Why do cats love Christmas trees? - DVM 360

Cat parents person apt seen their furry friends intrigued by the Christmas tree. Sometimes truthful overmuch truthful that each their hard enactment of stringing lights and perfectly placing ornaments comes crashing down.

But wherefore are cats drawn to Christmas trees? In a property release,¹ Mikel Delgado, PhD, a postdoctoral chap and feline researcher astatine the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, described that immoderate caller items that look successful a feline’s acquainted territory are fascinating to them, positive the histrion has charismatic outdoor smells and bark that tin assistance sharpen their claws. Additionally, the reflective ornaments and glistening tinsel with accessible branches look similar an accidental to play and research for cats.

In the release, Lorna Whittemore, DVM, a veterinarian astatine ExcitedCats.com added, “As with humans, each cats are individuals. Some whitethorn dainty the histrion arsenic if it is not worthy of their attention, and others cannot easy beryllium deterred from getting into a tangled mess. Glass baubles, contaminated histrion water, twinkling lights, and tempting tinsel are conscionable a fewer of the imaginable hazards. The look of these mean behaviors can, however, onshore them successful trouble.”¹

“Cats are besides people inclined to being astatine a tallness wherever they tin survey their surroundings and support retired of information from predators—an indoor histrion is often a large temptation for a feline to indulge successful this earthy behavior,” continued Whittemore. "The instinct of climbing is inactive live and good successful domesticated cats, and a Christmas histrion equipped with plentifulness of perches and needles is an perfect vantage constituent and hiding place. The operation of novelty, toys, and a gangly operation to climb, makes Christmas trees the cleanable 'home amusement system' for felines."¹

A multi-feline location tin besides origin the cats to radical up astir the Christmas histrion and people the territory arsenic their ain by climbing, scratching, and urinating. This poses a menace for arsenic it tin origin harm to felines and harm to your home.

Keeping cats safe

In the release, different ExcitedCats veterinarian, Paola Cuevas, MVZ, shared that it’s important for feline parents to beryllium alert that each clip they present thing into a cat’s environment, to guarantee it is non-toxic. She added that laying tin foil, carpets, oregon orangish peels nether the histrion oregon commercialized deterrent products whitethorn assistance forestall cats from messing with it. Plus, beryllium definite the histrion is unchangeable and unafraid portion each electrical wires and lights are covered oregon retired of reach. Cat owners are besides advised against utilizing tinsel, ribbons, oregon drawstring due to the fact that these airs a hazard for choking and ingestion. Dried citrus decorations marque fantabulous alternatives, arsenic they service arsenic a earthy feline deterrent.¹

Pet parents tin besides take artificial trees oregon histrion alternatives that aren’t arsenic appealing to cats since they don’t person the earthy scent and texture. However, if they bash get a existent tree, the safest options for pets are Douglas fir oregon achromatic pine.¹ The champion mode to debar immoderate accidents though is to support the Christmas histrion successful a country inaccessible to feline friends.

Reference

Why bash cats emotion Christmas trees truthful much? News release. ExcitedCats. December 22, 2022. Accessed December 23, 2022. https://pressroom.journolink.com/excited-cats/release/why_do_cats_love_christmas_trees_so_much_12021