I keep the poinsettias in places where the dog and cats can't get them. I hide the potpourri where DH can't find it..he doesn't like the smell. Funny..he was a chemist and the most God awful odors he doesn't even notice. I keep the icicles/tinsel? off the lower branches of the tree or the litter boxes become very sparkly.

All of the lower branches on the tree have non-breakables. My 2 old boys dont pay all that much attention to the tree anymore except to bite the branches and "help" Dad test the light bulb strands when he spreads them out across the floor.
My favorite ornament is a silkish Cardinal that sports teeth marks from every cat ive lived with for almost 40 yrs.
I might add that the 1st 3 yrs of Opies life we were very thankful for the French doors that shut the living room off from the rest of the house....those of you who know Opie will understand...

Because our house only has three small rooms there's not space for many decorations. I do have a pair of Christmas stockings that get hung in the bedroom, and a small artificial tree that goes on the kitchen table. The tree is within reach of the three cats but for some reason they don't bother it. The rest of the decorating is outside (where we spend most of our time anyway). Christmas lights around the deck, wreaths on doors, some ornaments on a tree in the garden. All out of the way of cats,and dog. I remember a friend with many cats who hung her Christmas tree upside down from her ceiling one year. The cats still managed to get into it.

Having 8 cats, even though only five come downstairs, our tree is put into a corner and wired from each side. Funny, but since I've been doing this for about 20 years the cats don't seem to climb the tree. It's almost as though they know it's not worth the effort. I too keep the really delicate stuff up higher and wired well to the branches...just in case.

Cami is now a year old, but this is her first Christmas with us (or anyone, really, as she was born outside and had never lived inside until last March.)

My tree is very special to me. It was my Grandma's. Right now, it's up in it's spot (which unfortunately happens to also be the window that Cami prefers) and the lights are on. There has been some chewing on the branches, but nothing too bad yet.

Tomorrow, if the tree is still standing overnight, we will try some bulbs and maybe some garland. I think we'll probably have to forgo the garland this year though. I'm also not planning on putting any special or highly breakable ornaments on this year.

My small tree, which usually goes in in the corner of the kitchen and has kitchen related ornaments on it, will most likely not be put up this year either, just to be on the safe side. It's a very narrow and light tree, so I know it would be knocked over very easily.

Last Christmas, we had five cats and a doggie. Regardless, the tree was not molested. All of them were up in years and had attained some modicum of manners.

This year may be a little different story. All my beloved animals passed away one by one this year, and we have a new doggie, Tubby. A shelter rescue and wound for sound. So I'm putting my toe in the water. Wednesday, I put up the nekkid tree. Thursday I put the angel on top. Then I waited to see if it would be bothered. Tomorrow, I may start hanging ornaments a little at a time.

He's a good doggie, but he loves to play and loves his toys. I'm just afraid he might not be able to tell a bulb from a ball.

My DD took this snapshot of him one day she was babysitting him for me. Whadda you think........is my tree safe?

{{gwi:198136}}

Oh no..looks like Tubby has a thyroid problem. LOL Safe tree?? Yeah right Suzy. Are you taking any bets?

I don't take any extra precautions. Midnight came to us between Christmas and New Year 6 years ago, approximately 8 month old and eating frozen, half cooked french fries from the compost heap. She did not touch any of the ornaments then or since. An accomplished tree climber outside, she leaves the tree alone but likes to sleep on the red tree skirt, after all, that shows up her black splendor, LOL.

Sooty, Taffy and Maximius would probably be ok, but then there is Jasmyn, the most active, messing with everything cat I ever had - also the most pretty and charming, so I cut er some slack.I had no tree for quite a while, but hung ornaments on the big fica and the Norfolk Island pine, don't quite know what will work this season. Some items definitely are not going to be out and I shall bring things into the room little by little and see what happens.
She does respect the squirt bottle, maybe I have to have it in a holster, ready to draw any minute? But then, I do need some sleep, so that's not a solution either.

No tree. 11 big wreaths on the front of the house (one on each front window), evergreen garlands on the mantel, and the staircase. Pheasant feathers tucked into the fireplace mantel garland --- and we giggle as they are stolen and brought to us one by one throughout the season.

Karen, I'd never hang stockings from a light fixture... in our house, that's where we hung the IV drip for the geriatric kitty we used to have!

Suzy... that dog... um... well it's just that... you might have your hands full with him... he looks both active and insane! (Congrats!:o)

I didn't mention the light fixture is actually a CANDLE light fixture. Minus candles. :o)

IV drips...not quite there yet, but one of my kitties is 17 1/2 yrs and it's definitely one day at a time.

Karen

I am not certain how it'll work this year. I was going to decorate the whole house yesterday, but thought better of it when, after 30 minutes, I was saying Maggie Down! Murphy NO NO! every second, :( when all I'd done is drag out the boxes. I wanted to "do it up big time" (every square inch in greenery/decorations) for the little fella, but it's looking like it probably won't happen. I did put up a special little tree in his room with unbreakable ornaments on an artificial tree that I flipped the end of the branch over the loop of the ornament to keep it on the tree. Does that make sense? That doesn't keep them from knocking it down in whole. I might do the same with the bigger tree if it looks ok when I get home tonight (((heavy sigh)))

I was just thinking about Gruver (how do you spell that kitty's name?!) and all the animal troubles you've had Michelle. You handle their maladies with greater aplomb than I ever could with Keegan. Any little thing and I was a shambles.