Nothing quite makes Christmas like a perfectly decorated Christmas Tree. With all the lights flashing away, tinsel wrapped all the way around, and delicate ornaments hanging on each branch, it can make Christmas that little bit more special.

But it can also pose a huge risk to our pets. Here we have written about 9 ways in which you can pet proof your Christmas tree and still have a very merry time.

In This Blog:

1. Alarm The Tree

Whilst we would love to be in 10 places at once or have eyes in the back of our heads, unfortunately this is impossible. When you are not in the room, you need to make sure that your pet is not about to play with your beautifully decorated tree.

By placing tin foil all around the base of the tree or filling a tin with marbles or stones on the lower branches, you will be alerted to any suspicious activity taking place to your tree whilst your back is turned.

Cats also dislike the feeling of tin foil on their pads. This will hopefully deter them from pouncing on the tree.

2. No Peeking At The Presents

Christmas presents around the tree can make everything feel so much more festive and exciting for Christmas.

The problem with this is, we all know how nosey and inquisitive our furry friends can be. Afterall, we don’t want our pets looking at our presents before us.

But the biggest problem this can cause is ingesting the wrapping paper as they peek or eating the present they have just unwrapped. This can cause them to choke or if the present is edible, it can even poison them!

When you are decorating your tree, save the present till Christmas Eve night and avoid leaving your pet unattended with the presents. Nobody wants to receive a present which has been half eaten and drooled all over.

3. Say ‘No’ To Fake Snow

You cannot beat a white Christmas. However, the weather can be very unpredictable and sometimes, it can disappoint us with no snow over the festive period. This may then lead you to purchasing some fake snow.

Whilst fake snow, or instant snow as some people may know it by, is very low in toxicity, it is always best to supervise very carefully when using the product.

After each use, clear it away straight after and prevent your pets from chewing or licking anywhere in which the snow has been. This can lead to mild stomach upset and discomfort for your pet.

4. Stick to Artificial Trees

Getting a real Christmas tree can be exciting and make it feel even more festive by going to choose your very own and then bringing it home to decorate. But you may want to consider going artificial instead.

Our pets love to chew or eat things they are not meant too, including pine needles. This can have a serious health risk to our pet if ingested by becoming lodged in their throat and being mildly toxic to your pets due to the natural oils they are coated in.

These pine needles can also become lodged in their paws and if they are smaller pine needles, you may not notice them straight away until it becomes much worse and requires a trip to the vets.

Another problem you will face by purchasing a real tree is the water the tree sits in. Stagnant water can produce a lot of bacteria which can cause stomach issues for your pets if ingested.

Also, many trees are treated with pesticide and fertilising chemicals which will be transferred into the water. These can be very dangerous to your pet.

When thinking about what tree to get, go artificial! They also can last for years and years instead of just one year. There are many trees available to purchase what look just like real trees now.

5. Location, Location, Location

Pets, and especially cats, love to climb up our Christmas trees. Therefore, thinking about the location of our tree is so important when putting it up.

You want to make sure you have not positioned it anywhere near a launching zone what your cat could use to jump up onto the tree.

Anywhere away from furniture should prevent your cat from pouncing on to the tree.

6. Bare Tree

Try holding off on all the decorations for at least two to three days after putting your tree up.

Sounds crazy I know. But, by holding off on all the decorations, your pet will become accustomed to the idea of a tree being in their house.

Then, by the time it comes to decorating your tree by making it bright, flashing, and festive, your pet will hopefully have lost interest in it and not want to play with all the decorations and the tree itself.

7. Keep Your Pesky Paws off

When you are planning on where to place your decorations on your tree, I recommend that you consider placing the fragile and sentimental ones higher up.

This will stop them being swiped by a wagging tail or a swiping paw. Instead put decorations on the bottom which are unable to be broken or smashed if they fall or get knocked off.

8. Glue the Tree Down

Cats love to jump on to things, no matter what the object may be. Dogs like to be clumsy with their excitable wagging tail or running into things midway through playing.

This may result in your tree being sent flying across your room, shattering all your baubles, or making a mess of your well decorated tree.

By securing your tree with a substantial, solid base, this will help keep it upright if your dog bumps into it or your cat thinks it is an outdoor tree.

Another way of securing it is tying it to the ceiling! You can do this by simply placing a screw into the ceiling and tying fishing wire around the screw and attaching it to the top of your tree.

If you don’t want to put a screw into your ceiling, you could also place the fishing wire around the trunk and secure it to some furniture nearby.

9. Hold Off On The Food

As much as edible decorations make the tree look sweet and can make a great treat for the children or grandchildren.

They are a big no-no to pets and too risky to have hanging on your tree, as we all know how our pets love to eat anything and everything.

Especially things they are not meant too. It is always best to avoid placing food on to the tree in case our pesky pets help themselves to a chocolate decoration or a candy cane hanging on the tree.

Christmas is such a fun, special, time of the year to enjoy with your loved ones, including your pets. By following these tips and tricks, your Christmas will be full of memories being made and joy to be had by everybody.