Safe Christmas with Your Cat - We'll Show You How It's Done

Experienced cat owners know exactly what we mean when we say: hardly any time of year is as stressful as the days before Christmas and around New Year's Eve. We don't mean the usual last-minute hustle, forgotten gifts, or still not knowing your New Year's Eve plans by mid-December. No, we're talking about living together with our beloved cats during this turbulent time.

Here are a few tips for a relaxed Christmas with your cat:

1. Christmas decorations should only go up out of your cat's reach. Cats can choke on Christmas decorations and ornaments or hurt themselves while playing with them. Many decorative items contain, for example, straw. Our cats often especially love chewing on this. Unfortunately, pieces of straw can easily come loose and quickly get stuck in the palate or even the throat. Since cats have what's called a soft palate, rigid stalks can even work their way up into the nose.
2. Baubles are especially popular with cats. Once knocked down from the tree, they roll wonderfully erratically across the room, get batted under furniture, and some even jingle while they do! As long as the baubles are made of plastic, we're happy to cheer our furballs on. With glass baubles, however, both cat and human need to be very careful – shards in paws or even in little mouths can quickly ruin everyone's good mood. And in the worst case, a trip to the vet is in order. Very important: we also strongly advise against tinsel! These silvery-gold strands are simply irresistible to our cats. However, once swallowed, their structure can cause serious injuries in the digestive tract and can effectively strangulate parts of it.
3. Some plants, like the poinsettia, are genuinely dangerously toxic and can lead to severe symptoms. But fresh cut flowers decorating the festive table can also quickly become a significant hazard. So find out in advance which plants are non-toxic to cats.
4. And what about the Christmas tree? It's actually harmless to cats, as long as it stands firmly and can withstand a wild attack from your furball. Here it's really “only” annoying for us owners when the prettiest baubles and other decorations go flying wildly around the room.
5. But chocolate or Christmas cookies aren't exactly harmless for animals' digestive systems either. It's especially important that we, as owners, make sure nothing tempting is within reach of our furry paws.

If you're having guests: make sure your furball has a retreat spot to hide away in whenever they want. You can also set up a quiet room for your cat where they can rest when things get too hectic.

So is Christmas with a cat all dreary, with no decorations, no sweets and no tree? Of course not. 😊

We simply recommend offering our beloved pets cat-friendly toys to keep them distracted, not leaving the rascals unsupervised with new items especially at first, and choosing non-toxic varieties for any plant decorations. If you follow these tips, nothing stands in the way of a peaceful (and safe) holiday season! 🎄

Phew – Christmas saved! What about New Year's Eve? More on that HERE 🎊