My bengals ignore the tree

Tree has been up since Friday night and it is still standing!! I figure if Dexter hasn't destroyed it yet, he wont. He is usually pretty good about immediately tearing apart anything and everything he sets his evil little sights on. The first night we had it bare and kept it that way and they sniffed around it quite a bit. Dexter took a BIG chomp out of one of the low branches and he got sapped. Needless to say he hasn't tried to eat it again. The next day I decorated with them held up in the bedroom and when I let them out they barely noticed anything changed about the tree. Bauer swatted at a couple of low hanging bulbs and knocked one out but I distracted them with treats and they have since left the ornaments alone.

I actually find the BIGGEST problem is that they fight and wrestle under the tree and this makes quite a mess by A) messing up the tree skirt, and B) shaking the tree and causing the needles to fall all over the floor surrounding the tree. I have needed to vacuum quite a bit since we put it up.

For the next couple of days we are just going to lock them up in the bedroom/bathroom while we are at work so that we can supervise them around the tree, and so that I can make sure Dexter is genuinely done with his attempts to devour it I figure after a while the novelty will probably wear off.

Happy Holidays!!

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my tree's stayed up a total of 4 days...they are now back in the box packed away forever probably!!

tammy that is too funny!! they are both laying there like YUP we did that well mine will be going up today.....so i can test it out...... and tephiestephie you give me hope i took safari to the BFs sisters house yesterday and she had her tree up...well safari was good at first....then decided he wanted to play with the ornaments...then decided he wanted to climb....im like ooh no...so we will see how he acts tonight

The biggest problem really is the dam tree skirt. they mess around with it and then shake the tree and the needles go EVERYWHERE and when they screw up the skirt the needles don't fall on the skirt - they fall on the carpet. So it's not like i can just go over the balcony and shake out the skirt I have to actually bust out the vacuum and all that. Such a pain! But I am all about appearances so that tree better persevere, damnit!

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Tammy just posted this on Facebook. I think it is perfect for this thread!

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i am putting a small tree up on a bookshelf where they can't get it but next year i am going to have one of these made!!

ooh this is just too funny!! love the reasons why the cats drink! lol well im excited to put the tree up....i really dont mind if safari trys to destory it!! i guess i will just play it by ear....im just scared he may chew on the lights i dont mind if he knocks the balls off though....

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well i put the tree up last night....after 5 mins of being up safari managed to knock 4 ornaments down so i just went home on lunch break & the tree was still up!! yay!! hopefully it stays that way

I would be carefull with real xmas trees.
Even though it sounds like lot of fun, you need to remember that your cat may injury himself or get toxicated.

with real xmas trees 2 main things can be dangerous to your cat :

1) pine needles. If eaten they can punctuate internal organs
2) water in the stand. we all know bengals love water and may drink it from the stand and get toxicated

also some other Xmas plants are toxic to cats, these are :
Holly,
mistletoe,
poinsettias


I am sticking to all fake stuff and plastic balls

yeah i have a fake tree i put up every year.....with plastic balls.... i noticed that ALL day i will gone at work and safari does not mess up one thing....as soon as i get home and im not paying attention to him....he decided he was going to go undo the ribbon wrapped around the x-mas tree on purpose just to be bad & also try to knock the balls off:evil: he soo funny...