Christmas is a festive and joyful season, but it's important to be aware of potential hazards for your cat during this time. From the allure of climbing the Christmas tree to the stress of visitors and the presence of harmful treats, the combination of cats and Christmas can sometimes lead to unfortunate incidents. However, with some extra care and precautions, you can ensure that the holiday season remains safe and enjoyable for both you and your feline companion.
Cats and Christmas trees
If you're a cat owner, you're likely familiar with your feline friend's penchant for climbing. It's no wonder that Christmas trees often become irresistible challenges for them to conquer. However, this can lead to the tree toppling over if your ambitious cat decides to test their climbing skills. To prevent this, it's important to ensure that your tree has a sturdy and heavy base. You can either purchase a tree stand designed for stability or add weights to the bottom. Another option is to secure the tree to the wall or ceiling using tethers, ensuring that it remains in place regardless of your cat's attempts to replace the angel or star at the top.
Hazardous Christmas decorations
Cats and Christmas trees often come with the added challenge of irresistible, dangling decorations. However, this can pose significant dangers, especially if you have glass baubles that can shatter and harm your curious cat if knocked off the tree. Tinsel and angel hair can also be hazardous if ingested and may cause blockages. To create a cat-friendly Christmas tree environment, it's best to avoid glass baubles and decorations made with toxic materials. Skip the tinsel and angel hair altogether. Instead, securely attach all decorations to the tree, making sure they are out of reach of a playful swatting cat paw and not too close to the bottom where they can easily be dislodged.
Be wary of mains powered Christmas tree lights
Cats and Christmas tree lights can also be a bad combination as the wires resemble fun toys for your kitty. Any wires will need to be covered to stop them being chewed and when you’re not home, switch the lights off at the mains. If you’re a fan of leaving your lights on all the time, battery-powered options are much safer.
Are Christmas trees poisonous to cats?
While fir trees themselves are mildly toxic to cats and can cause irritation in their mouths and stomachs due to the oils they produce, it's highly unlikely that your cat will consume a large enough quantity to cause harm. However, fallen needles from Christmas trees can pose a small risk if ingested, as they have the potential to puncture your cat's gastrointestinal system. If you prefer a real tree, opting for a non-drop variety can be a safer choice. Alternatively, an artificial tree may be a more convenient and cat-friendly option.
Problems with live, potted Christmas trees
It's important to be aware that potted Christmas trees may contain fertilizers and plant food that can be highly poisonous to your cat. If you have purchased a ready potted live tree, consider changing the soil to remove any potentially harmful chemicals. Another issue with potted trees is that the large container may attract your cat to use it as a litter tray. To prevent this, cover the top of the soil with pebbles or a protective cover.
If you find that despite your efforts to create a cat-friendly Christmas tree, it still proves to be too tempting for your cat, one solution is to keep your cat out of the room with the tree. This can help prevent any potential hazards or accidents.
Additional Christmas dangers
Some contain ethylene glycol (antifreeze) inside. If broken, the glass can hurt your kitty and the liquid is highly toxic, so always keep snow globes well out of the way.
Festive plants
If you have a house cat or kitten, they may be interested in your festive plants. A few plants that are poisonous to cats which may be present around the Christmas period are poinsettia, holly, mistletoe, amaryllis and certain ferns.
Christmas food
Christmas dinner is definitely one of the best parts of the season for us, but for cats, it can be hazardous. If you have gammon or beef with your festive meal, be aware of the meat string that ties up the joint – these are soaked in meat juices and look tasty but can cause choking if swallowed. Additionally, there are a variety of toxic or poisonous Christmas foods such as onions, garlic, raisins, chocolates, grapes and alcohol to name a few.
Avoiding stress for cats at Christmastime
Cats and Christmas can be quite overwhelming, especially for nervous kitties. However, there are several steps you can take to ensure a smoother holiday season for your feline friend.
Amidst all the festive spirit, it's important to consider your cat's perspective on Christmas. For most cats, they prefer things to remain as they usually are—the familiar smells, looks, and behaviors they are accustomed to. They appreciate their routine, environment, and home comforts, as these provide them with security and allow them to maintain their rightful position as rulers of the home.
During Christmas, everything changes. There's an atmosphere of excitement or even panic in the air, the house looks different with tinsel and lights, and unfamiliar people may be present to celebrate. And let's not forget about the mysterious appearance of the Christmas tree!
For many cats, this can be a stressful and worrisome time, accompanied by potential dangers. However, there are also cats who love to explore and be part of the holiday festivities. They enjoy getting into mischief, knocking things off shelves, jumping in boxes, shredding wrapping paper, and investigating everything that the celebrations offer their curious nature.
To ensure that Christmas is a time of goodwill for all felines and to keep them safe, here are some tips to follow.
Try to keep the disruption to one room
To ensure a more peaceful Christmas for your cat, it's helpful to have designated areas where the holiday festivities take place while keeping the rest of the house familiar to your cat. This allows them to have plenty of "unchanged" spaces to relax and retreat to. It also provides you with a room that you can keep your cat out of when you're not able to supervise them.
To secure your Christmas tree, consider attaching it to the wall or tying the top to something stable. This prevents it from toppling over if your cat decides to climb it. Instead of shouting or getting annoyed at your cat's tree-climbing antics, quietly discourage them and redirect their attention to a different and more engaging toy.
When it comes to decorations, make them as "cat-proof" as possible. Tinsel should be avoided as it can be dangerous if ingested. Keep lights out of your cat's reach, and opt for sturdy ornaments like wooden or plastic ones instead of delicate glass ones.
Creating a multi-level cat play area can be a great alternative to the tree and will be more exciting for your cat. Keep it stocked with treats, interactive toys, and games to make it more rewarding for them to climb and explore. Including a scratching post in this area can also help divert their attention from the base of the tree, especially if you have a real tree. This play area can remain in place even after the holiday season is over.
Consider setting up a stair gate
If you are going to have young children in the house that your cat doesn’t know (or strange dogs), have a stair gate in the doorway of the room you will be having most of your celebrations in - so your cat can leave the room through or over the gate without the children following. If your cat likes to be involved in what is going on, make sure they have some safe spaces, ideally on different levels, so they can supervise from a comfortable distance. If you have children visiting, make sure that they’re always supervised with your cat.
Be mindful of using too many cleaning products in the home
While you are going to want to make sure your house looks its best if you are inviting family around, don't go too crazy with the cleaning, polishing and air fresheners. These can disturb the comforting scent marks your cat leaves around the house that helps them feel at home and secure, and can lead to anxiety. So lightly clean and tidy the rooms you’ll be using - and don’t worry too much about the rest (which might be just the excuse you need not to feel you have to scrub the house from top to bottom before your relatives arrive!).
Keep the cat safe away from the kitchen
There’s always plenty of cooking going on during the festive period and this poses new threats to your pet. From cooking oil, hot stoves to clanging pots and pans, it’s a good idea to keep cats out of the kitchen at Christmas