Christmas Trees and your Pets

Ok so I know most people don't want to think about it buuuut Christmas IS coming so my question for you is what kind of trouble/mischief have your pets caused the tree? I recently put up a fake Christmas tree... here are some of the pictures of what happened with my kitty when I did....

 

It started out innocently enough..

 

 

and quickly turned into Kitty fascination..but I wasn't worried

 

 

until I turned around to get a couple things and found this..

 

 

She has knocked it over several times and insists on being IN the tree and then she purrs! the stinker!

 

So I want to see what mischief your pets cause around the holidays!!

My cats luckily don't like to climb my tree, but they sure like to sit under it! It's probably because mine's fake also, and they both used to be outside cats, so fake trees hold no interest for them, haha.

I do not have a photo... but picture this: small dog, size a purse. Big tree, from floor to ceiling, covered in glass toys. The toys are from the 50s & 70s and have survived multiple moves (one across the ocean) with not even a crack

 

The small dog thought the tree was an exciting new plaything, and flipped the entire thing over. On three separate occasions.

He somehow managed to destroy 80% of the toys this way, and while the entire floor was covered in finely pointy & sparkly shards of glass, thankfully he didn't hurt himself on any of it in the hours he was home all alone

We have our christmas tree up on a high platform as we were worried about our dog trying to mark his territory on it, but that doesn't keep it safe from cats. However, our cats at the time were old enough to not really be bothered or phased by it. Two years ago we got a new kitten, and she was fascinated. She especially liked to climb into it, and because it was so cute, we encouraged it...which was a mistake, obviously.

 

Predictably, the following year she tried the same thing, now as a fully grown cat, and knocked that thing over nearly every day. The look on her face the first time the whole thing fell down with her still in it though... She doesn't seem to realize theres a huge difference in her size/weight now compared to when she was a kitten.

This year will be her third christmas, and we're going to be getting a new tree that hopefully stands a little better (the one before was INCREDIBLY old and also missing a leg from its stand) so I'll have to see how she reacts. Unfortunately, we've gotten another new kitten who is still pretty small, but big enough to probably be able to knock it over.

 

All that sad, cats (and dolls) in christmas trees/with christmas decorations make beautiful photos so I'm looking forward to it all the same.

(when you see it...)

My cats luckily don't like to climb my tree, but they sure like to sit under it! It's probably because mine's fake also, and they both used to be outside cats, so fake trees hold no interest for them, haha.

 

Mine did this too! I think they liked the warmth from the old-fashioned christmas lights :3

 

Nowadays I don't have cats but my dog isn't really interested in my little tree, and my lovebirds are just freaked out by the lights and ornaments. It's pretty safe from the pets, but also it's barely taller than a DD

 

I use to put soft plush ornaments near the bottom of the Christmas tree, figuring that they could be safely batted at by my cats. This worked perfectly until last year when my Bengal decided he would pull each one of those off the tree and almost knocked the whole thing down! This year I am going to have to replace them with ornaments which are far less interesting.

I don't have a pet myself, but I spend Christmas at my parents' and they have a cat. As a kitten he climbed the tree a few times but now that he's bigger, he usually just lies under it or next to it on the couch. However, he really loves Christmas decorations, so we always leave one ball for him on the floor so that he can play with it. That doesn't stop him from going to get more, though... =A=;; The only solution is to have the decorations placed high up so that the cat can't reach them. We also have a real tree every year, so sometimes he chews on the branches when nobody's looking. He's got some kind of a fascination with twigs and branches, the silly cat... ^^;

I only have a dog now an she's pretty tame so, not much excitement there, but when I used to have a cat she got in her fair share of trouble.

 

She had chewed on the Christmas tree repeatedly which would have been fine if it weren't for the fact that ingesting pine needles is very dangerous to cats and dogs.

 

She knocked it down once by trying to jump into it.

 

She also liked to bat ornaments off of it. She wouldn't play with them afterwards, she just wanted to see them fall.

