I unloaded my craft sale gear from the car, and put this display piece on the dining room table. A very curious (and naughty) Wylla jumped up on the table and weaseled and wove her way through the branches and nestled into a tight spot.
We're putting our Christmas tree up tonight.
I hope this isn't a sign of what's to come. Please wish us luck.
Clearly she enjoyed her vacation in the mountains. May I suggest wiring the top of the tree to a couple of hooks? We do, thank you Maine Coons who like to climb.
ReplyDeleteAlso recommend non-breakable ornaments, and don't leave launchpads -- I mean furniture -- too close to the tree...
DeleteGood Luck! And she does look very pretty in the branches!
ReplyDeleteTwo words: Plastic ornaments. It has saved my tree from a disastrous fate for many years.
ReplyDeleteUs too---that is an excellent suggestion. Added benny: the sound of a kitty rolling their newly acquired 'toy' (ornament of choice) across the floor is priceless. Sweet (safe) holiday memories.
DeleteNaughty, but she's so darn cute I suspect you have trouble getting (or at least staying) mad at Miss Wylla!
ReplyDeleteBest of luck on the tree--may it stay upright all season long.
Best wishes :)
ReplyDeleteOur tree is up with only the lights on it and Emme's already attacked them.
Auntie Em
Oh, I hope you keep a videocamera nearby when the tree goes up! :)
ReplyDeleteJust like any other kitty -If she fixes, Wylla sits. Of course, even sometimes, they don't even fit, but they still sits. Good luck with the tree. I gave up that concept many years ago when I could not keep one of my cats off the branches 1/2 way up. He was too heavy for them and they kept falling out (it was a fake tree).
ReplyDeleteYou can just hear her thinking: Nyah, nyah.. you can't get me.. :)
ReplyDeleteDon't you realize that you only put up a tree for the cats to enjoy?? Mine, after 4 years, have finally decided that it's not fun to climb (that.. or they're just too fat to fit through the branches..). The bottom branches are all wired up to the branches above to hold them up, thanks to cats that were too heavy in previous years and bent them to the ground. Now they're quite content to sit under the tree and admire it from there. Yay!
No tree for us this year- I think we'd attempt it if we stayed in town but coming home would probably cause weeping as I surveyed the damage. I did, however, laugh at the sight of Wylla in the branches. How cute is that? I could almost hear her 299 other godmothers sighing.
ReplyDeleteThis year, we did a grove of 3 (live) trees. Felt 'snow' around the bottom. They looked so nice with just the white lights that we didn't put any ornaments on them. As a bonus, for the first time, we don't have to worry about cats getting into trouble. They like to sleep nestled in the 'snow' and don't bother the trees at all.
ReplyDeleteI save myself the aggravation and just decorate the cat tree instead. At least I can rest assured that the cats won't knock it down!
ReplyDeleteGreat minds think alike: http://cheezburger.com/7946792704
DeleteGood luck! Paul Cat was eyeing the upright, but not decorated tree this morning with a "Best Cat Toy Ever!" look on his face...
ReplyDeleteAw, Wylla thinks she's back in nature. :)
ReplyDeleteThe 1st Christmas we had my sweet Sandy Paws (a chubby Flame Point Siamese), I heard rustling late one night. Came out to find a pair of big baby blue eyes peering at me from halfway up the center of the tree. He continued to dismantle that tree branch by branch throughout the season. It was on carpet, nothing much was broken. He could do no wrong in my eyes. Love them while you can and laugh it off.
ReplyDeleteCats are the dearest, the sweetest, the most delightful, AND the most destructive. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteWell she didn't break anything on the centre piece (that I can see) so perhaps she'll be just as careful with the tree!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Wylla, good luck with your tree
ReplyDeleteI put up my tree yesterday. My 5 boys approached this green "thing" with caution but decided it wasn't going to chase them or eat their kibble, so they eventually ignored it. Just wondering that when I get home tonight if it will still be standing upright !!
ReplyDeleteKodiak and Kenai: A tree in the house.....with a nice blanket underneath for us to snooze on....look, there's a water bowl under here too....and some pretty new toys to poke at. Mom, what do you mean it's not for us???
ReplyDeleteLOL...ah yes the water bowel too. I forgot about those days of a fresh tree. I was always worried that the cats would get sick from the possibility of tree preservative but they never did.
DeleteShe looks darling in the 1st photograph!
ReplyDeleteMaybe she's part Norwegian Forest Cat, part Maine Coon (like my rainbow-bridge special needs Wylla-lookalike kitty)!
Good luck with your tree! As a couple of others have mentioned, attaching the top of the tree to the walls or the ceiling can help prevent cat-related tree disasters. We also used to use extra wire to attach the fragile ornaments to their branches. That way, even if a curious kitty batted at them, the ornaments couldn't fall off. Like some of the other commenters above, we also had some non-fragile ornaments that were really just toys for the kitties :)
ReplyDeleteAww, I can still see you Wylla.
ReplyDeleteLG didn't officially adopt us until last New Year's Day, but he did sleep over for a couple of days leading up to Christmas and visited us on days days before and after as well. Back then, he would sleep on the tree skirt and get into boxes and bags (after they were emptied of gifts), but he didn't bother the decorations. We'll see what happens now that he's living here full time. He's a pretty well-behaved boy and doesn't tear up the house generally so I think the tree will be okay on his first Christmas as an official resident here (she said hopefully). Heh.
Wait! I'm confused! You didn't design that centerpiece especially for kittens??!?!?
ReplyDeleteOh.
My solution is a tiny fake tree which has glued-on ornaments which I tape to the top of a tall cabinet. I also don't put any decorations in my cats' windows since those just get torn down.
Not that festive, I know, but it works.
P.S. I had to interrupt typing this comment because a certain demanding furball needed to be petted. A cat's purr is the best decoration, isn't it?
Happy Holidays, Everyone!!!!
Peek-a-boo, I see you! "Wow. Thanks Mom, for bringing me my very own personal forest."
ReplyDeleteWhen we bring our trees home we leave them lying on their sides in the entryway the first night. That way everyone has a chance to recover from their freak outs (Ack!! A tree in the house!!) and investigate the tree to their hearts' delight.
They sniff, tap the branches, crawl on the tree and generally get accustomed to it, so that when we do put it up, they're not quite so curious about it.
Well ... after so much climbing of real trees on her journeys, might she not be tempted to try the in-house tree? "What a nice Xmas gift for me" will Wee Wylla say !!
ReplyDeleteWell, if it is... then Iris and Fern will be happy to provide tree assembly and decorating tips. http://www.fluffytails.ca/christmas.asp
ReplyDelete