This year, I waited as long as I could before digging out our decorations, knowing that this was our kittens’ first Christmas… and first experience with a Christmas tree. In all my years as a cat owner, I had never actually seen a cat in a Christmas tree. Suki and Dex were really good with adapting to our holiday decor. In the past five days since we put our tree up, I have seen two kitties in it! First, it was our foster kitten, Bree. Then, today, it was our resident troublemaker, Zesty. As I was trying to write, he kept trying to get back onto the tree.
I am now seriously considering taking it down unless I can come up with a good solution. Our kiddos would be disappointed but we have come up with some pretty cool alternative space-saving solutions in the past.
Before putting up the tree, I made sure to google some tips. One important suggestion was to not decorate right away after putting the tree up. Instead, wait a day or two while your feline friend(s) adjust(s) to the new honking green/pink/white thing in your home.
I put down a cozy blanket for the kittens to lie on and they seemed to have no interest in climbing or attacking the tree. At least for the first few days.
They were also recovering from whatever mystery illness they had last week. All three of our guys took turns vomiting – our bedroom and hallway looked like a murder scene – and Bree had issues on the other end. But our vet ruled out the ice melt as being the cause and said it was more likely that Bree had some underlying issue that came back and wreaked havoc on them all.
Bree also happened to be the first to climb our tree. Now that they’ve seen her go up in there, I’m sure it’s given them ideas.
Well, this guy in particular.
As frustrating as it can be dealing with kittens attacking the tree and other Christmas decor, I am very thankful that they are all inside safe and sound with us. This morning it was minus thirty degrees celsius outside and I know there were some lost cats in our neighbourhood recently. Not sure if they were found before the cold hit.
I also found this helpful article on how to cat-proof Christmas trees and decor and will be exploring their site more.
Other tips for your Christmas tree-safety include:
• Avoid using tinsel which is shiny and attractive to kitties, but not good to eat!
• If you want to put lights on your tree, try using battery-powered ones. I’ve ordered a set but we will see if our tree is still even up by the time they arrive.
• Try anchoring the tree so it doesn’t topple over if your kitty does climb it.
• A slightly obvious one – avoid putting up breakable or edible ornaments!
Our tree is looking a bit bare since about half of our ornaments are not shatter-proof. Also a tad wonky because of the multiple climbing attempts.
Here are a few close-ups of some of my favourites still on the tree…
Coincidentally, I’ve been working on a Christmas card design for our vet that very much proves that art imitates life. Or is it the other way around?
Here’s a sneak peek:
It feels great to be making art again! I will post the finished card soon!
Happy Black Friday to you! Stay warm wherever you are!
