Tips and Tricks for Pets During the Holidays!

[slvrwhispr]

The twist-ties haven't been a problem because I really crank the buggers on there and then tuck the sharp ends underneath so there's nothing that will poke kitty's mouth.

I'm one of those people who LOVES Christmas; half our storage room is filled with decorations. But, most of these are things without small pieces or breakable bits, and the things that are fragile go on shelves that kitty couldn't get to unless she learned to climb flat walls. I made sure that the decorations I had were kitty-proofed when I had Cody a couple of years ago, and even though he was a real tree-climber, there was never any problem because everything was sturdy and snugly attached. I got really neurotic about it with Cody because he was my first cat, and it was like having your first child -- you don't want them to so much as bump their elbow.

Anyway, I wouldn't ever have a Christmas without a tree, but I wouldn't ever have a tree without it being safe for my pets. I just made the post because I wanted to make sure that other pet owners, who might not think of some details, are made aware so their pets are safe, too.

[Tambrey]

The fun thing we will have to do is to post pictures of our trees as soon as they are decorated...and then again right before we are ready to take them down....ROFL....I bet they will not look the same!!!

I know mine never does!!

[slvrwhispr]

Isn't it funny how the ornaments migrate slowly upward so by the end of the season, the top has an ornament on every branch, and the bottom is bare?

[Traci]

I have a cat who can climb walls, guess what his name is?

[Tambrey]

uummm...Spiderman?!

[Tambrey]

and the tree gets all lopsided and ugly looking...

[slvrwhispr]

Wait, you seriously have a cat that can climb bare nothing-on-them walls? Cody could jump prety high, but never high enough to get on six or seven foot shelves. And thankfully, Izzy's still way too small for that. She can climb pretty high, but that's easily remedied by strategic furnature placement.

[Traci]

To some extent, yes, and his name is....Cody.

When he was a kitten, he climbed everything, everything that could go as high as the ceiling. As he was developing, he would jump up the walls, getting higher and higher until he reached the celing. As he matured, he simply used the walls as a velcro stick, taking a run from a distance and pasting himself to the walls. He is convinced he can fly. Now, he has a combination stretch-reach-jump. Not to worry, he has never hurt himself with these antics, although he has driven his mommy insane.

Mind you, I have cathedral ceilings...I don't have a bug problem in my home, Cody takes care of that

[TheSkeptic]

I have seen several cats run up bare walls, one even went across the ceiling of the cat trailer! (Don't ask me how.) When it stormed, Sheba, an 8 year old dog, would get up a 5 ft high dresser. If an older over weight and generally sedate dog can get up a 5 ft high dresser, think of where a determined cat can get.

[slvrwhispr]

You guys are going to give me nightmares... LOL

My Cody could run about five or six feet up the wall, but he never had enough momentum at that height to grip onto a shelf to pull himself up. Although he would jump on the four foot dresser, then jump the rest of the way on top of the bedroom door and perch there, waiting for the next person to walk through the door.

Izzy, on the other hand, is more of a crouch under a chair and pounce your ankles kind of cat. When she does climb things, she prefers to be at hand-level so she can bat at your fingers and climb in your arms. She's hyper and crazy, but she's the sweetest kitten I've ever seen.