HELP! Kitten in the Christmas Tree

[CityGirlintheCountry]

This might not help this year, but before I could lock the tree away from the kitty and ferrets, I used to just get the biggest wreath I could afford and hang my favorite ornaments all over it. It smelled right, could be hung out of reach and I still got to enjoy my favorite ornaments. (The cat never wanted to climb the tree, but I couldn't keep the ferrets out of it.)
I did put up an artifical tree this year. Max the Cat keeps stealing the felt ornaments we hung low (the supposedly kitty proof ornaments!). So far he's killed two (shredded) and dunked three more in the dogs' water bowl (staining both water and ornament red!) It's a hard life around here for felt!

Good luck!
CG

 

[Southern28Chick]

I can't have a Christmas Tree...I have 6 cats.

Instead I put lights on one of the living room windows in the shape of a tree.

Edited: Now that I think about it, I've never liked sitting around a tree that's dying. It's sad. If I could have one I'd go fake.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

When I was a kid we had an indoor cat and dog who knocked over the tree and chewed up the ornaments while we were gone! From then on we tied the tree to the wall or ceiling and put animal proof ornaments on the bottom.

I have heard of people hanging the tree from the ceiling (would need a small tree, of course).

Good luck!

 

[Haviris]

I've not yet gotten to page two so this may have already been suggested, but I would use a squirt bottle. Our newest feline member is a 7-8 month kitten, and he couldn't have been more excited about our tree! So a few squirts and he's leaving it alone now.

Well now that I've made it all the way through I see it wasn't already suggested, a simple squirt bottle works wonders, you may have to keep after him for the first little bit, but it only took one day for Truman to get the hint. He's quite the playful type and I'm sure the tree is a huge temptation for him, but he's not bothered it since, I did squirt him once more for getting to rough with some of the gifts, but he hasn't attempted to go back in the tree. Good luck!

 

[mom'sfolly]

We used to have a cat that ate the tree, threw up and broke out in a rash. The current cats just think the tree skirt is a kitty bed.

Here areone or two ideas that might work. Blow up balloons, surround the tree with them, when kitty goes through them they pop, instant negative reinforcement. This is supposed to work to train cats to stay off counters. The other one is to set mousetraps, upside down, under something that will make noise. When the cat triggers a mousetrap it snaps up and makes noise. Because they are upside down, they shouldn't hurt the cat. I also haven't tried this one; I would probably end up with bruised fingers after setting off the traps on myself.

 

[lfoose]

At one time we had 11 cats. None of our cats have ever bothered our Christmas trees. My suggestion is a squirt bottle filled w/water. Squrit the kitty every time he comes near the tree and say a firm NO. Eventually he will come to fear the site of teh bottle.

 

[jenichick]

mine have always played with the lower hanging ornaments, but have never actually climbed up in it. Maybe because it's not real, but I l ike the sqirt bottle idea