Its Christmas time again and if you have your decorations up you might find yourself spending the next month trying to keep your cat from climbing the Christmas tree!

The advice here is not only effective for stopping your cat climbing up your Christmas tree but can also be put to use in stopping your cat from climbing other objects that you want to keep them away from.

For some reason, cats think that the Christmas tree is their place to lay and the orniments are their toys. This can be cute at first but be warned that is your cat tries to eat the toys, chew on the lighting wires or chew on tinsel (which can cut up a cats insides if swallowed) then you might require some cat first aid, so its best to stop your cat from climbing the tree altogether.


Try distracting your cat
It sounds obvious but it might work. Try enticing your cat with new toys to bring attention away from the Christmas tree.

Behaviour Modification
First of all avoid spraying your cat with water... Water and electrics dont mix so if you have lights on your Christmas tree, spraying your cat with water is not the best idea! Also, don't hit your cat, all that this will do is teach your cat not to like you and this may lead to more serious behavioural problems in the long run. Cats are pleasure driven animals so if something unpleasent happens they will avoid doing that in future.
 
Wrap foil around the base of your Christmas tree
Wrapping layers of foil around the base of the tree can act as a barrier to stop the cat from climbing since its difficult for them to get their claws into the foil. Many cats also dont like the feeling and noise that the foil makes, so this can be a very effective solution to stopping your cat from clibing not only the Christmas tree but other objects as well.

Spray something on the base
You can buy sprays that repel cats. Try purchasing sopme of that and spraying around the base. It is best to choose a more natural product as opposed to a chemical one.

Put something in the tree that cats dont like
You can hang mothballs or citrus in the tree. Cats don't like this so they can be an effective cat repllant. Hide the objects near the trunk where you wont see them and also near the bottom.

Shake something loud
Remember that if something unpleasent happens when your cat does something then your cat will avoid doing that behaviour... Try filling a metal tin with coins or something similar. Wait until your cat goes to climb the tree then shake the tin. Do this every time the cat goes to climb the tree to reinforce the behaviour.

Bribe your cat to do what you want
Reinforce positive behaviour. When your cat is in the tree get a treat and say "down". Praise your cat when he gets down and give him the treat. If he starts to climb the tree again afterwards then shake the can.

Do you have any other ideas about how to stop cats from climbing things? Let us know in the comments.

Yes, we are problem solvers here at SecureaKat! We have posted about training cats before on our blog. Those posts talk about how to get your cat to do things you want, but how do you STOP your cat from doing things you don’t want such as digging up plants?

We pride ourselves on creating quality cat enclosures to keep cats safe in people’s yards and gardens, however, if your cat is confined to your garden they may dig in garden beds leading us to another question… How do I stop my cat from digging up my plants?!

Not all cats dig in the yard but if yours enjoys getting his paws muddy there are a number of simple and effective solutions that work well and are cat friendly.

Some people use moth balls to stop other cats digging in their garden however moth balls are toxic to cats so stay away from using them. Below, we have found a number of effective and cat safe options to stop cats from digging.

• There are a number of natural things that cats don’t like to be around. Herbs such as rue, lavender, lemon-thyme, absinthe and geranium are good for keeping cats away.
• German Gardener Dieter Stegmaier has created a hybrid plant called ‘Coleus Canin’. This is a hardy plant which blooms with blue flowers in the summer. It smells good to humans but will keep cats far away. It can be ordered online from various outlets.
• Another option is good for tea drinkers. If you empty used tea leaves into your garden not only will they keep cats away but will help fertilize your plants as well since tea contains natural nutrients and antioxidants which your garden will love! 
• You could get mixing in the kitchen… Try 2 parts cayenne pepper, 3 parts dry mustard and 5 parts flour. Mix this together and sprinkle over the areas you want your cat to avoid.
• If you don’t want to add anything into your soil you can try putting large stones over your garden beds. This option isn’t as effective for all cats because if the cat is determined it will remove them but this is a good option for most cats and works effectively inside as well.
  

Have you tried any other methods that have worked? Tell us about it in the comments.