Humans make great pets, and they’re handy to have around the house. They’re good for a belly rub when we feel like one, they’re usually happy to see us and hug us, and they feed us a nice assortment of foods. They worry us when they don’t feel good or get sick, causing us to hover over them just in case they are unable to feed us. On the whole, though, humans are a nice thing, at least until Christmas rolls around. They put up the greatest playthings for us, but then they spoil it by shooing us out of our playground. We’ve thought of a few ways to help you keep humans out of our Christmas trees.
When They Use Tin Foil
Some humans place tin foil around the base of their tree instead of a tree skirt. This might stop some cats, but it’s a matter of meowing laughter to the rest of us. If your humans have extended the tin foil outside the reach of the branches, then you’ll just have to jump into the tree from a nearby table, windowsill or, you know, use your imagination! Otherwise, this can be handled by batting at the ornaments on the lowest branches. Stick with the ornaments; don’t pull the strings of light-thingies down. Some cats have caused fires to happen doing that, and you might find yourself permanently visiting with Aunt Judy.
When They Use Multiple Trees
This is actually quite bright of the humans, and it makes for more playthings for us. Some of us have found that playing in the smaller Christmas trees located in other parts of the house are less annoying to the humans. Of course, the main Christmas tree in the room the family spends the most time in is the most attractive. However, the humans have taken to hanging orange, lemon and lime peelings from the branches. We don’t know about you, but we can’t stand the smell of that stuff. If your humans put up trees in other parts of the house, stick with them, especially if your humans hang kitty toys on the tree. We love the ones filled with catnip.
Humans Use the Oddest Ornaments
We’ve noticed a growing tendency for humans to hang bells on our Christmas tree. What’s so odd about it is that it’s different from the bells on our kitty toys. These bells make a raucous noise that startles us, so we don’t return to the tree to play. Not only that, we’ve also noticed an odd habit some humans have of placing blown up balloons on the trees. What that has to do with odd human traditions, we have no idea, but the popping of the balloons has begun to keep us away from our equally traditional playground. Alert to all cats: keep an eye on your humans if they begin to blow up balloons.
Other Strange Human Habits
Have you noticed the scent humans spray on themselves? Sometimes the scent is nice, other times not so much. Scent seems to play a large part in human lives. They spray scent that prevents us from using something other than the litter box. They spray something to keep us off the fluffy soft furniture or pillows. Sometimes spraying something on their plants keeps us from lunching on them, that is, if the plants themselves don’t repel us. However, humans have begun to spray something on the trees that is just plain awful. We’ve heard them tell their friends about something called apple cider vinegar, pine and wintergreen essential oil, whatever that is. Alert to all cats: keep an eye (and nose) on what your humans are spraying around the house, the tree and you.
We certainly hope these tips for keeping humans out of your Christmas tree helps you have a nice, although temporary, playground. Feel free to contact us for more tips.