 

She occasionally used boxed presents as a scratching post for whatever reason. (It's not like she didn't have her own that she regularly used.)

 

This next one is thanksgiving but while everyone was dishing up their plates she had apparently been skulking around beneath the table and no one noticed her. The instant someone picked up a fork and said something about eating she jumped up from my right side onto the table and stole the 3 slices of turkey right off my plate and left from my mother side in less than two seconds. We let her have the turkey, she got us pretty good with that.

 

That same year for Christmas we found a dead mouse under the tree... In several pieces. Thanks (cat)Santa.

I have a small fake Christmas tree and my dog has no interest in it. Plus the tree is not on the ground, so even if she wanted to do something, she wouldn't be able to.

But this year I have a small kitten (he's 4 months old now), so no glass toys this year - I already have experience of what can happen. When my previous dog and cat (both passed away by now) were little, they were left alone in a room with a small Christmas tree. The tree was put somewhere on a table but then we heard noise from the room and when I came to investigate, I found the tree on the ground. Majority of the toys were broken. xD

I'm actually kinda curious how my kitten will react to the tree and the Christmas lights. xD

My cat seems to think its a scratching post. Yet she refuses to use the actual scratching post. The dog (westie terrier) doesn't seem to think anything of it.

Seeing as how this is off topic, I'm moving it to that section.

 

 

Billy

The cat: She, like other cats, likes to knock the ornaments off the tree at times but most of the time she just naps under there... Until the dog gets at her, then her nap is done until the dog is either away from her spot or napping.

 

The dog: She just tends to sit and stare. Sometimes like mentioned bringing the cat out from under or accidentally brushing into an ornament during her game of tag with the cat, but aside from that she doesn't really show an interest in the tree. She prefers her purple squeaky ball that she likes to squeak 24/7.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures in the act, but my old cat made his way into the tree on multiple times. How the tree never fell is beyond me He was too cute to get mad at

 

 

I own a

and an artificial tree. For those that don't know the breed they are extremely high energy (Abyssinias and Sphynx also are) and mine is straight up seeing a kitty psychiatrist because he's got issues with rough play. He's a ladder climbing, poison plant eating, dog attacking, cat killing, a-hole with a tendency to cuddle.

 

We used a stud finder to place hooks in the ceiling and secured the tree to the ceiling with rope at four corners.

 

I also hose the tree down with Grannick's Bitter Apple Spray about once a week.

 

Also don't forget to review the Christmas Hazards List and the ASPCA Poison Plant List. I'll be super sad if I have to treat anyone's cat for lily intoxication this christmas. I've already had one in the last 6 mo.

 

Also DO NOT PUT TINSEL ON YOUR TREE. It's like $2000-$3000 for me to figure out what your cat ate, hospitalize him and take it out of your cat's gut.

My cats luckily don't like to climb my tree, but they sure like to sit under it! It's probably because mine's fake also, and they both used to be outside cats, so fake trees hold no interest for them, haha.

 

lucky! I got my cute lil stinkpot from the pound so I don't know if she ever was an outside cat but you are lucky they don't like to get into it!

 

I do not have a photo... but picture this: small dog, size a purse. Big tree, from floor to ceiling, covered in glass toys. The toys are from the 50s & 70s and have survived multiple moves (one across the ocean) with not even a crack

 

The small dog thought the tree was an exciting new plaything, and flipped the entire thing over. On three separate occasions.

He somehow managed to destroy 80% of the toys this way, and while the entire floor was covered in finely pointy & sparkly shards of glass, thankfully he didn't hurt himself on any of it in the hours he was home all alone

 

OMG really!? that is crazy! I never considered a dog to be one to go after the tree! it must have been upsetting to have so many broken toys =( but its good he didn't hurt himself.

 

We have our christmas tree up on a high platform as we were worried about our dog trying to mark his territory on it, but that doesn't keep it safe from cats. However, our cats at the time were old enough to not really be bothered or phased by it. Two years ago we got a new kitten, and she was fascinated. She especially liked to climb into it, and because it was so cute, we encouraged it...which was a mistake, obviously.

