As the holidays approach, we look forward to Christmas trees, presents and lots of pretty decorations.  And, as every cat owner can attest, it can become a funfest for our feline friends.  However, we must also remember that our holiday decorations and wrappings can also pose potential hazards for our cats.  Here are a few tips to keep your cat safe during the holidays.

- Christmas Trees:  Christmas trees and their decorations can pose a number of threats for your cat.

• The Tree:  A falling tree can cause injury to your cat.  If your cat is a tree climber, make sure your tree is stable enough to minimize the risk of falling.
• Lights:  Those twinkly lights can be quite entertaining, but they can also be potentially dangerous.  Cats like to chew and chewing through the wiring for your lights can pose both a shock hazard and a fire hazard.  
• Tinsel:  Tinsel can be a choking hazard as well as an intestinal hazard.  Ingested tinsel can get lodged in your cat’s throat and it could also cause intestinal irritation and blockage.
• Ornaments:  Keep an eye out for broken glass and ornament hooks.  Ingestion of either can be dangerous and potentially life threatening.

Water:  Tree water looks innocent enough but if you have added any type of chemicals to preserve your tree life, those chemicals can be toxic and cause stomach upset accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea.

- Wrapping Paper:  Some cats enjoy chewing little bits of wrapping paper.  Some inks when ingested can cause stomach upset and those little bits of ingested paper can be irritating to your cat’s system.

- Ribbon:  If you can avoid using ribbon, we suggest you do so.  Ribbon poses the same danger as tinsel.  It can be both a choking hazard and an intestinal hazard.

- Gift Bags:  Gift bags themselves are not particularly dangerous.  In fact, they can be lots of fun for your cat to play with.  The potential danger is in the handles.  The handles pose a potential strangulation hazard should your cat’s head get stuck.  If possible, we recommend cutting the handles off.

- Plants:  The most popular Christmas plants are Poinsettias, Holly and Mistletoe.  Your beautiful Poinsettia will be mildly toxic, but Holly berries and Mistletoe can be deadly.

- Artificial Snow and Tree Fragrance: While artificial snow and that lovely pine scent fragrance you spray on your tree isn’t necessarily deadly, both can cause stomach upset.  Just keep a close eye out to make sure your kitty is not sampling the artificial snow or pine scent spray.

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Keeping these tips in mind should help your pet enjoy a healthy and safe holiday.  For even more tips, we’ve included the links to three helpful articles below.

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Sources:

https://www.meyou-paris.com/en/blog/keep-your-cat-safe-this-christmas-n60

https://www.catster.com/lifestyle/safe-holiday-gift-opening-with-cats

https://bestlifeonline.com/pet-holiday-dangers

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