The very first Christmas my husband and I spent together as a newly dating couple, we were so excited to put up our first Christmas tree together in his Lakes Region, New Hampshire home, complete with a beautiful and extra sparkly Christmas ornament we had just received from his parents. His mother was so happy to give it to us when we had stopped in to visit them during our first vacation together. That Christmas was full of firsts! Just after we hung the beautiful ornament on the tree, saving it for last to find just the perfect spot for it, I had to run out the door to meet a new client, Lilly and her mom, Lisa. I put my snow boots on and headed for the door when I heard the sound of shattering glass. Our Christmas tree had come crashing to the ground! Our first ornament was in a million pieces on the ground along with many other sentimental favorites from my childhood! I quickly called my new client to explain the unbelievable situation. I am happy she believed my outrageous story and even happier that she is still a client to this day, with Lilly receiving several walks per week from our Homeward Bound dog walkers.
What, you may ask yourself, caused our beautiful Christmas tree to come crashing to the ground? A cat…an extra fluffy, 15 pound Calico cat named Sophie! She was so curious about the tree, and we were so naive about our very first Christmas together that it was a recipe for disaster! As any cat in their right mind would want to do when a live tree is brought into the house…Sophie immediately measured up the tree and decided it was just about the right size that she could probably heft her self up it with little trouble. From that point on we have always secured our tree to the wall in a few spots with a piece of fishing line. So far, so good in keeping the tree upright and the ornaments in one piece! I haven’t had the heart to tell my mother-in-law about that first ornament she gave us. Shh…it will be our little secret, ok?
Read on to discover ways to keep Christmas safe for your furry family members, your beloved pets!
Secure Your Tree
A few pieces of fishing line secured to the wall should be all it takes to keep your Christmas tree upright should your cat decide it looks like a fun climbing post.
Keep Presents Out Of Reach
One of our clients told us about the time she spent all weekend putting the finishing touches on her Christmas presents, proudly arranging them under the tree before the weekend was over. She came home from a long day at work to find Buckley had unwrapped all the gifts…every single one of them! Buckley is extra cute, so I am sure it was easy to forgive and forget. If you have a dog that is a chewer or a cat that is a scratcher you may want to wait to put the Christmas presents out until Christmas Eve. Even pets like to try to peak!
Skip The Tinsel & Garland
Sparkly, twinkly tinsel! Long, shiny garland! Both are so magical to curious cats and mischievous puppies! They love to bat the tinsel around and, even, chew on it. Cats also love to roll around in the garland. Both can be hazardous to pets. Eating tinsel can wreak havoc on the intestinal tracts of cats and dogs. Garland can wrap around the necks of your pets, causing life-threatening emergency situations. As beautiful as it is, it is best to skip the tinsel and garland to protect your furry friends!
Be Present When Christmas Lights Are Plugged In
Just as magical and intriguing as tinsel and garland are twinkling Christmas lights! They can almost appear to dance in the tree causing cats and dogs to become entranced. How fun to bat them around and try to catch them by chomping down on the wires! As we all know, electricity can be deadly. Do yourself and your pets a favor, only plug your Christmas tree lights in when you can be present and supervise, to make sure no one is chewing on the wires.
Cover Your Bases
Another thing both cats and dogs like to do is splash around in water! The will also drink water wherever they may find it. To keep your pets safe, cover the water base of your Christmas tree with a deterrent, such as aluminum foil. This will keep them out of the water which could have toxic additives in it. Helping your Christmas tree to maintain water levels will also help it to last longer.
There are so many other ways to keep your pets safe during the holidays, but these are a few of the Christmas Tree related catastrophes that are more common.
What are some of the precautions you have had to take during the holidays with your pets?