 

Predictably, the following year she tried the same thing, now as a fully grown cat, and knocked that thing over nearly every day. The look on her face the first time the whole thing fell down with her still in it though... She doesn't seem to realize theres a huge difference in her size/weight now compared to when she was a kitten.

This year will be her third christmas, and we're going to be getting a new tree that hopefully stands a little better (the one before was INCREDIBLY old and also missing a leg from its stand) so I'll have to see how she reacts. Unfortunately, we've gotten another new kitten who is still pretty small, but big enough to probably be able to knock it over.

 

All that sad, cats (and dolls) in christmas trees/with christmas decorations make beautiful photos so I'm looking forward to it all the same.

(when you see it...)

 

OMG!!!!! That video is so cute! but proof my cat isn't the only stinker around! oh geez I didn't even think about the fact she will be bigger or heavier next year O___O oh wow well I hope your new tree is strong enough to withstand being cat-if-ied xD OMG!! how did she get up so high in that tree?!?! when my cat gets close to the top it tips over!!

 

My cats luckily don't like to climb my tree, but they sure like to sit under it! It's probably because mine's fake also, and they both used to be outside cats, so fake trees hold no interest for them, haha.

 

Mine did this too! I think they liked the warmth from the old-fashioned christmas lights :3

 

Nowadays I don't have cats but my dog isn't really interested in my little tree, and my lovebirds are just freaked out by the lights and ornaments. It's pretty safe from the pets, but also it's barely taller than a DD

 

 

hmmm that might be a good idea.. just get a small one so then even if they are interested there wont be any damage!

 

I use to put soft plush ornaments near the bottom of the Christmas tree, figuring that they could be safely batted at by my cats. This worked perfectly until last year when my Bengal decided he would pull each one of those off the tree and almost knocked the whole thing down! This year I am going to have to replace them with ornaments which are far less interesting.

 

!! This is totally what my cat does, she pulls all the little ornaments right off the branches and when she only has one left the little stinkpot wags her tail and meows as if to say 'YAY I made the tree naked!'

 

I don't have a pet myself, but I spend Christmas at my parents' and they have a cat. As a kitten he climbed the tree a few times but now that he's bigger, he usually just lies under it or next to it on the couch. However, he really loves Christmas decorations, so we always leave one ball for him on the floor so that he can play with it. That doesn't stop him from going to get more, though... =A=;; The only solution is to have the decorations placed high up so that the cat can't reach them. We also have a real tree every year, so sometimes he chews on the branches when nobody's looking. He's got some kind of a fascination with twigs and branches, the silly cat... ^^;

 

awwww that is so cute! I hope my furball will learn to just lay under the tree and maybe nibble occasionally xD I think its probably interesting to cats because its something new and usually I have shinny Christmas ornaments so thats another hit for kitty love >__<

 

I only have a dog now an she's pretty tame so, not much excitement there, but when I used to have a cat she got in her fair share of trouble.

She had chewed on the Christmas tree repeatedly which would have been fine if it weren't for the fact that ingesting pine needles is very dangerous to cats and dogs.

She knocked it down once by trying to jump into it.

She also liked to bat ornaments off of it. She wouldn't play with them afterwards, she just wanted to see them fall.

She occasionally used boxed presents as a scratching post for whatever reason. (It's not like she didn't have her own that she regularly used.)

This next one is thanksgiving but while everyone was dishing up their plates she had apparently been skulking around beneath the table and no one noticed her. The instant someone picked up a fork and said something about eating she jumped up from my right side onto the table and stole the 3 slices of turkey right off my plate and left from my mother side in less than two seconds. We let her have the turkey, she got us pretty good with that.

That same year for Christmas we found a dead mouse under the tree... In several pieces. Thanks (cat)Santa.

