If you have a cat, you've probably seen him do some funky things around your Christmas tree. These frisky critters cannot be tamed, and something about Fraser Firs really incites them to grab at the branches with their little paws until they get stuck there and become gigantic ornaments themselves.
This week, Scottish comedian Susan Calman tweeted a few photos of her cats just hanging out in her Christmas tree. She writes, "I now decorate the garden with lights so the wee smashers don’t destroy the decorations or hurt themselves and said tree stays in a cupboard. I’d rather have the cats. My gorgeous festive idiots." It seems her cats aren't the only Christmas clowns with claws. Twitter users flocked to share photos of their own furballs crawling up the Christmas tree as if it's a climb-up loft bed. It's a shame cats are lounging in trees and not in all those festive holiday cat beds we keep buying them!
Here's a look at some Catmas trees, as we'd like to call them.
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Peek-a-boo!
This mischevious kitty didn't hide in the tree. She simply chose to destroy it instead. Grinchy.
Hide-and-go-seek champ!
Looks like somebody does NOT want to be bothered while rampaging the tree.
When your friend says she doesn't watch HGTV.
So adorable, but so naughty!
As Calman wrote, placing a tree in a cupboard is a great way to keep the damage contained. PETA also offers a few more tips on maintaining your Christmas tree with a cat in house.
Buy an artificial tree: While a kitty has no preference on real or fake, the pine needles on a living tree can actually harm your cat if he's notorious for gnawing on foreign objects. If you do buy a real tree, cover the water bowl with a tree skirt and try to keep it hidden so your cat isn't tempted to take a slurp.
Smaller is better: If your kitty loves to jump on the tree like it's a middle-school jungle gym, a smaller tree will minimize injury if he does happen to... knock it down. Do make sure the base of the tree is secure in case Mr. Whiskers goes full-out lemur.
Let your kitties adjust to the tree before decorating: Allow your feline friends to investigate the tree for a few days before placing the ornaments on. This way, they have some time to get used to this gorgeous new play thing situated in the living room.
Unplug lights when not using them: When the lights are on, keep your eyes on kitty in case he tries to gnaw on them. When you leave the room/and or house, unplug the lights to keep him safe.
No tinsel: Sorry guys, but cats love frilly, shiny things. Tinsel can pose as a choking hazard or get stuck in cats' intestines if ingested. Try to choose wooden, felt, or paper ornaments—cats won't be as inclined to munch on these.
Decorate the top of tree: While some mischievous little kitties will climb straight up the tree, others will spare us our sanity and stay put on the ground (where they can equally create just as much damage). The higher up you place your ornaments, the harder it will be for Mr. Whiskers to knock them all off. Also, try to place ornaments farther down each branch, as ornaments on the very end of branches are more accessible for pets.
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Kelly is the News Writer at House Beautiful where she covers a little bit of everything ranging from decorating trends and must-have products, to anything that includes doughnuts or glitter.
