Decorating for the Holidays

[Lallypop11]

Hey All!
Anyone else find it nearly impossible to decorate for the holidays the way you want to while owning cats? Last year they didn't bother the tree but that was before Lucky, who knows what he will do this year. Anything else I buy I have to see how they react with it because you know they have a tractor beam for any new object put in the house and usually they want to bite whatever it is and pull things off of it, like this gorgeous mini tree I got last night. Same thing with plants and flowers, I have to get fake ones or put flowers in a closet when I leave cuz I don't want them to eat them and get sick. Anyone have any tricks for decorating for the holidays? I wouldn't do it any other way though, because the holidays without cats just aren't holidays!

What are you guys getting for your cats this year? I want to get a bigger cat tree for our bedroom and possibly a water fountain water bowl. Can't I just buy them everything?

[Twink]

Now there's a good question. If you were a first-time cat mom with an energetic young cat who seems determined to chew on anything and everything, and who has been known to eat the tails off his toys (we can't allow him near anything remotely related to string anymore), would you even try to get a Christmas tree? I *love* my Christmas trees, look forward to it all year long, and can't imagine my place in December without one. But then again. . . I am so worried that Rizz will try to eat the branches. I would only decorate the top half, and he's not much of a climber and no jumper at all, so the ornaments aren't a problem. But I can just see him poisoning/choking himself on the tree itself! Then again . . . he wouldn't *really* do that, would he?

*frets*

I know, I'm no help. In fact, I'm negative help! Do any of those cat-deterrent sprays actually work?

[Lallypop11]

We always get a fake tree so sometimes they chew on the branches, but we don't hang ornaments off the very bottom row so they don't really bother it otherwise. My very first cat climbed our tree a little when I was young and my second cat loved to sit under it because the lights made it warm. I just love Christmas! We have the cat tree right next to the dinner table so I know they will be watching everything over Thanksgiving dinner, haha.

[Twink]

Awww, I can just see them hovering over the Thanksgiving table and making sure that no one eats with their elbows on the table! Guardians of the Feast. I love it. I'm sure they'll do very well in the turkey tidbit department!

I have these two conflicting Christmas images in my head: the first is of Rizzo curled up under the tree among the presents, his wonderful fur lit up like a multi-colored halo by the lights, while his purr matches the gentle hum of the gas fire....

And the other is of him wrestling with the tree until it comes crashing down on top of him, scaring him out of his wits so that he flees past the fire, waving his tail frantically and catching it ablaze!



I think I'll just take my chances and put up a tree...but make sure I do so on a weekend so that we can be around to supervise for a while!

[catlover4ever]

My mom has a real hard time with decorating. Her baby Buttercup loves to climb the christmas tree, therefore we have to anchor it to the wall and the ceiling. Mom has a total of 8 furkids so she has her hands full.

I have to admit that my furkids are really good about hte tree. We have an artifical tree and sometimes I catch Smokey chewing on the branches, but he learned his lesson when one year he decided to chew the branches and then immediately threw up....needless to say he really does not mess with the tree anymore.

This year I am hoping to get my babies a huge cat tree. They already have 2 kitty gym/condos, but I found a 6 1/2 high 15 level tree that I am hoping to be able to get. I know they will be thrilled.

[Lallypop11]

Isn't it amazing how easily we can spend money on the cats but if we go to spend it on ourselves, it's like, do I really need this? I should save! I love buying them stuff, I would rather buy them stuff than things for myself!

[sirrahbed]

We DO put up a regular Christmas tree but anchor it to the wall with fishing line and cuphooks. No breakable ornaments - only fun homemade things from years with the kids - all kitty proof. NO tinsil. We also put the tree up on a small table and this avoids most of the temptation :-) Other "decorating" is minimal and cat friendly.
Aftre seeing Edwina's water fountain, THAT is going to be their gift. I can't find the smaller model so looks like they will get the Deluxe I hope they like it - both insist on running fresh water!!

[Lallypop11]

My boys would rather drink out of the faucet too, Priss isn't coordinated enough to jump on the counters, my poor special baby!

Happy shopping for the kitties!

[RedHedd]

I couldn't resist - I saw this crinkly Santa hat at Petco and HAD to get it for them. They're not too crazy about it, but they do have their moments:
Mishi

and Mitzi:

[RICHARD]

lol,

My cousin lost ALL his Xmas decoration last year.

He decorated, went out and when he came back the cat had DESTROYED the whole house....

[catnapper]

My husband and I just had this conversation... we have a nice collection of the Dickens Houses and I have the complete Lennox Nativity (nice when my brother works for Lennox - the stuff's dirt cheap!) We are not putting any of it out this year... we figured that if he has knocked over a heavy clay pot a million times, a simple porcelain figurine would be nooooo problem for my little bugger.

Sigh, we will most likely have the tree, decorated with plastic balls, and the rest of it wil be pillows, scarves, boughs of holly, fa-la-la-la-la.

[CatDad]

Bob has been pretty good about not breaking all of the decorations. He does love the ornaments on the tree. What we do is put the plastic ones and the soft ones at the bottom. That way if he goes after them, which he will, he does not get hurt, nor can he hurt them. Luckly he is not a tree climber.

Joey was pretty timid last year, so we shall see now that she has gotten bolder and more comfortable.

From the sounds of everyone elses post we are pretty lucky.

[catmandu]

Actually I gave up on the Christmas Tree, as the Found Cats have smashed all the ornaments , and I am tired of picking it up , and redecorating! Found Cats love the TREE!! Too much!

[Lallypop11]

Originally posted by catnapper
My husband and I just had this conversation... we have a nice collection of the Dickens Houses and I have the complete Lennox Nativity (nice when my brother works for Lennox - the stuff's dirt cheap!) We are not putting any of it out this year... we figured that if he has knocked over a heavy clay pot a million times, a simple porcelain figurine would be nooooo problem for my little bugger.

Sigh, we will most likely have the tree, decorated with plastic balls, and the rest of it wil be pillows, scarves, boughs of holly, fa-la-la-la-la.

We all need really big glass hutches to display all of our breakables in so the kitties can't get them! I have a hutch and bookcase that the cats can't get on so that's where I put most of my decorations, other than that and the tree, my decor is minimal too. Silly kitties, hehe

[lynnestankard]

We've had so many tree topples in past years we've given up on that!
So we just have a small fibre optic tree that sits on the chest in the corner and guess what - all three take it in turns to sit under it looking wonderful as their black fur is tastefully decorated with softly changing colour

Lynne