Simply Cats

December is my favorite month of the year. It's Christmas season! You know what I like most about Christmas? The Christmas Tree. I'm famous at Simply Cats for sneeking out of my room and hiding underneath the Christmas Tree. Although it's fun for me, most of the humans would prefer that I stay away from the Christmas Tree. I think it's a pretty common problem with kitties, so this December I decided to leave you all a few ideas how to keep your kitty out of the Christmas Tree!

Steps

1. Make sure that your cat or cats, are locked in a safe room large enough to hold it/them when everyone is either asleep or out of the house. This will keep your kitties from knocking the tree on the floor.
2. Use a piece of high test fishing line to connect the top of the tree to the ceiling. This will prevent the tree from tipping.
3. Put any valuable ornaments somewhere in the top two-thirds of the tree. That way the cats can't reach them.
4. Hang ornaments by using wire ornament hangers. Use a pair of pliers to clamp the hook part around the branch.
5. Use duct tape. If the tree is shorter than 6', use duct tape to tape the legs of the holder to a piece of wide ply-wood and put the whole thing on a short, sturdy table. This keeps the tree above their level and the cats won't be as interested.
6. Plug the tree lights into a short indoor extension cord and tape the plug into the socket with electrical tape. Simply unplug the lights from the extension cord to turn off.

Tips

1. Keep a small spray bottle full of water near the tree. If your cats still go after the tree, a light spritz of water on their back and a stern "NO!" will get the point across.
2. Cats naturally hate the scent of oranges, so keep orange peels under the tree to repel your cat.
3. If its a plastic tree, a small amount of Citronella oil shaken into a bottle of water and misted on to the tree makes is smell unpleasant to the cat but fresh and citrus-like to you.
4. Consider getting a Scotch Pine. They have extremely sharp needles. Also works for curious small children.
5. For small kittens wrap tinfoil around the trunk. They don't like putting their nails into it and it will keep them from climbing the tree.
6. Spray some pine cones with citronella and pile them around the base of the tree. Cats do not walk on pine cones! (also works great to put pine cones in the base of your houseplants).
7. Spray the bottom limbs with tobasco sauce to keep them from chewing the bottom branches. They wince and run away!
8. Decide to make it your cat's Christmas, too. Decide you are not going to get frustrated trying to outsmart your cat this year. Secure the tree to the wall or ceiling to keep it from toppling. Clamp ornaments to the branches with the metal hooks using pliers. Take pictures of your cat sleeping in the Christmas tree branches, and SMILE! >"<

Warnings

1. Don't use tinsel around cats! Ever! They will pull it down and spread it over the house and possibly chew on it and choke. Tinsel will cause the cat serious injury if injested - contact your vet right away if you think your cat has chewed, eaten or swallowed any tinsel.
2. When you lock the cats up for the night, make sure they have plenty of food, water and a clean litter box.