Out of Ideas

As cat owners, I'm sure you all know the fun of having a Christmas tree around cats. So please, tell me your methods of keeping them away, because I am at my wits end - I've tried everything I can think of. Water bottles, scent-based spray barriers, taste-based spray barriers, noisemakers... Nothing works! I don't want to shock them and I'm not willing to pay $100+ for one of those little mats anyway. Currently I'm looking for a dog cage (that I can actually afford) to lock them in at night and while we're gone, but in the meantime my tree is being destroyed. It's fake, a fiber optic tree. We had it decorated, but then they were on the tree literally every 5 minutes - so now it's just the tree and lights, so they only go after it every hour or so. -.-

I've been looking up home remedies and have nixed most of them - I know my cats well enough to know how they'd react to them. Someone suggested mousetraps in the tree. That'd be great for the first time, but they'd activate them, sniff them and then no longer be scared. Another person suggested orange peels hanging from the tree, since cats are supposed to dislike citrus. Haven't tried that yet, think it'll work? My own idea is a bit out on a limb but *shrugs*. I seem to recall hearing somewhere that snakes are a natural enemy of cats - so what do you think of putting some kind of motion sensor with a snake hiss or rattle recording under the tree? I don't know, I'm just desperate.

Someone posted once about putting down that plastic floor runner carpet, upside down, so the little sharp points hurt their toes when they try and walk across it.

I tried the carpet runner upside down and it didn't phase him.

I am in need of a way to keep him off my table. He has taken over every other place in the house. I can't even put out Christmas stuff cause he would knock it off. Please HELP! How long does a cat be two?

sounds like you have a cat like mine. Good luck, I'm at a loss too.

You know those mats that go under chairs with the pointy things? Have you tried that upside down? (You'll have to cut it to make it work).

You can also try tape. Get cardboard, or cut a box into the shape and size you want (tape it together if need be). Then take packing tape, and stick it on upside down so the sticky side is up. They do NOT like to walk on the tape (but make sure you COVER it in tape so there aren't spaces they can get there little paws through!).

Laurie

my husband and i found a great little device for keeping cats away from and off of things we don't want them messing with.... it's a can of compressed air with a sensor attached to the top it it. you point it towards the area or object you want them to avoid, and when the cat enters the field of detection, the sensor triggers a burst of compressed air at the cat. they HATE it. we use two of them, and we either put them in two different places we want to keep cat-free, or use them together to cover a larger area from two angles. we just keep them there until the cats learn to stay away from that door or that counter top or where ever. also, the sensor is adjustable so that you can have the sensor part pointing in one direction and the burst of air in another. the rotation goes full circle.

i'd suggest picking up a few of these cans and placing them near the base of the tree, as well as on an elevated surface if the cat likes to jump into the middle of the tree.

the product is called "Sssscat", and you can find it at PetSmart. They sell refill cans, too, if your cats are stubborn or hard-headed, like mine.