Anyone with pets will know the Christmas-time struggle to keep the tree decorated, nice smelling, and in any up-right position possible. Anyone with pets will know the Christmas-time struggle to keep the tree decorated, nice smelling, and in any up-right position possible.
It's no easy by any means. So, people around the world have shared their tricks to keeping their critters nice instead of naughty. Some of them are down-right extreme and have involved power tools.
This family had "zero cats a leaping" to worry about. Their dogs were also fairly well behaved. However, that didn't mean they could leave things unattended.
A wall barrier and a cute fireplace cover ended up being just fine. The gifts were far too tempting and had to be up on the bookshelf behind. These guys were so fortunate.
Cindy of London shared how it was impossible to keep her mischievous cat away from anything sparkly. Tree decorating ended up a yearly fiasco.
That is until she found the one that would keep the feline a million miles away. It hated the vacuumed cleaner with every fiber of its fluffy being. So, she just left it out and beside the tree. Problem solved.
One smart lady shared her secret to success - a cheap spray bottle.
Since her dogs were too interested in the food-smelling gifts, she gave them something else. Dogs greatly dislike the scent of citrus. So, she mixed a lemon and turmeric concoction (adding a dash of cinnamon for holiday cheer) and spritzed the lower section as needed. So useful!
The Glenn family couldn't decide of their plan to decorate half the tree - and leave the lower part bare for their pets - was a clever solution or losing the battle.
The hope to find a better fix next year. At least this year they can celebrate many likes and shares on social media.
Another woman shared her similar-citrus-solution, but she dipped pine cones in citronella and hung them around the bottom of the tree.
She also made the tree skirt out of scratchy material that the cat hated to step on. The next step was moving the marmalade rascal's favorite launch points to the other side of the room. Forget cages. Darleen of Ohio showed off her elegant (and prison level) tree fix.
She admitted she wasn't able to have a tree as big as she wanted, but at least this way she would save a few grey hairs. Anyone with an imagination could picture a Narnia portal or fairy box.
A picture says a thousand words - well, in this case ... it screams some pretty specific ones. It's clear the cat wasn't going to let up his plan of holiday destruction.
So, the family moved the cat out of his cage and gave the tree his home instead. You can tell the indigent kitty is plotting some serious revenge.
Hanging a Christmas tree from the ceiling is a fairly old practice. It's not just a space-saver, it's fool-proof in keeping pets away.
The owners of Loki The Red Fox knew he was extra clever and their tree was extra big. Their solution wasn't just ingenious, it was a nod to a well-known computer game "Portals".
We've all seen grandparents that kept their furniture wrapped in the warm, safe embrace of plastic.
It should be no surprise that someone decided that December decorations were included. Many families have taken to wrapping their tree to keep things in place and then unwrapping it like a gift on the 25th.
Two roommates gave up on the tree and went for the one plant that their pets wouldn't go near.
Can you even imagine a cat trying to climb that? It's extra teasing considering it's directly beside the scratch/crawl post. Maybe add little bottles of tequila to finish things off?
Paula and Dennis of Toronto, Ontario shared a photo of their Christmas fix. It seemed that there was no way they could win the "don't climb" fight.
Instead, they made platforms so their kitty could get up and watch his subjects come and go with heavy amounts of cat-judgment. At least the tree lived.
Toby of San Fransisco didn't have a big, elaborate setup, but it was still special to him.
After his dog showed he would never get tired of the round ornaments, he was forced to move the entire thing to the top of the fridge. He says when the lights are on, his dog will just sit and stare at it. Christmas spirit or longing we wonder?
A man on Reddit explained how he gave up on trees altogether.
Instead, he used the old dog crates for his three big boys and made a make-shift "tree" - it also doubled as an amazing Christmas card cover for his friends and family. Since they don't like being in them, they don't go anywhere near them.
Smoky the cat didn't like vacuums but the Jemmens family found something even better - their train set!
All they had to do was dress up the set to be more winter-magic and voila! Smokey would get close and stare with disdain, but he would never cross the threshold.
When Larry and his wife saw the mess under the tree, they couldn't believe that their toddler and dog were both in on the caper. When Larry and his wife saw the mess under the tree, they couldn't believe that their toddler and dog were both in on the caper.
After it happened a couple more times, they decided that the year after would be something very out-of-reach. They hung it from their living room light and agreed a real tree could come later ... when they could separate the kid-dog duo and bribe their daughter with Santa gifts.