Christmas Trees and Cats and Lights

[kado]

We put up a brand new tree up on Saturday it looked lovely. There is usualy somebody in the house but we had too go christmas shopping today so its the first time since we got lucky that we had gone out and left them all alone. We came back and there where 10 baubles on the floor the tinsel was all over and half of the branches where pushed to one side all squashed up. We then turn the lights on and i bet you all can guess they dont B****y work. I didnt think it would last this long have any of you had the same problem or are my cats just unique.

jane (without my lights on the xmas tree)

[angieh]

I'm afraid with your lot Jane, it's rather too much of a temptation. Merlin used to bat at the lower baubles and perhaps get a bit of tinsel down, but nothing worse than that. I rather fear that if there are more than one, especially with younger cats and kittens, they probably egg each other on and chase each other around, getting more and more excited! That's how I imagine it anyway.

Sorry about your tree - hope it, and the lights, can be mended!

[CathyW]

mine used to be frightened of the tree. but ronnie keeps going up n having a look.
but i shut my front room door so they cant get to the tree when we are out.
they have the bedroom and hallway n bathroom to play in.

[Elaine]

sorry to laugh Jane but thats cats for you. I am so pleased i only have a small fibre optic tree, the cats never bother with it. I put the odd pine cone on the floor for them to knock about and they are happy as larry

[calismum]

Alfie views trees as his own personal playground. Kinsi is in to everything - I don't even want to think about a tree until next weekend!

I usually spend most of the time putting it back upright and adding baubles, tinsel etc to it again.

[Natalie]

Between a toddler, Merlin and Bess the pup, my tree lasted 8 days and was taken to the local rubbish tip today

[Tina]

Sorry, I'm laughing too! That really is very funny!

Hope you tied the tree to the ceiling or a wall or something......because they're bound to be UP the tree next and the whole thing will come crashing down! Our Miw just likes to sleep under the tree and bat at the odd bauble, but Mousie is a climber and likes to get INTO the tree! Hoping I can get a pic of that for the Christmas pic comp!

DO tie the tree up securely, it would scare them really badly if they managed to get it down.....and they can!

Good luck, hope you get the lights working!

[cats' staff]

Our first tree (when we also had kittens) ended up lashed to 2 hooks in the wall with all the decorations on the top third.... it looked very odd. We now have NO breakable ornaments and it gets wedged between a sofa and bookcase. We haven't got ours yet but if last year is anything to go by Madam sits on the back of the sofa idly batting at the glittery stuff, Tolly is occaionally found attempting to climb it and Cleo hides underneath it.

[Kazz]

My first tree when Oz and Cleo were kittens was secured to the wall with rope.....but they ignored it and never ever bothered with a tree I would occasionaly over the years try to encourage them to bat a baublebut they showed no interest at all live trees or artificial...must have had misfit cats..........mind you the dogs have never shown an interest either....

[dandysmom]

For years I tied the tree securely; cats never bothered it at all. So, the year I decided not to bother, it was knocked over, of course. Fortunately I use my own handmade styrofoam ornaments, which aren't breakable, and the lights were OK. But there was tinsel all over the house...the static elevtricity make it cling to their fur when they walked by.....

Had to laugh at your description .......