kitties and CHRISTMAS TREE

Our former kitties, did not bother a table artificial tree ( used because of them ) ~~~
However, new , two males , are wild ~ as young felines can be and I am wondering which product to use to keep them away from tree.
CITRONELLA ? or is there a new safe product.

I like your site very much. It has great information.
Easy to navigate, and clear to read.

Thank you so much.
joyfulsun

Answer:

Over the years I've seen all sorts of suggestions that are certainly not solutions I would submit my cats to...even if it solved this problem. Baby fences...okay, squirting water at the cat...okay, tin foil wrapped around the bottom of the tree...okay, having a Scotch Pine with sharp needles...getting a little dangerous, tabasco squirted on the lower branches of the tree...not in my house, my cats are my curious companions not invading enemies. The list goes on.

So far I haven't seen anything new come along (although I may have missed something) that replaces Citronella oil shaken into water and misted onto the lower branches of the tree. I've found it works pretty good and for decoration you can spray it on pinecones that you place under the tree. If you have a particularily active kitten that seems immune to the scent or shrugs it off, then try peppermint oil.

Hopefully one of them will work for you. We want to keep our little friends happy and safe over the holidays. We don't want our cats to dread seeing the tree and equate it with unhappiness and stress that happens annually. I'm writing another page for this site that will be posted in the next few days that will deal with suggestions on Christmas Holiday festivities and our furry chums. It will be listed on the Site Map under Cat Behavior.

Let me know how you resolve the situation with your frisky feline ruffians...they are so much fun at this spunky time of their lives...but I know they can be a handful.