Garland question

Hi all,
I will be putting up our brand new tree today (artificial) and I was wondering about garland. I always put some on my tree but I'm wondering if it's safe with Abby. This is her second Christmas with us but it's her first with a big tree - our tree stand broke last year and I couldn't find one for artifical trees so I just put up our small two foot one (she went nuts on it).

Should I put it on or leave it off?

I personally would leave it OFF. The kitties would probably chew on it and I don't like the idea of them having tinsel in their tummies.

Instead of garland, I now use strands of bead in gold, white and red. They look nice and are safe for the kitties.

Garland is not kitty friendly. Opt for something else instead.

My parents always used it on our trees, with anywhere from 2-4 cats around. Strangely, none of the cats throughout all those years every messed with the tree.

DH and I don't use it though, mostly because it sheds little pieces and makes a mess. We use sparkly wide ribbon, you can get it in several colors too.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

I personally would leave it OFF. The kitties would probably chew on it and I don't like the idea of them having tinsel in their tummies.

Instead of garland, I now use strands of bead in gold, white and red. They look nice and are safe for the kitties.

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Thank you for the great idea! I bought some red beads and put them on the tree. They look great and Abby has left them alone. In fact the tree looks so nice with just lights and beads that I may no put any ornaments on.

Mom prefers bead strands & now so do I. I haven't had a cat pull them down or chew on them. Hopefully they won't start this year.

If you are talking about the garland that looks like a "snake" - that's fine. Do NOT put sting tinsel on the tree - those strands can get caught in the throat of a cat or dog and choke them to death.

I've had no problems with the cats bothering the garland on trees or the railings.

I use the garland on my tree every year.Last year, we had 5 in the house.And none of them bothered it at all.
Icecles--I wouldnt use!

I string popcorn and cranberries for garland every year. The cats leave it alone, but Fergus the dog let me know the last row was too low in his opinion. I think he's right and I won't be replacing it.

I use tin icicles for the tree, they are sturdy, twisted to reflect light and have a bend in them to hand over the branches. I got them the first year I had a cat and love them. They just need to be straighten once in a while on the underside of the tree where the cats walk/dash by.

I just bought a revolving tree stand, I love it too, hopefully the cats won't be tempted by a moving parade of ornaments. I'll let you know.

My family's never done garland, maybe this is why? Never thought about it.

We always used ribbon.

I don't use icicles either. I tend to go with the newer decorating ideas and tinsel and garland are a bit old-fashioned and I'm just not an old-fashioned girl. I think it's wonderful for those who are though.