OMG! Look what the cat did to the Christmas Tree! (And other holiday hazards)

 

I saw this post on Facebook the other day and had to laugh. It's a picture of a gorgeously decorated Christmas tree behind a floor to ceiling chicken wire cage. Why is this so funny to me? Because I have thought about doing this myself to our tree. In our house, the Christmas Tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving and the cats immediately start their plan to undecorate the tree. Currently then entire bottom half of our tree is bare-- no ornaments, no lights, nothing! 

The holidays can pose some significant challenges for pet owners and some very real dangers for our pets. Let's start with the tree itself.  Regardless if you put up an artifical tree or a live tree, you will need the strongest, heaviest base to prevent the tree from falling over. Forget those cute little metal pans with the four struts and the big screws that grandpa used to use. You need a heavy base to hold your tree so that your cat will not knock it over. When I was in vet school, I came home one day and could not find my cat Hunter. I looked all over the place and could not find him, until I saw a set of eyes peering out from inside the Christmas tree. He had crawled up the tree and was sitting on one of the branches! He repeated this almost daily until one day he lost his balance and he and the tree went toppling over.  The moral of the story: invest in a good tree base that won't knock over.

What are some of the other holiday hazzards you might run into? Sticking with the tree, let's look at the water in the tree stand. In our house, we like to add Miracle Gro fertilizer to the water so that the tree stays fresh and green until Christmas day. But fertilizer can be toxic if ingested. Also, have you ever really looked at the water when you finally decide to send the tree to the curb. It's often moldy and slimy, much like flowers in a vase that are way past their prime. 

What about those lights? We won't get into the debate about white lights vs colors lights, but just make sure that the wires are tucked far away. I have watched my cat attack the tree then start to chew on the strand of lights. Thanks Buddy, we don't need to electrocute you or burn the roof of your mouth. 

Forget about those nice glass ornaments in our house. Strictly plastic ornaments from Hobby Lobby for us. We don't want the glass to break and little paws to be cut. Tinsel and Garland? Cat's love to chew on them like cat grass but they can cause an intestinal blockage if they are swallowed. Candles? Great for burning whiskers and toes when we get our face and paws too close to the flame. Potpourri? I love the smell of cinnamon potpourri at the holidays because it reminds me of baking desserts, but liquid potpourri can cause oral and esophageal burns if ingested. 

As I am writing this, I know that I might sound like the Grinch who Stole Christmas, but that is not the intention. I think you can celebrate the holidays but you need to be aware of all the potential hazzards that your little Tazmanian devils can get into. For more information on holiday hazzards and toxins, go to our web page www.animalwellness.com/poisons.

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! Wishing all of you peace and love for 2023