How to keep a kitten off of the Christmas tree???

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  • ThePlight
    ThePlight Posts: 3,593 Member
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    WATER BOTTLE?

    + Me


    I will sit at your home and watch the cat and spray it with water when it gets near me or the tree.

    I will do this for free Tacos.

    Sounds like a great deal!
    Only problem, mine don't care anymore :( lol
  • Kalley1959
    Kalley1959 Posts: 287 Member
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    Good luck, mine still wreak havoc on the tree. Fake tree and NO tinsel and non breakable ornaments!!
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
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    This is why you get a dog, your cat runs your house. Who's meowin now.
  • littlepinkhearts
    littlepinkhearts Posts: 1,055 Member
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    omG this made me laugh....i have soooooo many pics of my cute little kitten nestled in my Christmas tree. Last year my tree was white and she looked so freaking adorable peeking out of her little spot located second floor from the very top lol Obviously i have no tips for you, cause i tried them all and finally just accepted that she's not gonna stay out of it till she's older. Took me one Christmas season to realize that. So many times i came out of my bedroom in the morning and the tree was lying on the floor. Funny now, not so funny then!! So, good luck with finding something that works.
  • ThePlight
    ThePlight Posts: 3,593 Member
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    omG this made me laugh....i have soooooo many pics of my cute little kitten nestled in my Christmas tree. Last year my tree was white and she looked so freaking adorable peeking out of her little spot located second floor from the very top lol Obviously i have no tips for you, cause i tried them all and finally just accepted that she's not gonna stay out of it till she's older. Took me one Christmas season to realize that. So many times i came out of my bedroom in the morning and the tree was lying on the floor. Funny now, not so funny then!! So, good luck with finding something that works.
    LOL, she's not coming out of that tree haha.
    That's adorable, though. Care to share pics? :)
  • MrsSWW
    MrsSWW Posts: 1,590 Member
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    Clove oil? I guess it smells quite festive too, so might work...
  • rainunrefined
    rainunrefined Posts: 850 Member
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    Petsmart or Petco, maybe even Walmart/Target sells this stuff called Bitter Yuck. We had to use it on our tree the first couple of years. It tastes nasty and they leave the tree alone. We just sprayed in on the bottom section.
  • KariBear7
    KariBear7 Posts: 26 Member
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    Go to your local pet store, and see what they say. Also, you can contact sites like Catster, through Facebook and their websites, they might be able to help you. I am a huge fan of Jackson Galaxy...he is the host from My Cat from Hell TV show. He teaches people how to train, and deal with difficult cats (and a water bottle is actually the WORST possible thing you can do). Jackson has a page on Facebook, if you are on there, and he has a website. One thing about kittens, is when they start destroying stuff, it means that there is pent up energy that needs to be used up through play. Get LOTS of cat toys...and wear that cat out!
  • PawneeBrian
    PawneeBrian Posts: 2 Member
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    Place tin foil around the tree. The kitty won't want to walk on it.
  • imncontrolofme
    imncontrolofme Posts: 38 Member
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    I have two cats that think I put the tree up just for them! They completely broke my last tree since they both weigh between 12-15 pounds! I use to tie the tree to wall with fishing line so at least it didn't fall over, lol. This year I have bought a smaller tighter tree that sits on a table in a pot, we'll see what happens....either way, the cats are family and the tree is just extra. I guess if this doesn't work, I'll pin one on the wall and call it good next year! Good luck to you!
  • shayemimi
    shayemimi Posts: 203 Member
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    We got a new kittie this past summer and she is truly a handful, lol. Bengal/Maine coon cross and you can tell!! She can jump 3 feet! lol and she's a little stinker and likes to disobey, but you can tell she knows she's being bad because of her reaction when we catch her on tables and stuff... The Christmas tree is going to be interesting this year for sure. Definitely not putting expensive ornaments on, and leaving the bottom empty.

    Maybe try involving your 4 year old in watching/disciplining the kitten when she goes to the tree. They do learn, they may not care, but they do learn. My older cat was easy, she just loves to sit under the tree, always has. Presents are another story. She likes to unwrap them, lol!
  • JNettie73
    JNettie73 Posts: 1,208 Member
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    I have 2 cats (7 & 10 years old) and have never had a problem with the tree. I guess I am lucky in that aspect. I do have several scratchers and climbing posts throughout the house and a wide variety of toys for them to keep busy with. I have a lot of large picture windows that their posts are strategically placed next to. They love sitting and watching the leaves blow in the wind and the wild life in my backyard. I also play with my cats every day, get them running around and exercising. This seems to tire them out.

