this is my cats first tree and we got a 4 foot white metal and plastic one with 400 lights on it. it's beautiful and we hung some tiny bulbs. we want the tree to stay nice but the cat won't leave it alone.
i have squirted him, held him by the knapp of his neck and scolded and nothing seems to work so far. he always does the worst damage while i'm sleeping, being the little sneak that he is.
ANY TIPS TO KEEP HIM AWAY FROM IT WOULD BE HELPFUL!
His First Tree and He Won't Leave it Alone!! HELP!
Re: His First Tree and He Won't Leave it Alone!! HELP!
If you're going to have a tree and a cat, you need to be prepared kitty will want to play with it, it is inevitable. Please see this thread for safety tips, cautions and concerns.
You can't expect him to leave the tree alone, cats are curious,... shiny and dangling objects are attractive to them, they view them as toys. Harshly reprimanding him as you portrayed, is not the solution..as you've seen, he will play with it regardless if you're around.
You can try short time-outs in another room if you catch him in the act playing with the tree ornaments, but be warned it probably won't stop him from doing it at night when you're sleeping or gone from the house. I'm not sure there is ANY solution to keeping cats away from the tree. For some owners, it's a choice between a small table-top tree or none at all, regardless of the choice, your cat's safety comes first.
Again, see the thread on safety tips and concerns.
You can't expect him to leave the tree alone, cats are curious,... shiny and dangling objects are attractive to them, they view them as toys. Harshly reprimanding him as you portrayed, is not the solution..as you've seen, he will play with it regardless if you're around.
You can try short time-outs in another room if you catch him in the act playing with the tree ornaments, but be warned it probably won't stop him from doing it at night when you're sleeping or gone from the house. I'm not sure there is ANY solution to keeping cats away from the tree. For some owners, it's a choice between a small table-top tree or none at all, regardless of the choice, your cat's safety comes first.
Again, see the thread on safety tips and concerns.
..........Traci
Re: His First Tree and He Won't Leave it Alone!! HELP!
Be prepared to redecorate the tree.... 
My two will not leave the tree alone, I have tried everything...squirting them, citrus scents, you name it!!! They still continue to knock off ornaments, use them as balls around the house and eventually break them, chew on my beads, hang from my big bow, climb the tree and lay in the branches....they are quite bad, and like you, most of the damage is done at night!!!
I have already redecorated my tree 3 times this year...and I'm sure there is more to come!!!
If you are able to (I am not) try shutting the cat in a room where he/she can't get to the tree...
Hope you have better luck than me!!! Merry Christmas!!!!
My two will not leave the tree alone, I have tried everything...squirting them, citrus scents, you name it!!! They still continue to knock off ornaments, use them as balls around the house and eventually break them, chew on my beads, hang from my big bow, climb the tree and lay in the branches....they are quite bad, and like you, most of the damage is done at night!!!
I have already redecorated my tree 3 times this year...and I'm sure there is more to come!!!
If you are able to (I am not) try shutting the cat in a room where he/she can't get to the tree...
Hope you have better luck than me!!! Merry Christmas!!!!
Jodi &
Chauncey + Chessa + Chairis
Chauncey + Chessa + Chairis
i just have to think of the tree and the bulbs as my cat's temptation and then work on behavior modification. i have a friend with two cats that don't bother her tree. obviously everyone in the world with a cat doesn't give up their tree each holiday, so i'm determined to work through this.
tonight i just distracted him and he came upstairs and AWAY from the temptation. if the night time thing continues i will keep him in an area that prevents access to the tree if i have to. tonight before i go to bed i will take him down to the tree and tell him to leave it alone again. if that doesn't work he gets his access cut off. i am also prepared to give him some time outs in the bathroom.
i continue to talk to him and try and get him over it. he WANTS to be a sweet guy but the tree is SO TEMPTING! which makes it tough because i don't want to make him skittish of me for discipling him.
tonight i just distracted him and he came upstairs and AWAY from the temptation. if the night time thing continues i will keep him in an area that prevents access to the tree if i have to. tonight before i go to bed i will take him down to the tree and tell him to leave it alone again. if that doesn't work he gets his access cut off. i am also prepared to give him some time outs in the bathroom.
i continue to talk to him and try and get him over it. he WANTS to be a sweet guy but the tree is SO TEMPTING! which makes it tough because i don't want to make him skittish of me for discipling him.
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paulette2
Re: His First Tree and He Won't Leave it Alone!! HELP!
Ok, I'm going out on a limb here (no pun intended). I've had cats for five years and I still haven't put up a tree. It's kind of like having small children. I have very good kitties, but there are just some things that one has to live with. I'm sure you're right -- there probably are people who are able to have Christmas trees & cats. One of these days I'm going to try putting up a tree. I've heard it's a good idea to attach the tree to a hook in the ceiling so they can't pull it down. I doubt that you can stop them from playing with it.
There are some things that cats do -- like climbing on tables, etc. They don't know there being naughty -- they're just being cats. You can try providing ALTERNATIVES. Perhaps you can get them cat trees and hang some plastic ornaments/toys on it so they will play with them instead. I'm a great believer in alternatives. If you don't want them to do something, you have to give them something else to satisfy the urges.
Hey, it works with people.
There are some things that cats do -- like climbing on tables, etc. They don't know there being naughty -- they're just being cats. You can try providing ALTERNATIVES. Perhaps you can get them cat trees and hang some plastic ornaments/toys on it so they will play with them instead. I'm a great believer in alternatives. If you don't want them to do something, you have to give them something else to satisfy the urges.
Hey, it works with people.