Oh, they'll be ALL up in your tree, trust me. My Camille used to climb up the center and roost high in the branches, like some kind of deranged cat-bird. My older cats have usually just been mildly interested in the trees we've put up throughout the years, but for the younger ones it seems to fall under the heading of The Most Exciting Thing EVER. With your young 'uns, you are sure to have some kitty-tree/ornament interaction, and you may even lose a few of your ornaments, as I've never known a young cat that did not find the thought of batting them off the branches irresistible. Place your favorites up high!

I have seen photos of catproofing attempts, including wrapping the tree in netting (um, no) and suspending the three from the ceiling (again, no). Be armed with a squirt bottle and give them a shot of water whenever they approach the tree - but that's just the temporary fix. They'll be back to check it out the next time you turn your back. ;-)

"I'mma GET that shiny thing."

"Is she still behind me? Is she watching???"

You might get lucky and have cats that don't care about your tree. I've had cats my entire life (aside from college) and have never had one try and climb the Christmas tree. At most they've liked to play with ornaments hanging on the lowest branches. So I only put lights on the lowest branches. Problem solved. I sort of thought the whole "cat climbing the Christmas tree" was a myth, or an exaggeration. Until my kids were little and we were at my in-laws. Woke up to a huge crash Christmas morning. One of their cats decided to climb it and it didn't work out so well. The only thing I can think of that might help would be to get a really sturdy base. Don't have the stand nailed to the bottom of the tree at the lot or tree farm. It won't keep a cat away but will help keep the tree from toppling over.

ak, I don't have advice about keeping cats away from your Christmas tree, because, if your cats are anything like mine, they will do what they darn well please. I've found it better to let them investigate and explore for a bit.

I didn't have a tree their first year because I was away for Christmas. These photos are when they were 1-1/2 years old. I always get a 4-ft. real tree, set it on an upturned laundry basket covered with white towels, so it's a reasonable height. I'm not aiming for a design statement; I just want a homey little Christmas tree.

I leave it set up for one day, bare, no lights or ornaments. Cats will investigate, touch, etc. They can't hurt anything at this point. Then I string lights and hang ornaments. Mostly I use little things that my family collected over the years, not heavy on glass ornaments, so that if anything falls, it usually won't break.

My cats are generally unruly and naughty. They don't acknowledge me being head of household at all. Despite that, I adore them. All trees have survived pretty much intact. One year I had three cats, but the third was an elderly female who was quite genteel and well-behaved.

Cats dig the lights and sparkle I put mine in front of a corner window seat, so the cats can lounge beside it. I have a soft stuffed cat ornament that they like to remove and play with.

We had a cat/Christmas tree mishap 2 years ago. In the middle of the night one of our cats jumped from a chair to the tree and knocked the whole tree down. It was lucky we were home, as if this had happened when we were working during the day the floor and rug would have been ruined. And most of our glass ornaments broke. The situation caught us quite off guard, as our cats are not kittens and had never before shown a bit of interest in the tree.

We did 2 things after this incident. We bought an artificial tree to avoid future water issues. And we restocked with non-breakable ornaments. We feel better now.

Linelle, your "little homey tree" and the cat beds nestled on the window seat next to it are so incredibly sweet. I'm smiling.

Mine have never tried to climb the tree either. Good advice not to put your most treasured ornaments near the bottom. It's almost worth it to cede one to the cats...let it hang low and allow them to remove it.

Years ago I used to string popcorn and cranberries. I had a cat who ate the popcorn. I would move the strings up higher and higher until they were all up at the top and the tree looked like Mt. Fuji with a band of clouds around the summit.

Linelle, your cats look like total troublemakers!

I totally gave up. My son's cat must be terrified of them. He will do all he can to bring it to the ground. We're considering putting it on the porch right in front of the living room window?

My parents cats didn't try to climb them, but they would try to steal the ornaments off the tree and pull the whole thing over in the process. My dad started anchoring the tree to the baseboards and we stopped putting the soft ornaments they found most tempting on the lower branches.

