She really won't stop!, Losing patience

Abbey just will not leave the Christmas tree alone. I am at my wit's end. As soon as she is in this room, she goes right under the tree and starts eating the branches. And she just sits there and chews and chews and chews. I call her out with a toy or something, she plays for a bit, then goes right back under the tree and starts chewing again.

So then I started keeping her out of this room (our living room has a door, bizarre, I know, our apt is all hallways, EVERY room has a door). But then she lays on the floor and scractches and bangs and cries, and as I know from trying to keep her out at night, she is capable of this for hours on end. So, its a battle between getting her from eating the tree to stopping her from scratching the door.

I have tried deterrant products on the tree, keeping her out (obviously), putting her in her carrier for time out, playing with her, etc etc etc. My next move is going to be taking down the tree and I really really really really don't want to do that! Its been up for almost a week and she hasn't lost any interest in it whatsoever.

Before I lose my mind, any suggestions?

No suggestions I'm afraid - but I can offer you a bit of support as I'm going through the EXACT same thing - with both cats!

First Sparkle will knock the tree over (which is why I got a fibreoptic one or there'd be no decorations left) the Motley will sit there chewing away on it!

My poor tree is looking very worse for wear at the moment - I've only had it for a week! Roll on January.......

Suggestions welcome here too!

Mel, I'm going through the same thing yet again - this will make it the 5th Christmas we've gone through it with Tucker.

He does pretty much exactly what Abbey is doing, except he doesn't chew the branches, he climbs them and pulls them. What's funny about Tucker though, is that he does it strictly for attention - he has no interest in the tree otherwise. He doesn't go near the tree unless we're in the same room as it.

We have a 6 foot tree up downstairs at the moment, and all of the other cats are fine with it. We were mostly worried about Tommy this year, as he's still a kitten and had never seen a Christmas tree until now. But he's fine - it's Tucker who still wreaks havoc.

As soon as we go into the room with the tree, he bolts ahead of us and darts under the tree, where he'll sit there staring through the branches at us. He knows he's not supposed to be under there, and that's why he does it. He does it for attention - and he doesn't care if it's good or bad attention.

What we're doing to get him out from under it, is spraying him with the water bottle. The thing that sucks about that, though, is that we get some of the presents damp. SO, we get up and find a little gap in the branches and then spray him directly on the head or arse... and he FLIES out from under it.

That may not work for you - it seems as though you've tried it already. I wish I had some suggestions, but I don't. Just empathy and I hope you don't have to take the tree down, but I know what kind of situation you're in.

I was going to offer the same suggestion.

We have never used the water tactic to get our cats to stop at anything. We have a lot of electronic equipment in such a small area, we were always worried we would end up ruining something important or starting an electrical fire!

Try finding something she doesn't like the sound of. Like a blow horn, or my cats HATE when I talk through a paper towel roll. Whenever she is under the tree, set it off so she starts to associate the noise with being under the tree.

If you have any orange, lemon, or bitter apple scents (home fragrance oil works the best for me) try dripping that on and around the tree. Generally, cats hate citrus smells and will stay away. The only problem is that you need to re-apply every few days or it wears off.

I don't have much in the way of advice, but... The day I put the tree up (fake), that night I was awoken to tinkle tinkle tinkle, and found 3 cats IN THE TREE... Tucker at the top, Patches in the middle and Dallas sprawled out at the bottom on the branches... I scared the crap out of them by clapping my hands, yelling NO at them, and spraying them all with water....well.. they have not been back IN the tree since. I also worked at training Tucker the next day...anytime he went near the tree, I sprayed him and said NO...now he won't go near it... Also, the next night, I lined up three of the cat carriers in front of the tree... they would not go near it...we laughed so hard.. Now...they are pretty much leaving it alone...except for the odd little tinkle of ornaments through the night.

Brilliant!!

Janice!

Well, I have started ignoring her and it seems to be working somewhat. When she starts at it, I just walk away or turn my head. It was REALLY tough when she was halfway up the tree, sprawled across the branches. But now she is asleep in the clean clothes so I suppose its the lesser of two evils. Here's to hoping we can keep it up!

I wish you the best Janice, Colleen and I do not have anything up for Christmas since i will not be here at all and she will spend the big day at her mom's!

The only advice i have would be the water tactick, and of course not paying attention. cats have a way of senseing when you are paying too much attention to something other then them.

The Spray bottel was the only way I am able to remind my cats they are not allowed on the table

Mel, why dont you try the old trick I used on both of mine when they were kittens and that is the squirt bottle. Whenever she goes near it, squirt her or pick up cat grass and put it by the tree and when she goes to eat a branch, subsitute it with the cat grass? Just a suggestion.

I can't do the water thing because we have loads of electronic equipment (Rob is a musician) in a very small space. They never bothered with cat grass before, but if I can find it, I may try it this time of year. I wonder if it would live without light

Dixie used to do the same thing, so I got out the trusty water lol, and she stopped. Now she only goes under the tree to sleep.

Have you tried Bitter Yuck? I saw some made just for kitties! I had to use a kitty formulated pepper spray when I had a tree last year. Jones & Sasha only knocked a few ornaments & candy canes off. I won't have one this year, thank goodness. I'd hate to see Marley's reaction!!

Oh yeah, there are also those SCATT horns that are motion-sensored. Maybe put one of those under the tree?? Good luck!!

I've never seen Scatt or Bitter Yuck. Remember too that there isn't a pet store in my town.

We got Scccat! spray at PetSmart and Wal-Mart I believe. It works for all of them except mr. smarty pants Billy, who crouches up to it sideways and then knocks it over onto its side.

Thanks Jess, I'll try Walmart, but I haven't seen it before. Its a very small pet section, I can't even find the kitties a decent bed or fountain for Christmas.

I know this sounds kinda silly, but I have heard of it working. What about trying some sort of decorative fence around the tree?

I've also heard of some people putting their tree in a baby playpen! They also say it works.

Just a few thoughts....

Well here is a picture of the tree the first day we put it up. Sorry its blurry, I just today looked at these pics, and realised I didn't get it a good one. It doesn't look like this anymore. Anywho, its tucked in a corner, so I don't even know any way I could block it off. Any suggestions?



Lola has started picking at it as well, so I may just have to giveup and take it down.

First off all, get that mouse away from the tree. Their toy is right in front by the tree hahaha.. LAst night Scott took the juice from an orange and sprinkled it on the bottom branches.The hanging icicles, take them off the bottom and hang higher up.

Nah, they don't play with the stuff on the tree, Abbey just chews the branches and climbs inside the tree. Lola batted an ornament or two once, but mostly she just bugs with it when Abbey is inside it. That mouse isn't there anymore anyway, it just happened to be there that day.

Well Mel - looks like you're screwed!

Sorry - just a little humour here in the midst of your frustration.

Meh, screwed may very well be the word Jess. I can laugh about it, its cool. I think we can hack it til Christmas. I usually like to keep my tree up til the new year, but maybe this year we won't. Its just so strange, because she didn't even bother with it last year at all. I wonder what changed?

Mel, Tucker didn't bother with it last year either. And you know what happened this year. They're about the same age, aren't they?

I can't explain it! Cats will be cats, I guess!