7 Efficient Methods to Keep Your Cat Out of the Christmas Tree

The vacation season and adorning go hand-in-hand. Boxes of decorations come out of storage. Candles, mistletoe, and centerpieces take their spots on surfaces. Finally, the Christmas tree, the focus of the decor, goes up. Everyone gathers round, rigorously inserting the ornaments, every with their very own story. Suddenly, the household cat, who had little interest in the festivities, is transfixed. They’re conscious there’s a tree in the home and no quantity of shooing off appears to discourage them from climbing, enjoying, and having fun with it. To your cat, the tree is a present only for them. How do you retain your cat out of the Christmas tree? Read on for fool-proof methods to maintain your tree unoccupied with out compromising Fluffy’s happiness.

Did that the Christmas tree custom originated within the 1500s? Decorating bushes for the season has been a convention held for hundreds of years.

Citronella Spray is an Excellent cat-repellant

Commercial sprays containing citronella are available for buy. These sprays work as a cat repellant when sprayed on the branches and needles of your tree. Be warned, nonetheless, that direct publicity to citronella oil or its fumes could be dangerous to your cat. If citronella is ingested, your cat can expertise vomiting, lethargy, and hypothermia. Direct publicity to the fumes may cause respiratory misery and nervous system injury to cats. If you select to make use of a citronella spray, you should definitely preserve your cat away from the realm till the spray is totally dry to keep away from any publicity.

Jingle Bells May Frighten Your Cat Out of the Christmas Tree

Cats don’t take pleasure in loud or sudden noises. Placing just a few jingly bells round your tree could prepare your cat to dislike climbing or enjoying within the branches, as each time they do, they’re met with a pointy noise. You and your loved ones will benefit from the sound of cheerful bells and be told when your cat is across the Christmas Tree. Be certain to decide on bells which might be bigger than your cat can swallow. Carefully examine your bells earlier than hanging, as tiny clappers could be knocked out for a cat to eat.

Pine Cones Can Be Decorative and Useful for Repelling Cats

This is commonly a profitable mixture. Pinecones communicate of Christmas to many people and are a standard decor merchandise. Cats don’t benefit from the scent of apple cider vinegar. A easy resolution to holding your cat out of the Christmas tree could also be to soak a number of pinecones in apple cider vinegar, after which permit them to dry. Once dry, tuck them into the decrease branches of your tree or place them across the tree skirt. Your cat could keep away from the realm as a result of residual odor of apple cider vinegar. Consider making a household custom of gathering and making ready pinecones to make do-it-yourself cat repellant. Children love to assemble pinecones, and somewhat artful enjoyable whereas college is out is at all times welcome.

Pomander Balls Pull Double-Duty as Cat Deterrents

Cats are notoriously choosy creatures, together with displaying an aversion to robust smells. Pet house owners can use this to their benefit by using traditional pomander balls as ornament across the base of the Christmas Tree. Stud the peel of an orange with a number of buds of clove, tie a reasonably ribbon, and grasp one or two from the tree. For a extra superior resolution, thinly slice oranges and place them in a dehydrator. If you don’t personal a dehydrator, the slices could be baked on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 200 levels for 2 to 4 hours. Once dry, push cloves into the slices and string them with ribbon. These slices shall be clear decorations whereas nonetheless providing the identical safety. The scent of oranges and cloves is nice to us, however a lot stronger to cats. This could also be all it takes to maintain your cat out of the Christmas Tree.

Employ a Decoy to Keep Your Cat Out of the Christmas Tree

Consider inserting catnip-filled toys or a potted catnip plant close to the tree. Some house owners with cats who take pleasure in hiding within the tree discover success by inserting a cat mattress beneath the tree. For calmer pets, being close to sufficient to the tree to view the lights satisfies their curiosity.

Aluminum Foil as a Last Resort

While it could not match your decor, wrapping the bottom of your tree with aluminum foil could be the savior for these with cussed cats. The foil is troublesome on your cat’s claws to penetrate, which can deter climbing. Cats additionally don’t like how foil feels on their ft as they walk on it. Consider inserting it beneath your tree. The slick feeling and crinkly sound are sometimes sufficient to maintain your cat out of the Christmas Tree.

Be Consistent with Removing Your Cat from the Area

Clapping your fingers, telling your cat ‘No’, and eradicating them from the tree every time they method will educate your cat it’s off limits. While this will likely take a while, it’s a long-term resolution that may work yr after yr. Try encouraging your cat by giving them a deal with after you’ve eliminated them from the tree. Eventually, even essentially the most cussed cat will transfer on to extra attention-grabbing pursuits.

Safety Concerns for Cats and Christmas Trees

While you possibly can take all of the precautions to maintain your cat out of your Christmas tree, some cats take longer to coach. Even in case your cat learns to remain out of the Christmas tree, there are security considerations you need to be conscious of. Taking the next steps can be sure that each you and your pets have an pleasurable vacation season.

Secure Your Tree

Christmas bushes do typically fall over, leaving you with a large number of damaged glass. Even extra worrying, tipped stay bushes mix water and electrical energy. You can decrease the chance of your tree falling over with just a few straightforward steps. First, be sure that the stand you select on your tree is the suitable measurement. Using a stand that’s both too small or too giant may cause instability in your tree. Second, contemplate tying your tree with fishing wire or small twine to hooks placed on the wall. For essentially the most safety, fasten your tree at each the bottom and the highest. Even in case your cat jumps within the tree, there’s much less probability that it will likely be knocked over.

Purchase a Cord Protector for Lights

Cats love the gorgeous tree lights and the string-like cords they’re on. Cats, very like toddlers, are inclined to chew on attention-grabbing issues. As for the cords, many cats can’t resist a string. If your cat breaks a bulb or bites by the twine, nonetheless, you’re sure so as to add a visit to the vet to your vacation to-do record. To forestall this, attempt to string a lot of the lights in your tree farther up, out of straightforward attain. Commercial twine protectors can even guarantee curious mouths don’t wreak havoc.

Use Paper Garland Instead of Tinsel

Tinsel is gorgeous on a Christmas tree, however in case you have cats, it may be lethal. Ingested tinsel can create intestinal blockages and even worse, cuts within the delicate mouth and digestive tract of your pet. Consider switching to paper tinsel. It’s not solely much less dangerous if swallowed, it’s much less prone to catch your cat’s consideration.

Pine Needles can Irritate: Cover the Water in a Live Tree or Choose a Fir or Spruce

Pine needles that fall off your tree could be eaten by your pet. While usually not poisonous, these sharp needles can lodge within the throats and stomachs of our pets. Pine needles that fall into the water beneath a stay Christmas tree may cause abdomen irritation in case your pet drinks the water. You can decrease the chance of every of those considerations by selecting a Fir or Spruce tree as an alternative. If you select pine, you should definitely sweep the realm commonly to keep away from any stray needles discovering their manner into your pet’s abdomen. Limit the prospect of your pet consuming the Christmas tree water by overlaying the stand.

The picture featured on the high of this put up is © Veera/Shutterstock.com