Christmas Tree Question

[Lari]

Hi again. Not sure if this fits here or behavior, so forgive me if this is in the wrong place.

I have a 6 ft pre-lit fake Christmas tree. I just tried to set it up, and Lelia immediately began chewing on the branches as well as the lights. So I freaked out and took it back down (minus the base that I had duct taped to the floor).

I really don't want her to get sick or hurt - I've still only been doing this 'having a cat' thing for 3 months. Should I just give up on putting up a Christmas tree? Will being able to smell the base a few days make it less exciting? How can you stop a kitten from chewing on lights?

 

[Kieka]

You could try spraying the lower branches with Bitter Apple Spray. It doesn't work for every cat but we had to that with my girl who decided some of the decorative fake berries were great snacks.

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• Kieka
• Jan 5, 2017

Luckily, mine have access to trees outside so the fake tree is very much fake and very uninteresting to them. It likely is the whole "something new" thing that makes it interesting so you could try laying some pieces in the space it will go. Sit nearby and say "no" firmly when she goes for it. Do that for a few days and she should get the general idea. Once she isn't quite as interested set it up with her in the other room. Repeat the firm "no" as needed and possibly apply the bitter apple spray to the branches within reach. Another idea would be to set up a cat tree nearby so that the tree isn't the best climbing option in that area.

 

[pipperoo]

Is Lelia a kitten? If so, she might mature out of this. Good luck!!!

Pip is having her 3rd Christmas. Every year I put the tree up and every year, within 20 minutes, I take it down again. She's a real rascal who loves to climb and "explore" new things with her mouth......I keep thinking that maybe I should keep the tree up for a full 24 hours to see if she loses interest, but I'm too nervous she'll eat the fake needles or get electrocuted on the lights. I might give it one more try in a few days after spraying it all with bitter apple.

I hope next year when she'll be 3-1/2 that she might have matured enough for a tree to go up. My dear departed Kami was perfect around the tree: no interest in it other than sitting under it and looking beautiful.

 

[Max's Human]

Keika is absolutely beautiful, almost too pretty to be real! Had to say that before I had a blonde moment and changed directions.
One year all my great grandmothers orbaments were lost thanks to 2 curious felines and they were 12! So my experience has been that age in this case is NOT helpful. I gave up and even tried fake one and they didn't care, they still climbed and destroyed it so I got a 1 foot predecorated tree so when it falls, it is no big loss!
My experience is "if you put something new in a room the cat(s) will HAVE TO INVESTIGATE AND DAMAGE IT IF IT SPARKLES OR APPEARS TO MOVE". LOL!!!

 

[Lari]

You could try spraying the lower branches with Bitter Apple Spray. It doesn't work for every cat but we had to that with my girl who decided some of the decorative fake berries were great snacks.

20161218_121330.jpg

• Kieka
• Jan 5, 2017

Luckily, mine have access to trees outside so the fake tree is very much fake and very uninteresting to them. It likely is the whole "something new" thing that makes it interesting so you could try laying some pieces in the space it will go. Sit nearby and say "no" firmly when she goes for it. Do that for a few days and she should get the general idea. Once she isn't quite as interested set it up with her in the other room. Repeat the firm "no" as needed and possibly apply the bitter apple spray to the branches within reach. Another idea would be to set up a cat tree nearby so that the tree isn't the best climbing option in that area.

Where can you get bitter apple spray? Like a grocery store or pet store? I've never heard of it before, but it's worth a try.

She didn't seem interested in climbing it for the 10 minutes it was up (which is good, because I don't have a cat tree yet - I'm hoping to get one as a Christmas present, and she's okay with my big windowsills and dressers for now), it was more the eating the lights that was freaking me out.

Is Lelia a kitten? If so, she might mature out of this. Good luck!!!

