We have an artificial tree and I too anchor the tree. We tie it down to the floor and also we have cup hooks in the woodwork of the windows, this serves as an additional anchor for the tree. I don't like to use duct tape because it leaves a mess on the woodwork.

Also I don't use any tinsel on the tree.....too easy for the cats to eat and it causes a lot of blockage problems if they do eat it.

I do not use metal hooks for the ornaments instead they make plastic ones and these are much safer than the metal ones...in case the cats should end up taking the ornaments off the tree and eating the hooks. While the plastic is still not good I would rather use plastic than metal.

If you have any extra special ornaments....put them towards the top of the tree...you have a better chance of them not getting broken that way.

I also this year will not be putting any glass ornaments on the tree this year because I have two new kittens and they get into everything. Once they grow up and become less "hyper" then I will put my glass ornaments back up.

My mom's 8 cats managed one year to take her 8 foot artificial tree completely apart. She works second shift and was coming home one night and could not figure out why she could not get the basement door opened. Well when she finally pushed her way through she saw her tree in pieces. They had managed to take the lights and ornaments off the tree, knock it over, and dismembered every tree limb and dragged it to the basement. I received a call at midnight that evening with my mom totally in tears...you see it was the first Christmas since her mom had passed away and the cats decided that that was the year to destroy the tree. Needless to say her tree now gets anchored to the walls and floor as well.