Pages

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Christmas Tree-LESS


Yes it’s true. I am without a Christmas tree for the fourth year in a row. When Alex was alive she was such a good girl I could put up a tree, and even hang tinsel on it; she wouldn’t touch it if I told her no. Finnegan and Lacey are a whole other ball game. Long drapes – check! Climbs them. Loose TV or computer wires – check! Plays with them. Toilet paper – check! Plays with it and eats it. Finney even got constipated once after eating it, I had to take him to the vet. I have to keep the toilet paper in an enclosed trash can next to the toilet.

Most of the time I don’t mind too much that it’s not really my house or my things anymore. Because as every cat owner knows; we don’t own them, they own us. So it stands to reason that they also own everything in the house. Especially since they fully believe they do anyway. Christmas is the one time I wish I could have what I want for a change. I’d love to put up even my small, artificial tree, have some lights, pretty decorations, glittery garland, etc. But I can see it now. All day and all night I’d be fighting the inevitable; the chewing on the wires (absolutely too dangerous), the eating of the tinsel (also dangerous), the batting around and breaking of the ornaments, and so on.

In my mind I can see the tree being knocked over several times a day. I can see them ever so cleverly pretend they don’t care about it anymore only to wait until I’m sleeping or not home for the real fun to start. I can see my tree-top angel being mangled to bits and feathers flung, half eaten, all over the floor. I do manage to put up some decorations as long as they’re completely out of reach (which is not easy with cats). Even then it’s unbelievably compelling and they spend a good amount of time staring and thinking of ways to get at them. I also have some ceramic decorations but those also have to be kept out of reach in fear of Lacey’s paw of doom! You know that paw; the one that acts like they are just inspecting the object only to take a sudden swipe at it and before you know it…CRASH! I suppose I could put up a fiber optic tree but that still would not allow me to hang my ornaments and pretty decorations. And it goes without saying that there is absolutely no way I could ever leave presents out. That would be a complete waste of wrapping paper. For now (and maybe forever) that tree will have to stay in the basement all by itself, as if it’s the Charlie Brown Christmas tree; so lonely. Bah…humbug. And I will remain always and forever…tree-less.

If anyone has found a way to put up a tree and not have it torn down and ruined, I’d love to hear it so please leave comments. I’m sure others would love to figure this one out as well. OR if you have your own Christmas tree disaster stories, please also leave comments. I’d love to hear them. I’m sure we’d all love to hear some Catmus disaster stories. 

16 comments:

Tina said...

I have a small tiny fibre optic that goes on the kitchen table. It has ornamnets on it. It is my KISSmas tree. LOL!! Kiss decorations on it. the cats cant get at it. Then I have my main one, but they dont really do too much damage. Wilson likes to chew the branches sometimes (its not a real tree) They bat at the decos, but i put the unbreakable ones near the bottom, no tinsel, just some nice bows at the ends. I hope you can figure out a way to have a tree :)

IBDKitties said...

you're lucky they don't climb that tree! With my luck, Finney would forget how huge he is and try and scale it. My problem is they also like to chew things, not just bat at them.

Anonymous said...

This was so timely about Christmas trees. We can not put up a tree this year again due to Ozzy. He loves the tree and gets into trouble and it is too stressful and dangerous to put one up. I was just thinking that we must be the only ones without a tree. I loved this blog. I enjoyed the part about them owning us, knocking over things, and the paw part. Also, about them getting into trouble at night and the eating of the toilet paper! Thanks so much for doing these blogs as they make me laugh and I can relate!!

Heather S said...

When Teebo and Callie were little, we had an artificial tree, which they loved to climb. It was cute when they were little, but became more destructive and damaging as they got older. One time we came home from work, and there were HUGE holes and bent branches.

We then switched to having a real tree, and the cats left them alone (probably due to the sap). However, we were getting tired of all the watering and needles, so we decided to go back to an artificial tree.

This year, we have a white and iridescent artificial tree. The cats left it alone, other than munching on some of the branches (which they promptly threw up). Then, one day we came home from work to ornaments on the living room floor and some cat sized holes in the tree. Teebo was the culprit (the only glittery kitty in the house). So, now when we leave the house, we put up a cardboard wall made of those cardboard presentation boards around the tree. We put some heavy objects at each of the seams and clip the tops together. It has worked very well for us!

IBDKitties said...

LOL, Oh Ozzy. Still a little rascal! No, you are by far not the only one. I'm guessing there are millions of us who are at their mercy.

IBDKitties said...

LOL!!! Oh my!!! That's a lot of work but at least you found something. Too bad you didn't take a picture of Teebo with all that glitter on him. You could blackmail him on Catster. MOL

Tigger Tales said...

I'm lucky, my furkids leave the artificial tree alone. I sure would miss it if they didn't. :)

Teachbam said...