Not cats but the year dd was 8 months old at Christmas I just put the tree up on the patio. We could see it through the big window across from the couch. People laughed at me, but it was just so much less stressful for me.

Good luck!

None of my cats every did anything more than drink the water. Maybe they are used to trees, since we live in a forest? But they do love that "magic Christmas water!"

sas, they are Trouble. And they're indoor-only, so there's nothing I can do about it. I adore them.

I've had cats drink the water and one that always slept on the skirt and toyed with low hanging ornaments but never climb. Last year we had just gotten 2 kittens (somewhat feral) but they were sequestered upstairs for those weeks and never saw the tree. This year they are roaming but only have the tree room while we are home and awake. Our old girl has that area of the house while we are out or sleeping and she leaves it alone. We actually have 4 cats now and 3 of them pretty energetic so we shall see. I may display my favorite ornaments on the mantle this year. It is a fake tree now so I wonder if that will make a difference in their interest.

If possible never leave them alone in the room with the tree. Also helps to place a few cans of SSScat in strategic spots under the tree.

SSScat

I do have a Christmas Tree Guard Dog, maybe that's why the cats don't mess with it.

I love a dog in uniform!

I've never had cats climb the tree. They like to nestle down beneath and look adorable or channel their inner wildcat watching for prey, not sure which. But, I've never had a kitten AND a tree. So, encase it in a plexiglass cylinder?

I used to come home from work and both of them would be at the top of the tree crying to have someone help them down.

You could always get a tree like this.

It does help if they have their own tree ... but not with lights. The boys' tree is moved to another room when the Christmas tree goes up. I make sure to give them an equally good spot for bird watching. Seems to satisfy them.

December location...

Be sure not to use tinsel of any sort. If they eat it, could be an expensive surgery to remove it.

My cats would nest in the branches of the artificial tree. My fat cat bent that branch. I suppose it was a great place when the sun was shining.

3 of 5 of us are allergic, so no cats in this house. But what cuties! I want one now.

Tinsel is a big no-no (ask me how I learned) - & I wrap the wire hooks around branches to secure ornaments.

Ditto about putting your faves up high.

Keep the tree away from the stairs. Years ago we put our tree in the crook of our L shaped stair case. We found out the noisy way that our tree was absolutely irresistible to our two kitties. I'm pretty sure they were diving into it from the stairwell. They crashed the tree, more than once (oh, does that sound make me jump!) After that, DH guy-wired the tree to the molding in an effort to keep it upright.

We've done that for years, tied the tree to something: stair rail, curtain rod bracket, window latch. One year we didn't, and in the middle of dinner, one guest (a "date" whom we'd never seen before or since) leapt up from the table just as the tree started to go down, and rescued it halfway down. Had nothing to do with the cats (who were hiding under the beds from all the guests).

Cats in Christmas Trees

One cat couldn't care less but the other one likes to sleep underneath it. I have learned not to hang decorations near the bottom.

I've had 4 cats and grew up with another. None of them got into the CHristmas trees -- though one of them did eat half of an ornament our son made at school -- it was a reindeer face made with a milkbone dog treat. We didn't have te dogs then so we thought that was pretty funny. Mostly mine just iked to curl up under the tree - even among packages.

We appearantly dodged a bullet though. I fostered a cat that was adopted in early December. My mom had broker her hip and I was spendina lot of time with my parents, so we had not put our tree up yet. The adopting family had and I heard from the new kitty mom that she came home from work at lunch to check on him and found ornaments on the floor and him having a grand time. She was laughing and said they were simple solid colored balls -- nothing he could break or that they couldn't replace.

Xarcady, thank you so much for the link to Fern and Iris! I don't know when I have enjoyed anything so much!!

Great stories and photos! I guess we will see what my cats do when the tree goes up. They are super curious about anything new we bring home so I imagine that the same will go for the tree.

I don't have cats, but I love them. I saved this picture years ago because I think it is so pretty. It might have come from here!

Luckily, our cats only like to sleep under the tree. Neither of the ones still living like to pull of the ornaments. DD2 has two Calicos. When they were young, they climbed up the tree and stayed for awhile. Once they got older than a few years old they stopped that habit.

