!! Maybe take photos of them and hang the pics like a washing line on the fireplace for you to see but not have out!!! Even thou I’m very good at invisible glueing its hard to fix smashed to a million pieces!!

I came home last year to my front door wedged shut from the inside and the (huge) Christmas tree diagonolly across the door and front room - cat sitting happily midships on top of the fallen tree amidst all the chaos looking at all the twinkly broken bits beneath!

I gave up and wedged it back up with a few of
those huge breeze block cement blocks covered in festive paper - and we all enjoyed Christmas tree and all! Cat particularly loved it!! Sure if you can’t let a small cat be happy at Christmastime, what’s the point.

Graces7 · 03-12-2020 3:11pm

JustAThought wrote: »

Just finished cleaning the far obscure
corners of house and moved the double curtains in the downstairs corner - to find a graveyard of bit of last years broken Christmas bauble parts! I blame the (old) visiting cat entirely!!! Put your fancy decorations away OP - nowhere is safe! Glitter and string - not a hope!! Maybe take photos of them and hang the pics like a washing line on the fireplace for you to see but not have out!!! Even thou I’m very good at invisible glueing its hard to fix smashed to a million pieces!!

I came home last year to my front door wedged shut from the inside and the (huge) Christmas tree diagonolly across the door and front room - cat sitting happily midships on top of the fallen tree amidst all the chaos looking at all the twinkly broken bits beneath!

I gave up and wedged it back up with a few of
those huge breeze block cement blocks covered in festive paper - and we all enjoyed Christmas tree and all! Cat particularly loved it!! Sure if you can’t let a small cat be happy at Christmastime, what’s the point.

lol// Alas my tree plans went sideways thanks to DPD. When we get a better day I will try to get to where I can cut a tree-shaped branch instead.

Demonique · 03-12-2020 10:33pm

None of our cats ever showed interest in the christmas tree but one year I saw my iguana's tail hanging out of the lower branches and the following year she launched herself off the curtains and onto the tree (she wasn't a big iguana at the time so she didn't do any damage)

Some of the snakes have been in the tree but I put them there myself for a photo op

SillyMangoX · 04-12-2020 10:31am

pottokblue wrote: »

Sillymango, love your old cat up the tree. The Guinness bauble matches his black ear patch. I noticed a bauble with a ginger cat did you get this made? I'm thinking of doing a christmas bauble of a colleauge who died suddenly at work this year for our work Christmas tree......

It was a customer of mine that gave them to me as a present; she makes them herself. That bauble sounds like a lovely idea. So sorry to hear about your colleague

Stopping cat from climbing Christmas tree

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