How to Cat-Proof Your Christmas Tree

We've had many cats over the years as well as a fair number of Christmas trees. Sometimes our cats had little to no interest in the flashing lights or sparkling tinsel on those Christmas trees. But some of our cats found the trees impossible to resist and we'd find broken ornaments or (once) the sound of a tree which came crashing down in our living room. Yes, we tried to watch our cats but - as many cat owners know - a determined feline can occasionally escape even the most vigilant owners and our cats were no exceptions.

Year after year, we tried to cat-proof our tree and, eventually, we found some techniques that worked. Some of them had a high success rate and others worked only for specific cat personality types.

Cat-proofing starts by picking the right Christmas tree

My first suggestion won't be very popular with traditionalists who love the smell of real Christmas trees, freshly cut and made of balsam or fir. However, I strongly suggest you consider an artificial Christmas tree. In fact, that one step may keep the tree from being too appealing to your cat and avoid the issue of having to protect your Christmas tree from your feline at all. Our vet warned us of the dangers of pine or other needles piercing the intestines of our cats.

According to The Cat Fanciers Association website here: www.cfainc.org/articles/winter-hazards.html , Christmas tree water can have fertilizers or bacteria that can cause cats to become ill. Why put yourself through the trouble of having to keep an eye on your cats to make sure they aren't lapping up that water or trying to chew on a sharp pine needle?

Bottom line: select an artificial tree or one that has the softest needles possible. If you do pick an artificial Christmas tree, make sure it is made with non-toxic materials and the needles aren't sharp. You won't avoid all risk by taking this step but your cat won't be exposed to potentially dirty water or the bacteria or fertilizers in it. Also, if the pine smell of the tree is attracting your cat, you've just eliminated that feature by choosing an artificial tree (just don't pick a scented one).

Next tip to help cat-proof your tree - don't ignore the electrical cord

Some cats like to chew on electrical cords and Christmas tree cords are no exception. We found one product that completely reduced that risk, a special cord that resists chewing, not only from cats but also other creatures (such as pet rabbits or ferrets). It is called a Critter Cord and can be seen here: www.crittercord.com/ and can be found online as well as at select retail stores. It gave us great peace of mind to know hat our cat was not going to be electrocuted by chewing on an electrical cord attached to our Christmas tree, whether it powered the Christmas tree lights or spinning ornaments.

Bottom line: some cats are attracted to electrical cords. Make it impossible to chew and you might keep the cat away from the tree.

Why we cat-proofed our Christmas tree by using a mild electric collar (and some words about animal cruelty).

One of our cats was deaf and we had to worry about it year round - not just at Christmas. If that cat had gotten out of our house, it would never have heard an oncoming car or an attacking dog or other dangers that typical cats can hear. After a few scares when the cat got outside, our cat wore an electric collar year round and our yard was electrified. The result? Our cat didn't want to go outside and so it rarely got shocked. Eventually, the electric fence staff informed us that we could put wiring under the stairs leading to our living room, keeping the cat away from that one room - and the Christmas tree. We did this. Voila! Our Christmas tree was instantly cat-proofed.

Did our cat get shocked regularly? No. It could feel a warning vibration if it got too close to the door. Of course, every cat owner has to decide whether they think electric collars are cruel. Having seen cats hit by cars lying dead (or writhing in agony) on the side of the road, I'll pick an electric collar over that possibility every time.

Bottom line: consider the use of an electric collar or wiring to keep a cat away from your Christmas tree. Weigh the negatives of the electric shock to the potential pain and suffering your cat could feel if it swallows tinsel, pine needles or broken glass ornaments.

A low tech cat-proofing tip that worked for us - wrapping the bottom of the tree in aluminum foil

This suggestion came courtesy of a friend who has nine cats (and one more set to be adopted). She bought live Christmas trees and wrapped the trunks in layers of aluminum foil, being sure to scrunch it and make sure it made plenty of crinkling noises if her cats tried to climb the tree. We tried this technique ourselves and it kept one cat completely away from the tree. It didn't work on our deaf cat, however, leading me to believe that the crinkling noise is what repels some cats. If this works for you, it certainly is a cost-effective way to keep a cat away from a Christmas tree!

Another noisy method that bothered that one cat and kept it away from the tree? We took a bunch of pennies and put then in an old coffee can, the type with a plastic lid (alternately, you could use beans or any large, noisy objects). We'd shake the can if the cat went near the tree. This worked well.

Bottom line: aluminum foil or noisy objects can help keep cats from bothering Christmas trees.

A cat-proofing tip to use with extreme caution is a spray bottle filled with water or SSSCAT system

This can be an effective way of keeping your cat away from a tree. However, if used inappropriately, you can create a fire or electrical hazard because water and electricity are not a good combination. If you decide to use the spray bottle method, aim away from the tree and try to catch your cat long before it gets near the tree. This worked on all but one of our cats (yes, the deaf cat didn't care a bit about the water).

Alternately, a product called Feliway can be found at Amazon and is supposed to keep cats calm. One friend insisted it kept her cat away from the Christmas tree. We didn't have the same success when it came to cat-proofing our tree but Feliway did prevent our cats from urinating or spraying the tree so I feel that is worth noting. It was useful to have on hand.

Another reasonably priced product is called SSSCAT and it works when you aren't around, using a motion detection system to discourage cats from going near Christmas trees. It can be found at Amazon an other online sites, as well as some retail stores and veterinary clinics.

Bottom line: cats are supposed to hate water. Being sprayed with water or the SSSCAT product can discourage cats from going near Christmas trees.

Bonus cat-proofing tip: don't make your tree attractive for cats

Moving Christmas tree ornaments, glittering tinsel and other items can be cat magnets. Tinsel is very dangerous for cats to eat so why add to the temptations- and dangers - of that Christmas tree by loading it with shimmering tinsel? You might want to avoid any moving ornaments as well and go for an old-fashioned tree filled with natural decorations, ones that won't hurt your cat.

Bottom line - moving objects attract cats. Get rid of them.

No matter what technique you choose, I feel obligated to add that you shouldn't assume your tree is completely cat-proofed when you are away from home. In those instances, consider leaving your cat with a cat sitter or even crating your cat for short periods of time or restricting them to specific rooms. Felines are often naturally curious and prone to exploring new objects, including Christmas trees.