Many, many years ago, when I was a child, I felt sorry for our cat who never got a Christmas present. So when there was a store selling a Catnip stuffed mouse for the family feline friend, I happily purchased it to give to Mittens. Wrapped it up in a bow and string, set it way under the tree. The next morning, Mittens had found it, after tearing up and unwrapping every present under the tree. So if you do get something like this, make sure the cat has its own stocking for its presents.
Either that or keep the catnip toys in a sealed container and only give them to your cat on Christmas morning. That way you get to open your pressies in peace while the feline in the family plays with his new 'mouse.' :-D
We had a cat, Sampson C., who liked to sleep under the Christmas tree. He moved packages by bumping them with his head to make a nice nap spot on the tree skirt. My sister sent me a hand sewn doorstop--with a brick in it. Sampson C. decided to move that package and had a headache for the rest of the day! We've never had a cat that was attracted to catnip. Caviar, yes, catnip, no.
At christmas we kept the cat distracted with a twisted piece of paper tied to a long string suspended from a secure ceiling fixture to a height where the cat could bat the paper with his paw. A little wiggle of the paper and the cat would play for a long time and was too tired to climb the christmas tree. Something a few fallen trees and many broken ornaments would bare witness to. Jerry
My wife has some ceramic bells that my mother had given her. I can remember them from when I was a kid. They came from West Germany. We always hung them low on the tree as Whitey always liked walking under them so his tail would make them ring. He never did any harm to the tree, the presents or any ornaments, he just liked to make the bells ring!
We've had many a tree knocked over and all kinds of broken ornaments from the kitties. I finally told the kids, 'if you want a tree, then you have to pick it up every time the cats knock it over...' The kids finally got tired of picking up the Christmas trees. Older cats do not usually bother the tree, but it was just too much for any kittens we have had. My house is rather small, and with the piano there is no longer room for a tree, so I have not bothered with a tree in a long time. Maybe when I get my front porch closed in there will be room for a tree again? Are indoor/outdoor lights safe on an outdoor tree ? And how do you keep the extension cord connections water tight ? Or I could just decorate with popcorn and other birdie treats on the outdoor pine in my yard?
My friend hung Christmas Tree upside down from the ceiling one year, kind of like a chandelier. No problems with cats or toddlers that way.
The cat would occasionally bat an ornament so we hung plastic non-breakable and the cat was satisfied. That was many,many years ago. Today we don't have cats but I still hang some plastic ornaments anyway, in memory of the cat. Jerry