Oh wow my cat does that she bats them off and then makes a happy cat noise when they are all gone!! CRAPS! I didn't even THINK about what she would do with wrapped presents!! OMG!! my cat knows better than to be on the table when its meal time that must be a nightmare to deal with! ....oh wow... you had Merry CATmouse it sounds like xD I am soooo glad I don't live in a house so that won't happen hahaha

 

I have a small fake Christmas tree and my dog has no interest in it. Plus the tree is not on the ground, so even if she wanted to do something, she wouldn't be able to.

But this year I have a small kitten (he's 4 months old now), so no glass toys this year - I already have experience of what can happen. When my previous dog and cat (both passed away by now) were little, they were left alone in a room with a small Christmas tree. The tree was put somewhere on a table but then we heard noise from the room and when I came to investigate, I found the tree on the ground. Majority of the toys were broken. xD

I'm actually kinda curious how my kitten will react to the tree and the Christmas lights. xD

 

yea no glass stuff for sure! thats why I was kind of glad I caught her before I started decorating so I knew not to put any breakable stuff up xD I don't have lights on my tree so I don't know what kind of trouble will happen with lights and kitties!

 

My cat seems to think its a scratching post. Yet she refuses to use the actual scratching post. The dog (westie terrier) doesn't seem to think anything of it.

 

Oh my! do you have a real tree? it could be the smell that is attracting her! if you have a fake tree I would suggest spraying a bit of that no scratch stuff near the bottom to deter her.

 

The cat: She, like other cats, likes to knock the ornaments off the tree at times but most of the time she just naps under there... Until the dog gets at her, then her nap is done until the dog is either away from her spot or napping.

 

The dog: She just tends to sit and stare. Sometimes like mentioned bringing the cat out from under or accidentally brushing into an ornament during her game of tag with the cat, but aside from that she doesn't really show an interest in the tree. She prefers her purple squeaky ball that she likes to squeak 24/7.

 

well thats good then, it seems your pets are not too interested so maybe they grow out of it?? *hopes*

 

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures in the act, but my old cat made his way into the tree on multiple times. How the tree never fell is beyond me He was too cute to get mad at

 

Oh he looks like a reaaal stinker! I can see why you would'nt be able to be mad at him tho!

 

 

I own a Siamese cat and an artificial tree. For those that don't know the breed they are extremely high energy (Abyssinias and Sphynx also are) and mine is straight up seeing a kitty psychiatrist because he's got issues with rough play. He's a ladder climbing, poison plant eating, dog attacking, cat killing, a-hole with a tendency to cuddle.

We used a stud finder to place hooks in the ceiling and secured the tree to the ceiling with rope at four corners.

I also hose the tree down with Grannick's Bitter Apple Spray about once a week.

Also don't forget to review the Christmas Hazards List and the ASPCA Poison Plant List. I'll be super sad if I have to treat anyone's cat for lily intoxication this christmas. I've already had one in the last 6 mo.

Also DO NOT PUT TINSEL ON YOUR TREE. It's like $2000-$3000 for me to figure out what your cat ate, hospitalize him and take it out of your cat's gut.

 

O______O that is scary! I mean I figured tinsel would attract but had no idea it could cause so much damage! that is just scary the last thing anyone wants is for there pet to get sick or be hurting and those lists are super helpful to first time pet owners like me!

Hahaha

I keep my cat away from the living room while the Christmas tree is in there. She too goes berserk when she sees it.

Both of cats like to take ointments off the tree. Mostly its the plush fuzzy ones, though sometimes they like to get the hard plastic ones off it. Maxx (the older male) has a fascination with chewing on the tips of the branches. Its a fake tree, so I don't see why he likes doing this. But because it's a fake tree, I really don't want him ingesting the plastic needles.

 

Other then that, they don't seem to want to climb into the tree.

My friend/roommate has an ollllld old cat that is an old lady. She will not express any joy or happyness, she's really grouchy and likes to lurk in corners and sulk all day.

But there is 1 time of the year when she gets to truly be happy.

She is addicted to fame Christmas tree branches. Idk why.

No other toys will sate her needs. She's so indiffrent to them.

