Keeping Your Cat Out of the Tree

Happy Holidays! Are you putting up a tree this year? Don’t be surprised if you find yourself shooing your frisky feline away from the tree. As far as Fluffy is concerned, your tree is a giant kitty tower hung with cat toys! Read on as a Thorold, ON vet offers some tips on keeping your kitty out of your tree.

Keep your playful pet in mind when you hang your decorations. Put only sturdy, non-breakable objects on the lower branches. Hang fragile ornaments, tinsel, and ribbon on the top part of the tree, well out of paws’ reach.

If you suspect that your furball will try to climb your tree, you may want to opt for an artificial tree. These are much harder for cats to climb than real ones. Plus, they’re reusable!

Are you getting your cat new toys for the holidays? Give Fluffy some of her holiday gifts a bit early. If you keep Fluffy occupied with new playthings, and tire her out with fun play sessions, she’ll probably be more interested in sleeping under the tree than knocking it over.

Avoid putting the tree too close to a sofa, table, or desk, or anything your mischievous pet could basically use as a launching spot. That’s just asking for trouble!

If you tell your furry buddy not to attack the tree, she’ll probably just yawn, blink, and start batting at ornaments. Whenever your furball gets too close to the tree, do something that will startle her: make a loud noise, or squirt her with water. This won’t hurt Fluffy, but it will startle and annoy her, which may be enough to make her wary of the tree.

Holiday decorations can be very dangerous to our feline pals! Tree needles (both real and fake) can cause severe intestinal blockages if ingested. Tinsel, lights, ornament hooks, and ribbons are also hazardous. The tree water is another issue, as it could contain toxic residues from sap, chemicals, and/or pesticides. Keep your pet safe and happy by making sure all potentially-dangerous items are in secure spots that your kitty can’t reach.

Happy Holidays! Please do not hesitate to contact us, your Thorold, ON pet hospital, with any questions or concerns about your cat’s health or care. We’re here to help!