Pip is having her 3rd Christmas. Every year I put the tree up and every year, within 20 minutes, I take it down again. She's a real rascal who loves to climb and "explore" new things with her mouth......I keep thinking that maybe I should keep the tree up for a full 24 hours to see if she loses interest, but I'm too nervous she'll eat the fake needles or get electrocuted on the lights. I might give it one more try in a few days after spraying it all with bitter apple.

I hope next year when she'll be 3-1/2 that she might have matured enough for a tree to go up. My dear departed Kami was perfect around the tree: no interest in it other than sitting under it and looking beautiful.

She's almost 8 months, so she's an older kitten.

 

[MeganLLB]

Put up the tree but dont decorate it. Let them explore for a few weeks and then it wont be new anymore and they will leave it alone

 

[Lari]

Keika is absolutely beautiful, almost too pretty to be real! Had to say that before I had a blonde moment and changed directions.
One year all my great grandmothers orbaments were lost thanks to 2 curious felines and they were 12! So my experience has been that age in this case is NOT helpful. I gave up and even tried fake one and they didn't care, they still climbed and destroyed it so I got a 1 foot predecorated tree so when it falls, it is no big loss!
My experience is "if you put something new in a room the cat(s) will HAVE TO INVESTIGATE AND DAMAGE IT IF IT SPARKLES OR APPEARS TO MOVE". LOL!!!

I have a bunch of paper and non-breakable ornaments because it used to be my classroom tree and you can't trust preschoolers with breakable things (the school closed so I was able to take it and the school I'm at now has it's own.) But I didn't even get them on!

Put up the tree but dont decorate it. Let them explore for a few weeks and then it wont be new anymore and they will leave it alone

There weren't any ornaments yet! I guess I could try taking off the lights for now since they were my bigger worry.

 

[Kieka]

Bitter Apple Spray would likely be a pet store thing. It will probably be in the dog training section of your store. Last Christmas I called my local independent pet store and asked them to hold a bottle at the register for me so I could just grab and go while running errands.

 

[MeganLLB]

I have a bunch of paper and non-breakable ornaments because it used to be my classroom tree and you can't trust preschoolers with breakable things (the school closed so I was able to take it and the school I'm at now has it's own.) But I didn't even get them on!



There weren't any ornaments yet! I guess I could try taking off the lights for now since they were my bigger worry.

Yea do the whole thing in stages. Put the tree in its place bare with nothing on it for like two weeks. You can try spraying it with something like bitter apple or peppermint or vinegar but just leave it go. They might chew on the braches at first but after a while they get bored of it. Then add the lights, wait a few more days, then add the ornaments.
Christmastide lasts almost a month after Dec 25 so even if your tree isnt totaly decorated until before Christmas the season isnt over yet technically.

 

[Lari]

I'll check both the Petco and the local independent store then for the bitter apple spray. And I'll just leave the base out for a couple of days first so she can get used to its scent.

Thank you so much, guys!!! You're awesome!

 

[tabbytom]

Some articles here on keepin cats safe during the Holidays:-

11 Must-know Tips To Keep Cats Safe During The Holidays
Cats And Christmas Trees
Cats And Christmas - Tips For Cat Owners

 

[Max's Human]

30 years ago one of my kittys ate TINSEL, and I was in the kitchen doing dishes when my TUX, Misty ran by and I saw something flash behind her!!! You guessed it, she was trying to pass the tinsel....This is a serious, potentially deadly situation, so with the vet on the phone, I removed what was NOT ALREADY HANGING OUT, and compared the length to a fresh strand and the entire thing was removed, thank goodness! I have NEVER used tinsel again since that CHRISTMAS!!

 

[Lari]

30 years ago one of my kittys ate TINSEL, and I was in the kitchen doing dishes when my TUX, Misty ran by and I saw something flash behind her!!! You guessed it, she was trying to pass the tinsel....This is a serious, potentially deadly situation, so with the vet on the phone, I removed what was NOT ALREADY HANGING OUT, and compared the length to a fresh strand and the entire thing was removed, thank goodness! I have NEVER used tinsel again since that CHRISTMAS!!