I have wire scroll ornament hooks (bought years ago at Smith & Hawken), but you can find online by searching "wire scroll ornament hooks." Mine are more plain than some of the ultra-curly ones I just found when searching.

AOK, that is an adorable kitty photo, I can see why you saved it!

I'm not putting a Christmas tree up this year unless I put it on the covered front porch. My two boys are part cat, part monkey and can climb anything. They are also more curious than any cats I have ever had so an inside Christmas tree would be an unmitigated disaster! I'm sad about not having a tree but I love my boys more than a Christmas tree. Maybe by next year they will have calmed down a bit.

Ok, slight variation on the cat thing ( our cats play with the lowest hanging ornaments, so we just put "junk" low)--I am freaked out about water on the new hardwood floor! How do you all ensure no water damage?

Jubilante, I put a folded old bath towel under the tree stand.

I have a light towel, then a plastic sheet, then another towel and then the skirt. That might be overkill.

I ensure no water damage with a faux tree! >' ' <

Sorry I have no useful advice, I have not had a tree for years. The other thing I gave up was my Christmas village after finding little (kidnapped) villagers all over the house (cat was like Godzilla stomping through the village).

When I was a child my sibling's spider monkey swung from the tree causing it to crash late Christmas Eve (broken glass everywhere).

Our cat never bothered the ornaments unless she inadvertently swiped one with her tail, but she would always sleep under it.....so cute.

My cats never bothered the tree---they preferred to pose in front of it :)

I had a cat that climbed the tree, and tying it to something didn't work. The tree would hang sadly from the tether. We went and bought a new Christmas tree stand that weighs a lot. It must be 50 pounds. I can barely lift it and it once left a dent on our linoleum floor, so now we put a carpet sample under it. The tree has never fallen over since.

For years I put only unbreakable ornaments on the tree, first for the cats, then curious toddlers when we started our family. Now the cats are old and the kids are no longer messing with the tree.

I've had 3-4 cats since 1996, and had a tree every year. So far, no trees have come down. One of my current boys is the worst -- he will climb the trunk. Consider a Blue Spruce -- too prickly for some cats and most kids. Put the tree up a day before ornaments if possible. No tempting ornaments on the bottom third. New cat toys to divert their interest introduced at the same time as the tree. Wire it to something just in case. Best of luck.

We have always had at least 2 cats and our tree has been climbed, but never fallen. We don't have too many breakable ornaments mostly b/c we have had young children for the past 13 years . . .

Anyway, this year we are concerned about the tree. My dog (he'll be a year by 12/1) will ABSOLUTELY do a lot of damage to whatever tree we have (we have an artificial one but we get real ones, too). He leaves my flowers alone outside-- but this would be way too much excitement for him.

We always put a flattened out heavy duty garbage bag under everything first, & a towel can help soak up any spills before they can run off past the plastic. I would make super sure that the tree stand is stable on top of these layers. We used to have a large metal reservoir stand that rotated & played music & blinked the lights, so it was a wide base w/ significant weight.

Nowadays we have a smallish vintage aluminum tree that is very lightweight, and so far our tiny cat hasn't managed to knock it over --- yet. Wish I could say the same about Hubby...

I use a fake tree and plastic ornaments. No tinsel or anything with strings. And, unfortunately I have discovered that I can't put down a tree skirt - someone (either one of the 6 cats or the dog) always comes along and pees on it. So, I have one, but it only gets put down if someone is coming over and then I pick it up after they leave.

our cat doesn't climb it but LOVES to smell it when it comes in from the outdoors. he smells it and walks away, every year!! (he's 10)...he is pretty good., doesn't bother the ornaments but i can't put the tree skirt down or the nativity b/c he hides behind the tree and then flies out and runs up the steps and then flies back down the steps and around the tree, his version of "laps"...
... we had to put our dog down this summer, so he won't be stalking her from under the tree...he would get in the corner behind the tree and then run out and "bop" her and then take off. she would be like "what the heck just happened"...we would just laugh., going to miss that this year :(....