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Artificial vs. Natural Trees
Ways to Cat-Proof Your Christmas Tree
Other Holiday Safety TipsÂ
Keeping Cats Away From Christmas Trees
Christmas bushes carry the vacations to life. They’re stunning and enjoyable to brighten, and many individuals merely can’t think about celebrating the vacations with out one. Although our feline companions carry love and heat to vacation celebrations, they love taking part in in Christmas bushes.
Cats are infamous for climbing, leaping on, and knocking over Christmas bushes. They are additionally susceptible to utilizing ornaments as toys, which can lead to injured kitties and damaged treasures. Thankfully, there are steps you possibly can take to maintain your Christmas tree upright and your cat secure through the holidays. Keep studying for 12 confirmed methods to cat-proof your Christmas tree.
Before Getting Started — Artificial vs. Natural Trees
Artificial bushes are superb alternate options for houses with cats since they cut back a number of the hazards related to actual bushes, resembling sharp needles and contaminated tree water. Needles also can injure cats’ intestines and stomachs if ingested and even trigger intestinal blockages.
If you purchase an actual tree, use a skirt to cowl the bowl and contemplate placing a couple of packages down to dam your cat’s entry to the water. Regularly sweep the fallen needles to forestall your cat from nibbling on them, which may harm their mouth.
Some cats might discover synthetic bushes much less attention-grabbing and go away them alone. However, synthetic bushes also can trigger issues if cats chew on the pretend needles and ingest bits of plastic or items of wire.
The 12 Ways to Cat-Proof Your Christmas Tree
1. Give Your Cat Time to Adjust to the Tree
You may give your cat time to get used to the tree earlier than adorning it. Having a couple of days to discover the undecorated tree might fulfill some cats’ curiosity and cut back the temptation to discover as soon as lights and ornaments are added.
Image Credit: Bogdan Sonjachnyj, Shutterstock
2. Secure the Tree
Cats like to climb, and Christmas bushes make superb targets! They are new, scent attention-grabbing, and supply enjoyable challenges. However, they will simply fall over when cats develop into a bit too enthusiastic when taking part in with branches.
Therefore, your tree should be secured to forestall accidents! Wall and ceiling anchors are straightforward to arrange and might hold bushes from crashing in the event that they obtain an excessive amount of feline consideration.
3. Add Weights to the Bottom
Adding a couple of weights to the bottom of your tree can present extra stability and hold it upright in case your cat decides to go for a climb. You can use a tree skirt to cowl the weights and hold it festive. Artificial and pure bushes should be anchored to maintain pets secure.
Although giant Christmas bushes are attractive, smaller ones are higher for houses with cats since they’re much less more likely to trigger hurt in the event that they fall over.
Image Credit: Georgy Dzyura, Shutterstock
4. Stay Away From Tinsel and Skip the Fake Snow
Tinsel is harmful for cats! It could also be fairly, however when cats eat it, it will possibly trigger an intestinal blockage that requires surgical procedure to take away. The lengthy, skinny strands are additionally straightforward for cats to choke on.
Fake snow could make cats sick in the event that they ingest it and trigger stomach blockages.
5. Avoid Fragile Ornaments
Cats are infamous for enjoying with ornaments; glass ornaments can injure them in the event that they shatter them and stroll over the damaged items. If you possibly can’t keep away from adorning your tree with breakable ornaments, attempt placing them as far out of your cat’s attain as attainable.
6. Keep an Eye on the Lights
Christmas tree lights are problematic in two methods: they will shock cats who chew on the plugged-in strands and entice cats who entertain themselves by taking part in in Christmas bushes.
Putting the lights as shut as attainable to the middle of bushes makes them tougher for cats to get to. Unplugging them while you’re not round can stop your cat from chewing the wires and getting shocked. You can use battery-operated lights since they’re much less more likely to trigger electrocution.
Image Credit: nadtochiy, shutterstock
7. Pick the Right Location
Setting up your Christmas tree away from furnishings and launching locations can at the very least reduce the probabilities of your cat disturbing it. Putting the tree within the nook might cut back the variety of quick access factors and hold it safer.
Some pet dad and mom discover that establishing bushes in areas which might be off-limits to cats is the best method to clear up the issue.
8. Consider How You Attach Ornaments
Metal decoration hangers can injure your cat’s mouth, and it’s finest to keep away from them. However you determine to hold your ornaments, you’ll nonetheless want to position them excessive sufficient to maintain your cat secure.
9. Avoid Putting Candy and Human Food in Trees
Cats have excellent senses of scent, they usually’re often concerned about meals. Using meals or sweet to brighten bushes will appeal to your cat to the tree. Therefore, it’s very important to keep away from hanging edible decorations, particularly in the event that they comprise chocolate or different poisonous components.
10. Stay Away From Garland
Decorating bushes with garland is a enjoyable vacation custom, however lengthy, skinny objects may be harmful if cats ingest them. Linear international objects like yarn and string can simply get caught in cats’ gastrointestinal programs and result in severe issues, together with obstructions and perforated intestines.
Image Credit: 70154, Pixabay
11. Consider Deterrents
Making the realm round your Christmas tree much less engaging might encourage your cat to hunt their enjoyable elsewhere. Some pet dad and mom discover {that a} spritz of water and vinegar round bushes retains cats from hanging round for too lengthy.
Commercial deterrent sprays are additionally out there that may lower your cat’s curiosity in your Christmas tree.