I did know tinsel was dangerous and am not planning on using it. I bought the bitter apple spray so now I just need to try the bottom part of the tree again.

 

[Max's Human]

Well hopefully there enough helpful tips to prevent future potential "situations" that could harm or kill a loved one. The folks here seem to be a bunch of true animal (am I allowed to say THAT?) LOVERS!!!

 

[amethyst]

Like someone else said, I put my tree up in stages too. First I put the tree up, then if nothing happens in a day or two I put the lights and decorations on it. When my cats were kittens I had more of a problem with them deciding to climb it, so I tied it to the wall. I also don't use any decorations that can't double as toys if they knock them off, so plastic, metal, or paper. Oh and I only do the top 2/3-3/4 of the tree, the lower hanging decorations are just too tempting.

I know it's not the best look, but if all else fails, you could try without lights this year of the kitty just doesn't leave them alone. I know I would rather have a tree without lights then no tree at all. The other option is to put the tree in a room that the cat can't get to, or at least can't go into without you there to keep an eye on her.

If you want a laugh, google images of "cat proof Christmas tree", some people have come up with some funny ideas.

 

[lalagimp]

We try not to have anything around the bottom 10 inches of the tree, and all the ornaments shouldn't be breakable. It's only a 5 foot pre-lit. No one here has ever been a big chewer, yay. I've had cats for over 8 years and I keep waiting for someone to have hallucinating zoomies and take the thing down, but not yet.

 

[jcat]

We gave up on having a "normal" Christmas tree after our last cat's first Christmas. He actually destroyed two strings of lights in one day, which luckily weren't plugged in. Nowadays we have an artificial tree, cloth/wooden/pewter ornaments that won't shatter, and cordless (battery-operated) "candles" rather than a string of lights.

 

[abby2932]

I also had to give up on the traditional Christmas tree. I have a little wall-hanging tree that I decorate and the cats can't get to. My cats are 11 and 6 years old and did not grow out of wanting to chew on or knock down a tree.

 

[Lari]

So I've been following all the advice and I'm seeing progress! Thankfully, she didn't like the bitter apple spray, though she kept tasting it and trying to get the taste out of her mouth. Then she started attacking the bottom third of the tree and swatting at the branches. But today she walked under it, looked at one of her mice and walked out. Yay! We'll try the middle segment on Saturday when I'm home.

I figure this year while she's still a kitten I can be okay without lights. If I can get all three sections up and put some safe paper snowflakes on it, I'll call this year a win.

Thanks again for all the great advice!

 

[lookitsria]

I keep checking back here because I have the same situation. Sasha is 7 months old, I have a pre-lit artificial tree. I put the tree up and plugged in the lights and left it like that for a few days. Of course the lights are off when I am not home. If she went near it I just yelled and she got the hint and moved away. I put a few plastic/ nonbreakable ornaments on the bottom part of the tree and she was semi interested and again if she went near it I just shouted. I thought it was ok to leave the tree up so I decorated the rest of it. Naturally with it fully decorated and me laying in bed trying to fall asleep, she decided to climb it. Imagine my surprise when I heard a rustling sound, went into the living room, turned on the lights, and saw the tree moving! I tried to spray it with lemon/citronella oil diluted with water and it kinda sorta works. Who knows if she climbs it during the day when I'm not home but she's done it twice while I was home... that I know of haha.

What worries me a little more is that I have Christmas lights around my windows... just simple strings of lights. She likes to sit near the window to look out. Again, the lights are off when I am not home but still plugged in. One night when I got home from work and turned on the lights, one string wasn't lighting. I saw a light was missing and was on the couch near where she was laying. She bit a little bulb and managed to yank it out! You know those little ones... The lights weren't even on when she did this...

Sorry for the long reply, but thought I would share.