Why cats love Christmas trees and how to keep them safe

The moment your Christmas tree goes up, your cat is instantly obsessed. And it makes so much sense when you consider how curious cats are and how much of their wild ancestors’ instincts they still have.

A Christmas tree provides the ultimate enrichment for cats. It's a new and exciting object that appeals to their natural instincts. And those instincts tell them to climb that tree, hide in it, scratch it, play with it, and bite it.

[Christmas Holiday Dangers for Pets]

You see, before cats began living with humans, trees provided a place for them to watch over their territory, hide from predators, and seek out their next meal. As animals who are both predator and prey, cats are drawn to trees for a sense of safety, security, and control. And a cat who feels safe and in control of their life is a happy cat. This is exactly why carpeted trees designed for cats exist.

We give our Christmas trees a lot of attention, and they’re often located in our most social room, making friendly cats in search of attention want to be involved with the tree. And then we add small, sparkly, dangling objects to the tree that look like toys to them. There are so many reasons Christmas trees are exciting and appealing to cats. But there are ways to make sure cats and Christmas trees can safely coexist.

Real Christmas trees are usually nontoxic to cats, but the needles can upset their stomach when ingested. And drinking tree water that has bacteria, fertilizer, or preservatives can make a cat very ill.

Artificial trees are safer for cats but still pose some risks. The flocking (fake snow) on the branches can be toxic to cats, and there’s always the chance of the tree (real or artificial) falling over on your cat, especially if they climb it.

Here are some Christmas tree safety tips for cats:

• Keep glass ornaments out of your cat’s reach or use non-breakable ornaments instead.
• Put a strand of lights that’s not plugged in at the bottom of the tree to help prevent electrocution.
• Move furniture that your cat could climb to easily access the tree.
• Ensure the tree stand is heavy and supportive or use fishing line to anchor the tree to the wall.
• Skip decorating with tinsel, ribbon, and any other string-like items your cat could swallow.

The best way to help keep your cat safe and happy during the holidays is by providing other activities that are so much fun that they don’t even think about the Christmas tree.

Here’s my No. 1 tip: Give your cat their own Christmas tree. I do this every year, and I’m telling you it works. If you want to understand why this works, here’s the science behind it: You cannot ask an animal to stop performing natural instinctive behaviors without offering them another way to satisfy that instinct. And you can offer them another tree, one that you don’t mind them destroying.

Get a cheap tree and set it up in the same room as your Christmas tree. Decorate it with cat toys and lure them to it with things they love like wand toys and their favorite treats. Then reward them when they play with it. You can make it a fun advent calendar activity and put different toys and treats on their tree each day. If you make their tree so much more fun than yours, they’re more likely to leave yours alone.

Another way I’ve kept my cats away from my tree is by putting a bunch of their favorite things in front of my tree as a barrier. If they see a cat tunnel, food puzzle, or scratcher on the way to the tree, it could prevent them from bothering it.

Having vertical territory in the same room as the tree can satisfy their need to perch up high in that room. And you don’t need to buy a fancy cat tree; you can place a blanket on top of a piece of furniture for them.

[Christmas with the animals at Best Friends]

If your cat still happens to head back to your tree, please remember that redirecting cats is effective and punishment is not. Lure them back to their tree and reward them for playing with that one. Positive reinforcement is the best way for cats to learn.

If you set your cat up for success, everyone can have a happy and peaceful holiday together.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.