Are real Christmas trees poisonous to cats, we've never had a real one before, but were thinking of getting one this year?
Thanks.

well I am not sure, but when we lived in the UK we had real Xmas trees all the time, the cats didnt bother with it and on the only occasion Dino approached it, the needles got his nose :lol2: :lol3:
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http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/weihnachten/xmas-smiley-037.gif

I have not heard of that on this forum but I have heard repeatedly that your cat is more likely to climb a real tree than a fake one.

Well Max regularly climbed the artificial ones, but it's the possible poisoning that I'm more concerned about.

growing up we always had real trees. It never hurt them and we had a cat that practicaly lived in it. They are more sturdy to climb then the fake ones.

Not really, but the tree sap in the water is harmful. So make sure you have a cover around the base of the tree so the cats can't drink the water.

I advise you to get the kind with short sharp needles rather then the softer ones. The sharp needles will deter your pets better.

And one really big thing is do NOT use any of the tinsel icicles on the tree - those string pieces will choke and kill your cat. Use unbreakable balls,etc. on the lower part of the tree for safety.

2 years ago, we put dark green, small holed netting (from a fabric store) around the bottom 2/3rds of our tree, to keep our toddler out of it. Since I also gathered it up and tied it around the trunk of the tree at the bottom, I discovered that there were no bouncing jingle bells at 3 am:lol3: , and no cats in the water if I included the top of the tree stand in what I gathered the netting around :) . We could barely tell the netting was there, unless we were right next to it, even in pictures;) . This will be the 3rd year I'm gonna put it on (we have a new dog)!

The needles can be harmful if swallowed, but I've never met a cat who wanted to swallow them.
The tree water can be harmful. What I do with that is just take the netting that the tree is usually put in to allow you to transport it home and place that around the water reservoir, so I can still pour water in but the animals can't get to it.

Hi,
This is not about a tree, but what you might use to decorate around it : poinsettias. They are deadly to cats if they eat it. Beware!
N.

The tree water can be harmful. What I do with that is just take the netting that the tree is usually put in to allow you to transport it home and place that around the water reservoir, so I can still pour water in but the animals can't get to it.


I guess I should have mentioned, I've got a 3 ft (or so long) funnel, with a ''dip stick'' in it, specificly for watering the tree, without having to crawl on the floor but once (to mark the high line on the dip stick;) . So that is run down inside the netting, too, on the back side of the tree. Boy, do I like that thing!:lol3:

Actually, poinsettias are not that bad. There are several other plants related to Christmas which are MUCH more toxic than poinsettias. Poinsettias are not deadly, the most they may cause is a stomach upset. They are considered low toxicity.
Both Mistletoe and Holly are worse, as are lilies which are often found in holiday flower arrangements. Lilies can cause kidney failure.