1. Tree placement is everything

Cats love jumping from one level to another. If possible, place your Christmas tree in an open space, as shelves, tables or cabinets make excellent springboards for your cat to launch themselves right into the Christmas tree!

2. Hold your horses – or reindeer

We know you have been looking forward to decorating your tree for an entire year, but don’t add those baubles just yet. Let your cat get used to the plain tree for a day or two. This will make them less inquisitive once those shiny ornaments appear.

3. Keep ornaments out of reach

Leave the bottom branches of your cat tree barren or use plastic ornaments. After all, baubles make brilliant cat toys, so we can’t really blame our felines for swatting at them! While plastic ornaments are relatively harmless, keep tinsel and angel hair out of reach as these can cause gastrointestinal blockages when swallowed.

4. Pay attention to the base

Whether you put up a real tree or a plastic one, make sure it won’t topple over in case your cat decides to climb it. A wide and heavy base should help with that. In case you put up a real tree, ensure that your cat cannot reach the water your tree sits in. Not only will the stagnant water harbor bacteria, but it might also contain poisonous fire retardants, which are commonly used on store-bought trees, or pine sap, which can severely upset your cat’s stomach.

5. Make the tree smell unattractive to your cat

Won’t your cat stay away from the tree? Cats dislike citrus scents, so spraying the base with some lemon juice should do the trick. Another option is to stick double-sided tape onto some placemats and spread them out underneath the tree. Since cats hate walking on sticky surfaces, they are likely to start avoiding the area around the tree.