The holiday season is here. Before a frisky feline gets into trouble, learn how to cat-proof a home for the holidays with these 5 tips.
Cat-Proofing Tip 1: Christmas Trees
Cats can get into most places, so it’s very challenging to protect holiday decorations with a feline roommate in the house. But there are things that help.
Curious Kitten Smelling a Christmas Tree
Most cats have a natural aversion to citrus smells, which can be used as a gentle deterrent around the tree.
Cat Deterrents
One of the best ways to prevent a cat from claiming the Christmas tree as a personal playground is to use their sense of smell. Most cats have a natural aversion to citrus smells. Place orange, lemon, or grapefruit rinds in a bag and hang it in the tree, including around the base. Dried citrus fruits work the same way.
Lafayette Vets suggests soaking ribbons in orange oil and tying them throughout the inner and lower branches of the tree to discourage curiosity.
Another easy option is spraying the tree with a mixture of water and a few drops of citrus essential oils, including citronella, orange, or lemongrass. Putting cloves into whole oranges and hanging them on the tree works too, with the bonus of making the room smell good.
Cat deterrent sprays are also available from most pet stores. Depending on the cat, reapplication may be needed to keep them away from the tree. Always apply deterrent sprays only when the cat is out of the room.
Aluminum foil can also help. Most cats dislike the crinkling noise it makes and how it feels on their paws, so wrapping foil around the tree trunk can discourage climbing.
Cat Batting at a Christmas Ornament
Breakable or sentimental ornaments should be hung high and out of reach of a curious cat.
Secure the Christmas Tree
Cat owners know cats love high, protected places, and a Christmas tree offers exactly that. Use fishing line to secure the tree to a wall, curtain rod, a sturdy nail into a stud, or the ceiling. Move furniture away from the tree to prevent it from becoming a launching pad.
Real or Artificial?
Needles from real Christmas trees can pose a hazard to cats if chewed, including drooling, vomiting, or punctures. An artificial tree avoids this risk and also prevents a cat from drinking the water used to preserve a real tree. Chemicals are often added to tree water, and stagnant water can contain bacteria that may make a cat sick.
Cat-Proofing Tip 2: Ornaments
Christmas Tree with Tinsel and Flocking
Tinsel, flocking, and strings of popcorn should be kept out of reach to prevent choking hazards.
Ornaments are an important part of holiday decorating, and some may be valuable heirlooms saved over the years or handed down from loved ones. Special precautions help protect them from a curious cat. Make sure breakable ornaments or those with sentimental value are hung high and out of reach, or choose non-breakable ornaments for the best protection from a cat that loves to climb and play. Keep tinsel, flocking, and strings of popcorn out of reach as well, since these can cause choking hazards or life-threatening obstructions if swallowed.
Cat-Proofing Tip 3: Candles
Candles are a major part of the holiday season, but they carry real risk. Beyond the chance of a burn, cats can tip over a lit candle or menorah with serious consequences. Battery-operated candles and menorahs avoid this risk entirely, or candles can be placed high enough that a cat cannot reach them.
Cat-Proofing Tip 4: Gifts
Cat Sitting Beside Christmas Presents
Tape, ribbons, and bows under the tree can pose choking hazards if a cat swallows them.
Wrapped gifts under the tree are another easy target. Tape, ribbons, and bows all pose choking hazards or dangerous obstructions if swallowed, sometimes requiring expensive surgery to remove.
Cat-Proofing Tip 5: Create Distractions
Always supervise a cat around the tree and be ready to redirect attention with a favorite toy or treat. Building new high perches away from the tree gives a cat an appealing alternative. Placing favorite treats or catnip on the new perch encourages them to settle into it instead of the tree. Perches can be built at home or purchased from Amazon or a local pet store.
The Best Gift Is a Comfortable Cat
The holidays bring more stress for cats than most owners realize. New decorations, visitors, changed routines, and unfamiliar smells all add up. A familiar, calm grooming routine is one of the few things that stays consistent through the chaos of the season, and it gives a cat something predictable to settle into.
It also happens to make a great gift. A grooming tool a cat tolerates well, rather than one that turns brushing into a wrestling match, is something most cat owners would appreciate finding under the tree.
The 5″ EasyGroomer removes loose hair and dead coat without pulling or scratching, using a micro-barbed blade that lifts in the direction of coat growth. It is a practical gift for any cat owner, whether the cat in question is dealing with holiday stress, shedding from a dry, heated house, or just due for a good brushing before guests arrive.
