Decorating With Cats: Tips for a Cat-Friendly Holiday Season

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If you’re a cat parent, you know how tricky it can be to decorate your home when all your fur baby wants to do is chew on everything. With the holiday season right around the corner, you might be dreading your decorating plans instead of looking forward to them. I’ve been there! While it can be challenging decorating with cats, it’s not impossible. Sure, there’s certain things you should avoid, and maybe some of the floor decorations you bought ‘pre-cat’ now have to be hanging decorations that are out of reach. But fear not – with a few tweaks here and there, you will be well on your way to a festive home (without thrown-up ribbons all over the floor!)

Note: I am not a medical professional, and this article is not to be taken as medical or veterinary advice. Always contact a veterinarian regarding concerns about your pet’s health or behavior. Additionally, Caitycat is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see my full disclosure for further information.

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The Challenge of Decorating With Cats

Trying to make your house feel cozy and festive while simultaneously trying to keep your cat out of the emergency room can be rough. When I tell you I’ve had to throw away multiple decorations every single year because my cats Luna and Hazel always seem to find a new favorite chew toy each year, I’m not kidding. They’re lucky they’re so cute. 😉

Cats love to chew on anything with strings, straw, feathers, artificial leaves, ribbons, and pretty much anything that isn’t just a glass circle (wish I was exaggerating!). So, decorating with cats has to be strategic. It might take some trial and error, but it’s doable. Take it from me. And believe me, I take every holiday very seriously. There isn’t an inch of my home that you won’t find decked out in decor!

How to Make Holidays Cat-Friendly

Now that you understand the challenges that come with decorating with cats, let’s dive into how to make holidays in your home cat-friendly. And no, unfortunately that doesn’t mean just buying a bunch of cat decorations (although I’m not saying you can’t do that…LOL).

1. Keep Choking Hazards Out of Reach

While it can be argued that almost anything that can fit into a cat’s mouth is a choking hazard, there are certain decorations that you should take extra caution around if you have cats. For example, a few years ago when I first moved into my home, I bought an adorable witch’s broom decoration for Halloween. It was technically a yard stake, but I wanted to keep it inside. So, I put it in the base of my artificial tree, and it looked perfect!

…Until Luna started chewing on it almost instantly and had a choking scare. The broom was made out of a very tough straw coated in paint and glitter, so it did not go down smoothly. Thankfully, we were able to keep Luna from choking. However, it’s safe to say that the broom no longer graces our home each year and stays in our storage closet!

If you do have any decorations with choking hazards, you should put them in a place that is out of reach of your kitties. This could mean hanging them on the wall, from the ceiling, or putting them on a high-up shelf that’s inaccessible to your cat.

2. Keep Your Cat Out of Certain Rooms

If you have decorations that you just can’t part with but are not-so-safe for your fur baby, you can always keep them displayed in a room that you can keep your cat locked out of. I do this for almost every holiday. My home office is a good spot for me to keep some of my favorite decorations that aren’t very cat-friendly.

During Christmas, I even have to keep my cats in my bedroom with me at night just to keep them away from the Christmas tree! Nothing like trying to sleep through the sound of ornaments hitting the ground every 30 seconds. 😉

Of course, it might not be your ideal setup if you have to keep some decorations in a room with the door closed. But sometimes we have to make sacrifices for our little balls of fluff that we call family! It’s better to be safe than sorry, after all.

3. Get a Cat-Safe Artificial Tree Instead of a Real Tree for Christmas

One of the best memories I have of Christmas when I was growing up is when I would go with my family to pick out a real Christmas tree. Nothing compares to the smell of fresh pine during the holiday season!

Unfortunately, having a real Christmas tree can be unsafe for houses with cats. The needles from some of the most widely used Christmas trees, such as pine, fir, and spruce, are mildly toxic to cats, according to PetMD. They can also puncture the digestive tract if ingested because of how sharp they are.

While you can build enclosures around your tree to keep your cat away from it, it’s often safer just to switch to an artificial tree. You can always add a pine scented air freshener to it to get that classic Christmas smell.

If you do opt for an artificial tree, make sure it is cat-friendly. This means don’t buy any trees that have ‘flock’ (or that white fake snow) on them, as this is very toxic to cats if ingested. My parents made the switch to an artificial tree when they got their new kitties, and the one they bought can be found on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/47LwE26.

It looks very lifelike and is a great size at 6 feet. You almost won’t miss having a real tree. 😉

4. Use a Cat Deterrent Spray

Decorating with cats would be a lot easier if our cats were repulsed by the decorations we use, right? Well, there are actually cat deterrent sprays you can get that will help keep your cat from chewing on and eating all of your pretty knickknacks.

The sprays typically have a citrus scent that naturally repels cats, and they can be sprayed on almost every surface. You can even spray them on your couches, rugs, etc., to keep your cat from scratching them. This one on Amazon has over 400 5-star reviews and uses a natural plant formula: https://amzn.to/42h3y7d.

5. Create Distractions for Your Cat

While it can be hard to distract your cat from beautiful fall leaves or shiny ornaments, it can be done. If you provide lots of toys, scratching posts, and access to windows for birdwatching, your cat may be less likely to bother your holiday decorations.

You might even find that your cat will want to chew on or play with a decoration after just putting it out for the first time, but once the excitement wears off, they leave it alone. This has thankfully happened with some of our decorations in our home. Others, like the Christmas tree ornaments, are forever a cat favorite.

In Conclusion

Decorating with cats is hard, but it’s not impossible. Keeping decorations with choking hazards out of reach of your cats, swapping real trees with artificial ones, and using cat deterrent sprays are all ways you can protect your cat and your valuable decorations. With the suggestions I provided in this article, you’ll be well on your way to a cat-friendly holiday season!

Did you find this article helpful? Let me know in the comments!

See also…

My Cat Ate a Ribbon and Is Now Vomiting: Signs to Watch for and What to Do