How long will the Christmas tree stay up? Stories please.

This is the first year with our approximately 1 year old kitty who is fully clawed. We set up the artificial Christmas tree on Saturday afternoon. He was very helpful on that...NOT. He was curious about it and tried to climb up a little ways on the trunk but would stop when we'd tell him no. We waited till a day later and put the lights on it late yesterday afternoon. Now he's even more interested in it. (I put him in the bedroom while I was putting the lights on so he didn't try grabbing at the strands of lights.) Today is our first full day back to work. We're wondering if it will be knocked over by the time we get home. No ornaments on it yet. We're going to wait a few days for that.

What have your experiences been with your cat(s) and Christmas trees. I can imagine there might be some pretty funny ones out there.

Well I put my tree up Saturday and its Phantoms first Christmas. She thinks it just for her! Like a real tree for me? She has climbed it knocked the branches out of the base, knocked the ornaments off (thank goodness for unbreakable ornaments) pulled strings of lights off. I am dreading finding out what she has done while I am at work!

Oh wow. You have a real curious kitty. We'll have to write again tomorrow after we see how today went while we were at work all day. My DH gets home before me so I'm betting that he'll call with some interesting news about how the tree faired today.

We don't have a Christmas tree yet. Tradition says that we put up the tree on the evening of the 24th of Dec. and keep it until the 6th of Jan. But last year was Nena's first Christmas [she was about four months old] and as we didn't know how she would react, I decided to decorate the whole tree with cut-out cookies. The tree was beautiful and Nena was such a good little girl... at first. After a few days she began playing with the cookies on the lower branches, and each time one fell down off the tree, there went the dog and ate it! Tragically Nena was killd in October so she won't have a second Christmas but I will put a cookie with Nena's name on it in our Christmas tree.

This is Raphael's first Christmas, so I went easy on the breakable decorations this year, too, even though he's a "senior" (my butt. He's only 8! And he has moments of kittendom still).

He layed down under it when I had finished putting the lowest level of branches on it (it's fake) and has been firmly planted there all day. So, my prediction is that the tree probably won't be abused, but that I'll have to serve his meals under there from now until New Year's

My other cats ignore it. Gracie is actually a little bit scared of it and Leo just can't be bothered with it!

My cats could care a less about it, although instead of walking around it they must walk under it!!! Since it has gone up Severino has been guarding it ... just sits in front for HOURS!!! It's WEIRD!!!

Yeah, Frankie has been laying under it like it's his own fort or something. I didn't get a all from DH and he's home by now so maybe all is still intact or DH wants me to see what he saw when I come home. I'll see shortly.

That's so cute about decorating with cookies and then the dog would eat the cookies that got batted down. I bet the cat was your dog's best friend during that! So sorry to hear about Nena.

Awww first of all, so sorry to hear about Nena, Carmen. Fly free, sweet nena!

My boys love to terrorize the tree (and their people! lol) by wrestling around and under it, chewing on the branches, climbing the tree, etc, etc. Especially Smeagol! I made a post about this a couple days ago, even. lol He is driving us all nuts! Trixter is pretty good about it, except when he sees Smeagol under it and decides he needs to slide under and pounce on him! Last year, the tree fell over many MANY times. Only about 3 times so far this year....lol

I must admit, though, there is something very funny and amusing about a full grown cat up inside the christmas tree. lol They are both such characters!

My kitty Sneakers is way too lazy to try to climb the Christmas tree luckily!
She's never tried it, not even once... Our previous cat Sylvia (RIP) on the other hand...we caught her staring very intently up into the tree one day. After that I got the idea to put some oranges with slits in them around the base of the tree. Like many cats she HATED the smell of citrus, and after that she always left the tree alone.

I'm a little (ok a LOT) worried what the new kitten will do with the tree though... We're bringing him home a few days after Xmas so maybe I'll just take the tree down early this year...

