Holidays, the time of year some pet parents might dread because of decorations. Looking at the reality of it, a Christmas or Yuletide tree is a giant cat toy. A tree to climb and shiny baubles for them to hunt and possibly destroy. Yet, some pet parents still put up decorations with some modifications.

Last year was the first year with our little lovable trio of chaos and they were only 6 months old. When we got the tree out to set it up, Khonsu was right there trying to eat the lights before we even had a chance to fluff the branches on our fake tree. Nothing was able to deter this little kitty from trying to eat the pretty shiny lights. So a compromise was made and I bought a wood cut out of a tree, painted it, and hung it on the wall. I was a bit disheartened until my husband surprised me by hanging tinsel along the edges of the ceiling, out of reach from their little paws.

This year, I determined it was going to be different and it is. Rather than being upset at not being able to put out the tree, we compromised again. Our solution? A Christmas tree shaped cat tree complete with little toys attached. Along with boxes in the shape of presents for them to play with. The happiness of the kitties was clearly visible as they began crawling around and playing in the tree before we finished building it.

Next year, I’m hoping for more of a realistic tree with cat cubbies or beds attached to it and I’ll probably hang cat toys as ornaments to keep from worrying. 

Now, wrapped presents are another story. Last year, I had my secret santa gift in a gift bag and left it sitting in the living room. About 10 minutes before I had to leave, I hear a ripping sound. Shang-Chi had ripped a piece of the bag off, a decent size one too. I didn’t have any time to grab a new bag or re-wrap, so I taped it back in place, and told my secret santa that it was a cat designer bag.  Currently, I wrap everything in tissue paper and hide them. Honestly, if they happen to get it and shred the tissue paper, at least it’s easier to re-wrap.

Clearly, the holiday decor has been centered around our kitties this year. By having a cat tree instead of a fake tree, peace seems to be had while I also get my Christmas decoration. Actually, I take that back. All 3 tend to battle for the comfy bottom layer as the middle one is a touch too small for either of them to climb into and trust me, they’ve tried.

During the holiday seasons, a good compromise can be had between having seasonal decorations and having pets. It’ll be fun to see how else I can decorate with these lovable fiends. Until next time, safe exploring everyone!