This year, we will use the plant that looks like a Christmas tree. It has been here all year so they know it well. No ornaments will go on because of Juliette, our kitten. Natasha and Alex were so good with the trees. I would put it up without anything on it for at least a week so they would get used to it. Then, I would be ornaments on it when they were young that were unbreakable. As the years go on, I could place breakable ones but high on the tree. No tinsel, ever, it is too dangerous. All of the ornaments go on with a string.
No sharp objects were allowed....Now, my angel Ben would kill the trees. He tried taking them down with one pounce. By six years old, he gave up. We celebrate both holidays. The candles on the Menorah are out before we leave the table. ...You will be able to put a tree up in two years. Again, the trick is to put it up without anything on it until a few days before Christmas. As they get older, they are easier around trees even my Big Ben...I would reward them by placing a ornament that they can touch and it would not hurt the tree or ornament. ....p.s. Please don't use any curling ribbon. They adore the stuff and will try to eat it....I haven't had a cat who hasn't tried. When it comes out in the poop, it is strange and scarey...

IBDKitties said...

You must be in heaven!!! I can't believe none of your kids play with it. WOW.

IBDKitties said...

You really think I'll be able to do it? I don't want to rush them getting older but I miss putting one up. Maybe I'll try that method next year. I think at four years old they are still too likely this year to get into it.

lillito said...

I have a set of three of those twisted Dr Seussian trees that have never been out of the box and TEN boes of 30 ornaments each that have never been hung by the chimney with care, but at least the kitties are safe and maybe, just maybe someday I can have a house with some small room I can seal off for the holiday (but then what kind of holiday would that be?) sigh. It's nice to know others have this issue...

IBDKitties said...

Dr. Seuss!!! I would LOVE to see those. It does stink doesn't it? But it's a trade off. We get all that fun and love but we have to put up with the brattiness. LOL.

Meezer's Mews & Terrieristical Woofs said...

MOL! Our angel Simba was a tree climber, Toki took naps in the branches, breaking them off...they all have done their share of branch chewing, and stealing ornaments is a great game...Once I found one in the summer, cleverly hidden away fur fur-ture reference, MOL!

I hang some things on inaccessable walls, like angels and so on...they sit there and will them to come down! So far to no avail.

I have a ceramic tree, with a star on top and little lights on the ends, that is NOT interesting...and our present kitties only chew on really thin cords like earbuds and usb...

I do use the fiberoptic trees now, and if you can find sparkly beaded garlands, those do look pretty on them...but last year, Minko figured out that it was fun to try and have those beads to play with, so he pawed and chewed it...and the whole thing came down...sigh...so now we have them but naked!
I group them together which makes a statement, and is nice to look at.

I also take heavy glass or crystal bowls and fill them with plastic baubles, about 1 - 1 1/2 inches big. That is festive and makes a nice centerpiece...until the baubles get stolen...at least they do not break, and they are too big to be carried, if they fall to the floor, though that is fun times!! MOL!
My closet has boxes full of decorations, that I would love to use...sigh...
The tree skirts are nice nesting pawlaces...Minko tries to get under them like a blanket...Pipo likes to sit on them.

I had until recently a very large Norfolk Island Pine and they did leave it alone...not Suki, though...I attached some red birds to that and some heavier ribbons.

I think the pet stores or some inventive purrson(s) need to get with the program and invent uninteresting to kitties Christmas decor...

Purrs!

Carol said...

(Note to self--sign in to Google before writing a book. I just lost my original post. Sigh.)

Okay, here goes again.

I didn't have a tree for years because I didn't trust my Misha. I finally did put it up in the last few years of his life. He didn't touch it! And, wow did he have plenty of opportunity and plenty of damage he could have done: glass ornaments, feather covered birds, crystal icicles, strings of electric lights, and a doll-size angel tree topper...

My girls (Samsara, Colette and Marrakech) have always been angels when it comes to stuff like that. Well, almost. A friend sent me 2 tiny finger puppets--and wouldn't you know it, Samsara manages to get them no matter where I put them. I have yet to see how she gets on top of the 4 ft. high bookcase--leaves the Limoge box and antique lamp alone and just takes those puppets!

But, thinking back, when my sister's kids were little, she bought the styro-foam balls covered in satin thread and she also made the prettiest 'toy soldiers' from wooden clothes pins (the kind without the springs). She painted on the uniforms and faces and glued tiny pom-poms to the top of the 'helmets'. She tied embroidery thread around the necks so she could hang them on the tree. It was about that time too, that I was making craft ornaments. I made little stuffed rocking horses and teddy bears from printed cotton, stitched on the faces and used yarn for the loops to hang them on the tree. Twenty-some odd years later and I still have the toy soldiers and rocking horses, and they still look pretty.

And, while I'm thinking of it, I would bet that Felicity at Happy River Dances Catnip Company would be more than pleased to make stuffed ornaments if enough people ask her. She's already set up to do the kitty toys. Modify the designs and use polyster batting instead of catnip and voila!

IBDKitties said...

It sounds like you've tried everything. Not very encouraging, MOL. I haven't even been able to find a ceramic fiber optic tree, I think that's the only kind I'd be able to have.

IBDKitties said...

HUH! That's an idea. She definitely could not use the catnip. I can just see that one now, LOL. That would be asking for it in a big way. I do like the idea of cloth ornaments from her though, lots of kitty stuff.