12. Increase Your Cat’s Playtime
A number of further minutes of playtime can tire your cat out and reduce their motivation to torment your Christmas tree and ornaments. Before establishing your tree, buy a couple of toys in your cat and encourage them to play with them in a room away from the Christmas tree website.
Here are a a few of our favourite toys, every catering to a wide range of senses and play preferences. Which one will your feline fancy?
Hepper Hi-Lo Cardboard Cat Scratcher with Real…
- Premium Materials – Hepper’s cardboard scratcher is made with dense, B-flute cardboard, and a steel…
- High, Low and Lower – A single cat scratch pad will not hold your cat engaged. 3 distinctive positions retains…
- Activates Muscles – The Hi Lo is not only a cat nail file to cease the chief cat sofa scratcher. The…
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Hepper Plush Mouse Kicker Toy – Catnip Interactive…
- Catnip Toy for Engaging Play – Specially designed for cat kickers, it is considered one of Hepper’s cat kicker…
- Perfect Size for Pouncing – this plush cat toy offers the best canvas in your cat’s pure playful…
- Ideal for Rough Play – The sturdy stitching & bite-resistant material ensures that these cute cat…
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Other Tips for Feline Holiday Happiness and Safety
There are a couple of different steps you possibly can take (along with securing your Christmas tree) that may hold your cat secure through the holidays, together with making certain they’ve good locations to chill out when company come by, they obtain loads of bodily train and environmental enrichment every day, whereas preserving poisonous crops out of attain, and preserving them away from the tree altogether.
Provide Your Cat With a Safe Place
Cats can develop into overwhelmed by guests, and the hubbub of vacation events can simply develop into an excessive amount of for them. You can place your cat’s toys and mattress in a comfortable room the place they will hang around and chill out to maintain them from changing into harassed by the festivities.
Image Credit: tickcharoen04, Shutterstock
Stay Away From Candles
Candles and cats are a harmful mixture. They can burn their whiskers and paws when investigating flickering flames, and candles are extremely straightforward for cats to knock over.
Be Aware of Problematic Plants
There are a couple of crops which might be generally related to Christmas that may make cats sick, resembling poinsettias and amaryllises. It’s very important to make sure the crops you carry residence for the vacations are secure for cats.
Keeping Cats Away From Your Christmas Tree
- Use a barrier or tree guard: Set up a bodily barrier across the tree, resembling an ornamental fence or a playpen, so your cat can’t simply entry it, or guarantee they’re supervised across the tree always if this isn’t attainable.
- Motion-activated deterrents: Place motion-activated gadgets like pet-safe air sprayers or sound alarms across the tree to startle cats after they attempt to method.
- Wrap the bottom with aluminum foil: Some cats don’t like the sensation of aluminum foil and the sound it makes, which can hold them from eager to go close to the tree.
- Cat deterrent sprays: Citrus or vinegar options may be sprayed across the decrease branches of the tree to discourage cats from getting shut, or orange or lemon peels may be positioned round it.
- Distract with a cat tree: A cat tree or scratching submit sprinkled with some catnip and hanging toys is a superb different your cat may be fascinated with.
- Limit entry with furnishings: Cats could also be much less inclined to climb if they will’t simply bounce onto the branches, so take away any launching factors by placing furnishings as distant from the tree as attainable.
- Keep the tree out of attain: If attainable, place the tree in a room or space that may be closed off while you aren’t round to oversee, or keep on with a smaller tabletop tree.
Conclusion
Cats add magic to the vacation season! They’re candy, lovely, and infamous for changing into obsessive about Christmas bushes. Some cats climb and bounce into them, and others use the ornaments as toys, which may result in damaged heirlooms and injured paws.
Properly securing Christmas bushes can cut back the probability of harm and accidents, and placing ornaments on the tallest branches can stop cats from utilizing them as toys.
See Also:
- Cat-Safe Christmas Tree Alternatives (With Pictures)
- Can Cats Eat Pine Needles? Vet-Approved Risks & Alternatives
Sources
- https://www.petmd.com/cat/are-christmas-trees-toxic-cats
- https://www.pdsa.org.uk/what-we-do/blog/dangerous-christmas-decorations-to-be-aware-of-if-you-re-a-pet-owner#:~:text=Artificial%20snow%3A%20HAZARDOUS&text=If%20eaten%20in%20small%20quantities,drooling%2C%20vomiting%2C%20or%20diarrhoea.
- https://www.aspca.org/news/dont-let-these-10-holiday-pet-hazards-ruin-your-holiday-spirit
- https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/linear-foreign-body-in-cats#:~:text=How%20is%20a%20linear%20foreign%20body%20treated%3F,fully%20to%20allow%20surgical%20exploration.
- https://www.peta.org/living/animal-companions/how-to-cat-proof-your-christmas-tree/#:~:text=Make%20sure%20that%20the%20tree,can%20help%20keep%20it%20upright.
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Featured Image Credit: GolubaPhoto, Shuttestock
The submit How to Cat-Proof Your Christmas Tree: 12 Vet-Verified Solutions by Catster Editorial Team appeared first on Catster. Copying over whole articles infringes on copyright legal guidelines. You will not be conscious of it, however all of those articles had been assigned, contracted and paid for, so they are not thought-about public area. However, we admire that you simply just like the article and would find it irresistible in case you continued sharing simply the primary paragraph of an article, then linking out to the remainder of the piece on Catster.com.