But there's just something special about fake tree branches. Her eyes will light up and get so big and she will act like a young spring kitten. She will carry thay branch around and knock it into walls for several weeks until it becomes so shredded that we have to throw it away.

It really is the best Christmas present for her

My friend/roommate has an ollllld old cat that is an old lady. She will not express any joy or happyness, she's really grouchy and likes to lurk in corners and sulk all day.

But there is 1 time of the year when she gets to truly be happy.

She is addicted to fame Christmas tree branches. Idk why.

No other toys will sate her needs. She's so indiffrent to them.

But there's just something special about fake tree branches. Her eyes will light up and get so big and she will act like a young spring kitten. She will carry thay branch around and knock it into walls for several weeks until it becomes so shredded that we have to throw it away.

It really is the best Christmas present for her

 

Cats and Christmas trees just go hand in hand! My old lady cat also loves the tree but not for the branches! She absolutely loves to sleep on the tree skirt! Presents under the tree? She'll find a way to fit in between them!

My friend/roommate has an ollllld old cat that is an old lady. She will not express any joy or happyness, she's really grouchy and likes to lurk in corners and sulk all day.

But there is 1 time of the year when she gets to truly be happy.

She is addicted to fame Christmas tree branches. Idk why.

No other toys will sate her needs. She's so indiffrent to them.

But there's just something special about fake tree branches. Her eyes will light up and get so big and she will act like a young spring kitten. She will carry thay branch around and knock it into walls for several weeks until it becomes so shredded that we have to throw it away.

It really is the best Christmas present for her

 

Cats and Christmas trees just go hand in hand! My old lady cat also loves the tree but not for the branches! She absolutely loves to sleep on the tree skirt! Presents under the tree? She'll find a way to fit in between them!

 

Oh really? That sounds soooo cute! ^0^

I'll bet the kitty likes the plush Ness of the tree skirt! What a perfect place to take a nap, it's so hidden and provides shade and a comfy blanket!

My ferret likes to lay down on the tree skirt whenever I let him run around. We put bells on the bottom branches of the tree so we know if he tries to mess with the tree or knock ornaments off.

Also DO NOT PUT TINSEL ON YOUR TREE. It's like $2000-$3000 for me to figure out what your cat ate, hospitalize him and take it out of your cat's gut.

 

O______O that is scary! I mean I figured tinsel would attract but had no idea it could cause so much damage! that is just scary the last thing anyone wants is for there pet to get sick or be hurting and those lists are super helpful to first time pet owners like me!

 

It's the same problem we have with yarn, string, thread, floss etc. Most cats get it wrapped around the base of their tongue and then the other half goes down into the gut. The gut pulls to try to get the string down until it just clenches up so tight that no food can go through. All that clenching does damage the to the intestines and then you have to go in, get the string in the mouth, get the string in the gut, wait 10-20 min to see what parts of the gut are going to make it and what parts aren't, and remove the damaged guts. Then the cat has to heal up from it.

 

The problem is that most people bring the cat in on day 5-8 of not eating when a lot of the gut has been badly damaged. If people brought me the cat after it missed the first two meals we'd have time to figure it out. It'd save people about $1000 or more. String doesn't show up on xrays because it's not metal so to figure out what's wrong you have to spot it under the tongue (not easy) or see the guts being all accordioned up.

 

The worst is when owners see the string in the mouth or the butt and pull it. NEVER PULL THE STRING. It gets attached to the intestinal wall after a while and you do even more damage pulling it.

My ferret likes to lay down on the tree skirt whenever I let him run around. We put bells on the bottom branches of the tree so we know if he tries to mess with the tree or knock ornaments off.

 

Ferrets are the cutest things ever.

I want 50 of them.

@-@

But sadly they gave a law against them here in california.

So it's it's bitter salty crying for me,while I look at others love there ferrets lol.

My aunts ferrets, (lived in a diffrent state)would actually steal all of her shiny ornaments off of her tree, and leave them under her bed or in her shoe!

So she would just have to settle with plain plastic ornaments that she wouldn't accidentally step on .