Here's a pic of our previous cat Sylvia at Christmas:

It was Chesters first christmas last year and when we set it up (real tree) he would run and jump directly into the tree, jump down and then climb it. He did it about 15 times before he started slowing down. After that he occasionally would climb it. The tree was ancored to the wall (we left the hooks in and hidden) and we didn't put anything breakable on it, just incase. all went well.
This year Dynah will be 3 months old for christmas and Chester has already started practising by climbing our habiscus tree regularly. it's going to be another non breakable christmas I think.

These are funny. Frankie made it through our first full day away from him without doing anything to the tree. I swear he only tries to be naughty when we're home. This morning he was extra feisty and kept batting at the lights and I'd tell him no and he'd stop. Then he batted at the lights and I told him no and the light string kept coming down more and I told him no again before realizing that one of his front dew claws was stuck to it. He looked so puzzled. I unhooked him and we were good to go again. I have to get those bottom lights up a little higher so they don't hang down and tempt him as much. I have to get a picture of him under there. He looks so content in his Christmas tree fort.

Wow - you mean you guys actually put up Christmas trees?!?!? I gave that up about 12 years ago when we got to cat #9. The last tree was in a tree stand, braced in the bottom by boards, tied to the ceiling with a rope, and no ornaments on the bottom half. At the time with 5 dogs and 9 cats, it just wasn't worth the hassle. We just decorate outside trees with dried fruits for the birds now.

This is the most animals we've had for a while. (4 cats, 2 dogs). The "girls" don't really seem to care much about the tree, except that Nadette was kind of excited about the new satin treeskirt last year. Smudge is so pleased that we put up this enormous tree with lights JUST FOR HIM!!! The good news is that he's one of the "fort" guys that just wants to hang out under it!

So far it seems invisible to the dogs, LOL.

This is Sadie's first Christmas, and I've had the tree up for almost a week. The tree is still standing....for now!

Uh oh, I may be eating my words. Smudge found out there are things HANGING from the tree!

Originally Posted by kluchetta

Uh oh, I may be eating my words. Smudge found out there are things HANGING from the tree!

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Not HANGING fromt the tree!! You actually hung things on the tree??

I'm waiting till Frankie gets over his facination with the lights before putting the ornaments on. Actually that might take forever so I'm just waiting a week and will try HANGING things on this weekend when I can keep a better eye on him.

The first time my cat saw our Christmas tree and all the shiny glass ornaments she went completely bezerk with it . I have now learnt to use a small plastic tree and I place it on a high table in a corner of the living room. For some odd reason she has never had an urge to climb it and break all the ornaments like she did with our first tree that sat on the floor.

I guess its about compromise....

But I if I leave any presents under the tree, most likely I will find them the next day with bits of the wrapping paper torn or bitten off. I sometimes think she was perhaps a dog in her previous life.....

Once the tree is fully decorated, the ornaments will be the first to go. Shortly there after, you will have pine needles everywhere. Sometimes, cats just chill in the branches of your trees, so you will get to try and clean the sap off their fur.

In the end, you will be rewarded with what is essentially a broken christmas tree, but you will also have lots of happy holiday cat memories so its worth the trade off - especially if you take pictures!.

Originally Posted by charmaniac

Once the tree is fully decorated, the ornaments will be the first to go. Shortly there after, you will have pine needles everywhere. Sometimes, cats just chill in the branches of your trees, so you will get to try and clean the sap off their fur.

In the end, you will be rewarded with what is essentially a broken christmas tree, but you will also have lots of happy holiday cat memories so its worth the trade off - especially if you take pictures!.

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Oh my, I'm glad we have an artificial tree. I'd hate to have to deal with cleaning sap off his fur.

My friend (who doesn't have a pet) is urging me to get a small artificial tree - there happens to be some great sales right now. But I told her I didn't think it would be a good idea with the kitty; she is a chewer and I have an awful feeling she would chew on the branches and whatever she could on the tree. I don't know how I will decorate this Christmas.