From wrapping paper to ornaments to shiny new toys, the festive season is a stimulating time for us felines, but the most exciting part of the holidays is the Christmas tree. It’s like our own piece of nature in the living room – it’s tall, acts as an excellent scratching post, carries bright decorations to play with and has plenty of great hiding places, so it’s no wonder we’re drawn to them.

With plenty of headlines about cats destroying Christmas trees, we felines get a bad rap this time of year but honestly what do our parents expect? They bring in a fresh pine smelling, over-sized cat toy into our territory and expect us to do nothing?! Tell them their dreaming.

The internet is full of videos of ‘daredevil felines’ scaling to the top of their new vantage point, only to have it fall beneath them because their parents failed to secure it properly.

Some humans have gone to extreme lengths to try and ‘cat-proof’ their Christmas tree. (40 Genius People Who Found A Way To Protect Their Christmas Trees From Asshole Cats And Dogs | Bored Panda 

Trees in cages, trees suspended out of reach from the ceiling, citrus spray or even covering the tree in glad wrap, but these efforts are just ludicrous in my opinion. Why not just create a safer environment or a cat-friendly tree that the whole family can enjoy?

Electrical wires, toxic water in the base, inedible tinsel, glass ornaments, pine needles.. the Christmas tree presents many safety issues for us felines so it’s about time pet parents took some responsibility to keep us safe and happy.

So as we approach the holiday season, I feel compelled to do my bit on behalf of the feline community and to share some tips about what humans can do to keep us safe.

  1. Consider a DIY tree or re-purpose furniture: Get creative and think about upcycling or creating your own tree using laminated carboard, or why not re-purpose existing furniture like a bookshelf or storage unit? This will allow you to still brighten your home with an alternative tree but in a way that we felines can also enjoy. Just ensure the tree is climbable and has plenty of fun hiding places.
  2. Opt for fabric ornaments and steer clear of tinsel: My mum normally decorates the tree with fabric ornaments which are safer to play with (but not so great for soccer fun). However, this year I’ve put in a special request to upgrade to some shiny new cat toys and accessories that I’ve had my eye on Buy Cat & Kitten Toys Online | PetCulture Australia* (I’ve been a bit naughty this year, but hopefully I make it to Santa’s ‘good’ list). It’s also best to avoid tinsel so we don’t ingest it as it often makes us vomit, so I’d recommend switching out tinsel for paper tinsel instead!
  3. Get an artificial tree (or a smaller one): Artificial Christmas trees could be a good alternative as you won’t need to worry about us chewing away on the pine needles. Pre-lit trees have less dangling electrical wires and the wires tend to be better wrapped onto the branches, but you need to be careful as we can still chew on them.  You also won’t need to worry about us drinking the tree water. Smaller trees are ideal because they tend to be installed at a lower height which means it’s safer for us if we climb and fall from it. It’s also less likely to hurt if it falls on top of us.
  4. Ensure the base is secure: Ensure your Christmas tree is securely attached to the wall or ceiling so it’s harder for us to knock down. You could also purchase a heavy-duty tree stand that can manage the weight and height of a tree even when we decide to climb it.

So before putting up your Christmas tree this year, consider your cat-friendly tree options and how you can create a safer environment for us felines. No longer do Christmas trees need to be a point of contention between cats and their parents – it’s just a matter of pet parents taking responsibility and understanding how they can make the Christmas tree work for the entire family.

* Pet Culture Group Pty Limited (PetCulture) is a related company of PetSure (Australia) Pty Ltd (PetSure). PetSure does not earn a commission on any affiliate links that lead you to products and services provided by PetCulture

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