For those of us who live in houses with tiny hands or paws of any sort, we know the trouble that comes around when we have to bring out the Christmas decorations. The curiosity can be just too much and, all of a sudden, the tree that we worked so hard to decorate comes crashing down.
However, people around the world have proved that there are many other ways to have a Christmas tree that satisfies and is safe, not only for you but those tiny hands and paws.
Here are 35 images that show how people are using their creativity and Christmas spirit to make their homes just as special with or without the “normal” Christmas tree.
1. Barricade For The Christmas Tree
Many parents struggle with their kiddos or furry friends getting a little too curious in the days leading up to Christmas day. So much so that they’ve begun creating faux present fences in hopes of barricading out those tiny hands and paws! All you need is some boxes, wrapping paper, a 3″ wide ribbon, and then fill the boxes with either mini dumbbells to sound the alarm or place some bricks in the boxes to weigh them down.
Many around the world are coming up with clever ways to cat, dog, and even kiddo proof their Christmas trees and other decorations. Take this classy proofing decor idea, where one cat owner decided to put their tiny tree in a tall lantern case! This idea could be used as great decor with or without the cat, dog, or kiddos.
For these owners, they were having to keep fixing or cleaning up the tree when their cats inevitably messed with it. So they decided to try something new…by placing their Christmas tree on the ceiling. But we can see this cat is plotting ways to get up there.
4. Owners Come Up With A Clever Solution When Dog Won’t Stop Eating Ornaments
When one pup wouldn’t stop eating the ornaments off the family tree, its owners had to come up with a way that would keep their dog away for good. So they decided to call in some backup of one of the dog’s biggest fears. That backup…two vacuums guarding the tree around the clock.
5. Even The Tree Can Be Wrapped…But This Time For Protection From Our Furry Friends
When one family couldn’t think of any other way to keep their tree safe they came up with an ingenious idea. So just like they wrap their presents, they wrapped the tree! Wrapped with saran wrap, it protects the tree and also still allows you to see through so you’re able to admire the decoration.
For one family with a pet fox in the house they had to also use the Christmas tree on the ceiling trick to protect it. But they decided to use a little imagination when putting their tree on the ceiling. They cut their tree into two, decorating the spots on the ceiling with lights and garland representing portals where the tree went in one way and is coming out the other.
For this cat, the owners figured out a simple way to teach their cat a lesson of what happens when it tries to mess with the tree. Every time this cat tries to mess with the tree and grab an ornament the punishment is having to wear this Christmas outfit for 15 minutes. We’ll see how long this punishment lasts or if the cat will just adjust to the outfit and go back to attempting
8. Some Need A Bigger Fence For There Furry Friends
For some families they prefer smaller pets but for others, they love their bigger furry friends. Such as this german shepherd pictured. For those families, they need to equip and proof their home in other ways such as this giant fence protecting the Christmas tree!
So we’ve seen people hanging their trees from their ceiling, trees blockaded by fences, and even trees rolled in saran wrap. Here we find the perfect tree for cat owners. One that is completely bare!
For this family they weren’t experiencing issues with their animals but instead their children. So they decided to also hang their tree upside down to keep it safe and looking nice from the tiny hands! But if you look closely in the picture you can see a cat coming around the corner possibly to investigate this new tree hanging just low enough right near a perfect launching place: the couch.
Here we have yet another anti-gravity tree put up with hopes of avoiding destruction from a curious cat. With the base bolted to the ceiling and a couple of self-tapping screws, this mini tree is safely secured to the ceiling. The owner now writes,
“O christmas tree. Now cat free. She likes admiring it now, but doesn’t attack it. Holidays saved by DIY!”
Here’s another family who turned to a fence to keep their dog away and their tree safe and sound. But it appears as though this dog almost as tall as the fence when sitting. And from the looks of those legs, it seems as though this fence could be hopped with ease.
The creativity of safety proofing Christmas trees takes a new level with this cat proof and environmentally conscious tree. This owner simply took a tomato cage turned it upside down, added some blankets, some string lights, and voila! From the looks of it, the cat looks pretty comfy and content near the tree too.
Cats prove to be, time and time again, a Christmas tree’s worst nightmare, as many homes have had to adapt as their furry friends cannot help but to investigate. Many homes have completely given up having Christmas trees or switched to an alternative. Such as this cat owner switched to a cactus Christmas tree.
15. An Effort To Protect Christmas Trees From Pets
This family chose to go a completely different route with their Christmas tree this year. Instead of a real tree, they came up with the idea to use a fir tree air freshener to protect the tree from the pets. This idea covering both decorations and providing a nice tree smell!
Here, we have another environmentally friendly tree made from wine bottles. A wine drinker’s dream and a good way to recycle the bottles. If constructed properly this tree would be good for someone who loves wine and has furry friends since they probably wouldn’t have any interest in it.