    I have used the water bottle before. Once cat doesn't care, the other will run away as soon as she sees the bottle. Usually my cat's don't get into trouble. They never jump on tables, counters or anything they shouldn't. Over the years, I have discovered positive reinforcement was a better route to go with my girls. I constantly praise them, pet them and give a treat when I catch them doing the right thing. (e.g. using their scratchers, playing with their toys) If you start while the kitten is young it is possible to train him/her where they can and cannot go. It takes a lot of time and patience but can be done. (I was even able to teach one of my cats to sit on command!) Good luck to you.
  • graceire
    graceire Posts: 323 Member
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    I don't know, I buy decorations for mine yearly due to this. I have two cats, one of which is pictured as my display image.
    They don't leave the tree alone. It is now broken, 2 branches are attached to the upper ones, no matter what I do, they still knock it over and I'm done trying to keep them off it.
    I just make sure to avoid real trees because if they eat that, it can damage their intestines and stomach, and they will poop out blood.
    I'm not going to win this fight. I've given up. I can get a tree every couple of years, I guess. No biggie lol.

    Oh man! well, I guess I'll just plan on getting a fake tree. i was unaware of that so thank you for that info!!
    The cat I have pictured in my dp ate a few pieces of it, and we thought "Oh, hey, he likes it"..
    BAD idea. We ended up having to take the poor baby to the vet. Before I get anything, I research it.. Having pets is like having children that will never grow up lol.

    I had a cat that once ate an entire peace lily plant. According to every website out there, cats are allergic to them and it will kill them. This cat didn't even burp. Cats.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    In my experience:

    Tie the tree to something so it can't come crashing down.


    If the kitten wants to get at the tree, there will be no stopping it, short of having a door between the kitten and the tree.
  • iamkarent
    iamkarent Posts: 145 Member
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    best solution we found was to use some fishing line to anchor the top of the tree to the wall. so it wont tip over. You are bound to have xmas ornaments batted off the tree left and right but better than risking it falling over.

    Also, no tinsel whatsoever, it is very dangerous to them when they inevitably eat it.
  • marvybells
    marvybells Posts: 1,984 Member
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    yeah, good luck with that. heh. i've never been able to keep the cats out of the tree, especially kittens. (lifetime multiple cat owner & have fostered many cats & kittens)

    usually they just bat at the ornaments & drink the water from the base of the tree. they will snag some ornaments off the bottom part & we find them on the floor in the morning. honestly, I love it. we have special "kitty" ornaments that we put down low so they can play at night. just make sure that you place any sentimental and/or delicate ornaments up high. very high. then you should be ok. (although we once had a cat that was a climber, we woke up one day to find the entire tree knocked over. i don't think one little kitten could do that much damage though.)
  • TonyaPietrzak
    TonyaPietrzak Posts: 59 Member
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    Well kittens are so much like toddlers and you really have to keep an eye on them and even kitten proof your home. I have three cats that I had since they were babies and those were crazy times! two of them are only 2 yrs old. I had a tree up one year and they destroyed it, little *kitten* :noway: LOL... But they didn't know better and no matter how many times I have used the water bottle at night when everyone is asleep they go at it. I come downstairs and my tree would be laying on the floor, ornaments EVERYWHERE! So I got smart last year and decided to just use a statue of Santa and use it as a tree. Had the tree cover around it and on the night of Christmas eve I lay the presents on the floor :) HA HA kitties no tree for you! :wink: PS put the presents down on Christmas eve cause they will open them before the kids will :tongue:
  • michael1976_ca
    michael1976_ca Posts: 3,488 Member
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    put the tree in another room that can be closed off from the kitten. that what i'm doing this year. my cats never learn any thing dangling they want to bat it around
  • marianneread
    marianneread Posts: 21 Member
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    I've had real trees and never had a problem with the cat eating them. I do avoid poinsettia flowers in the house as they are toxic to cats. You don't have to hang the tree from the ceiling, but tying it to a wall is a good idea so it doesn't tip over. I put stuffed, unbreakable ornaments on the bottom for the tree so it's not a big deal if the cat plays with them. If it's going to climb the tree, try using only stuffed/wooden/metal or other unbreakable ornaments. Skip any bulbs and no tinsel. They often try to eat the tinsel.
  • ThePlight
    ThePlight Posts: 3,593 Member
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    I don't know, I buy decorations for mine yearly due to this. I have two cats, one of which is pictured as my display image.
    They don't leave the tree alone. It is now broken, 2 branches are attached to the upper ones, no matter what I do, they still knock it over and I'm done trying to keep them off it.
    I just make sure to avoid real trees because if they eat that, it can damage their intestines and stomach, and they will poop out blood.
    I'm not going to win this fight. I've given up. I can get a tree every couple of years, I guess. No biggie lol.

    Oh man! well, I guess I'll just plan on getting a fake tree. i was unaware of that so thank you for that info!!
    The cat I have pictured in my dp ate a few pieces of it, and we thought "Oh, hey, he likes it"..
    BAD idea. We ended up having to take the poor baby to the vet. Before I get anything, I research it.. Having pets is like having children that will never grow up lol.

    I had a cat that once ate an entire peace lily plant. According to every website out there, cats are allergic to them and it will kill them. This cat didn't even burp. Cats.
    My fiance really likes cats, otherwise I don't think I would have warmed up to our two beasts as much.
    I have SO MANY links bookmarked about cats, it's not even funny. lol.
    That cat sounds like a trooper! haha

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