STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

TexasGal · Kenneth Cole

Kitty and houseplants?

greendiamond · Marc Jacobs

You get a dog that scares the kitties and the x-mas tree isn't a problem.

It sounds sarcastic, but my kitties were afraid of my dog last year so the tree wasn't a problem. They get along now (for the most part) so all I can recommend is to have the tree and just the lights and sturdy and/or ugly ornaments you wish you didn't have on the tree. Figure that if it tips once they won't try to scale it again. That's when you put up the good ornaments.

As for the houseplants, I put rocks in them so they wouldn't play in the dirt, and the chewing stopped too. A also put a cactus in the place where one kitty was jumping to before making the second jump to a higher plant. That did the trick.

Hopefully someone else will have some better advice for you. My experience with the spray was that it was so bad that I couldn't even be in the room where it was sprayed. In my old apt., my the boyfriend and I had to leave for a few hours while it aired out. It was borderline pepper-spray like.

gd

Hermione · Kate Spade

be careful!!!! some plants are poisonous to cats - especially poinsettas! if you know yours is already into plants - don't get any this christmas (or anytime !)

Cortney1982 · Chanel

Maybe a cirtus spray? I'm lucky, my cat doesn't mess with Christmas trees, though she likes to lay under them!

Sandy · Kate Spade

My kitty loves Christmas trees. He used to hang out in the branches and swat the ornaments off the tree onto the floor... but now we have to keep him in the basement for the whole season because nothing we tried could keep him out. My parents asked everyone that knew anything about animals what we could do to stop him... giving him a little spritz of water when he was in there worked best, but after a while he got used to it and didn't care. Funny thing is, it's not even a real tree. We're on our third tree now because he bent the branches beyond repair on our previous ones (he's a fat little sucker ). Now the poor little guy has to miss out on all the holiday festivities.

Sorry... I guess that was just a long way of saying that the only advice I have is to keep a spray bottle filled with water nearby .

Elle · Hermes

I got an inexpensive decorative bird cage from Ross for $15 to put my plants in (just 4 small ones) to protect them from my kitty! Works really well, and they can still ya know, get some sun and stuff

. As for the Christmas tree, we have to string ours up to a hook screwed into the ceiling with invisible fishing line every year

. He's just too big/strong - he can take the tree right down! The 'nice' ornaments go toward the top of the tree, and we actually put a few that are cheap around the bottom so he can play with those and not the others

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TexasGal · Kenneth Cole

I guess I'll just have to wait and see what he does to the tree once it's up. We always have fake trees so maybe I'll try various things. I like the idea of an all-natural repellant spray if it'll work. Water sprays doesn't work on him. We've used water as negative reinforcement in the past and he just sits there and takes it now...lol, what a dummy. Worse come worst, kitty will be spending a lot of time in the laundry room come Christmas. Thanks for all the help ladies!!!

jacL · Coach

Stephanie wrote:

My kitty loves Christmas trees. He used to hang out in the branches and swat the ornaments off the tree onto the floor... but now we have to keep him in the basement for the whole season because nothing we tried could keep him out. My parents asked everyone that knew anything about animals what we could do to stop him... giving him a little spritz of water when he was in there worked best, but after a while he got used to it and didn't care. Funny thing is, it's not even a real tree. We're on our third tree now because he bent the branches beyond repair on our previous ones (he's a fat little sucker ). Now the poor little guy has to miss out on all the holiday festivities. Sorry... I guess that was just a long way of saying that the only advice I have is to keep a spray bottle filled with water nearby .

Ugh, last Christmas I had a roommate with a cat who would nap in my artificial Christmas tree. It looked as if there were huge gaping holes in my tree and I was so mad at him. Nothing worked with him so I ended up taking it down well before Christmas. Looking back, I have to admit it was cute to see him all cuddled up in the tree.

lsubatgirl · Gucci

Definetly don't buy and christmas plants. They are poisonous!! Also with my kitty we had to put the nativity set high so he wouldn't steal the people out of it (esp baby Jesus) and we just kept the nicer ornaments away from the bottom. Otherwise we never had a problem and he never tried to climb the tree - just slept under it and stole some ornaments