For one family, their cat decided to really show them who is the star. This cat proves why all the other owners took various measures to cat-proof their tree. Looks like this cat not only made it to the top of this tree but took out some lights in the middle on the journey up.
With each new slide, we see just how creative people can be when they put their minds to it. To protect their tree, this person decided to put up a framed art piece of a Christmas tree. Now they don’t have to worry about any pets or kiddos trying to mess with it.
Here we have another family that used a household tool and turned it into decor. Many of us know just how much animals hate vacuum cleaners. So this owner used that hate and fear to its advantage.
We’ve seen cages at all different heights to protect the family’s Christmas tree. One family took it to the next level with a full-height case that is protected from all angles. Now, here is a tree that is truly just for show and not for any touch or messing with!
21. Only Section Of The House That Is Safe From The Cats
There was only one section of this family’s house that was safe from their furry friends. So they made the most of that safe space and decorated it to its fullest potential. But as we can all see it definitely pays tribute to those furry friends.
With each new picture shared we can see just how imaginative we can get when adapting our decorations to be safe from paws and tiny hands. One family decided to make use of just the ornaments hanging them in a way to almost replicate a tree. To which we can see this cat still appreciates very much.
In Philadelphia, a restaurant called the Percy Street Barbecue specializes in barbecue, as well as offers more than 60 different varieties of canned beer, which they serve in custom galvanized steel buckets. One Christmas they constructed an 8-foot tree from over 400 beer cans topped with one of those galvanized steel buckets! A tree like this would definitely be safe from any and all paws.
Although we’ve seen many get creative and find clever new ways to adapt their tree, some have found simple tricks that do just as well. Such as this dog’s family repurposing their tiny side table. Which with one small adjustment looks to be just out of reach for this pup.
Then we have another recycled Christmas tree made entirely from books. With a simple string light wrapped around, a star placed nicely on top, and a few ornaments here and there it makes for a nice adaptation. Recycled, clever, and safety proofed from paws and tiny hands.
Here we have another tree made safe from those paws and tiny hands! Consisting of a few branches, garland, and ornaments this tree adds a nice accent to the room. And from the looks of it, the pup and the kiddo don’t seem to be interested in messing with it at all.
We’ve seen a variety of gates protecting people’s precious trees, but none such as this one. This family decided to match their gate with their tree and even add some festive decorations too. Now it’s safe from any curious pets and looks good too.
Here we have another cat owner who had to make adjustments to their Christmas decorations. So they took their lamp and added some ornaments. The owner reports,
“The problem now is that she won’t stop staring at it and meowing angrily because she can’t reach.”
Again we see simple adjustments that can be made without having to build something new. Such as this family using their spare couches and chairs as a shield. As we can see this pup is no longer interested in the tree…or at least is acting like it temporarily.
For this dog proof tree, they decided to leave everything else behind but the lights. Using a tripod shape and wrapping lights around it with a bow on top. Now the owner gets to proudly share this photo of their pup by the tree without any fear of it being messed with later.
For one family, they soon realized there was only one safe place away from their cat. So they bought a smaller Christmas tree and placed it there. Right on top of the kitchen fridge!
We’ve also seen all varieties of the anti-gravity trees. From being various sizes, different modifications of decorations, and even one showing a tree going in one end and out the other! But for these owners to make their tree totally cat-proof, they decided to make it tiny and put it up on the ceiling.
At first glance it looks as though this family only got halfway done decorating their tree. This family decided to only decorate the top half of the tree so their ornaments and garland are just out of reach from those curious paws and tiny hands. Now their animals can safely play at the bottom of the tree enjoying the smells and textures while the decor stays safe at the top.
Here we have another adaptation for a cat-proof Christmas tree. This allows the cats to be happy and admiring the tree for all its glory safely from below. As we all can see the two are very content.
For this family, we can see they have their hands full with the number of furry friends in their house. Which also means more curious paws investigating the Christmas tree and decorations. So they decided to put the tree in the cage as a form of protection and as we can all see the paws are still curious to examine just how protected it is.
35 Hilarious pet owners who found creative ways to “pet-proof” their Christmas trees
Dani Halteman
12.09.20
For those of us who live in houses with tiny hands or paws of any sort, we know the trouble that comes around when we have to bring out the Christmas decorations. The curiosity can be just too much and, all of a sudden, the tree that we worked so hard to decorate comes crashing down.
However, people around the world have proved that there are many other ways to have a Christmas tree that satisfies and is safe, not only for you but those tiny hands and paws.
Here are 35 images that show how people are using their creativity and Christmas spirit to make their homes just as special with or without the “normal” Christmas tree.
