your pet and your christmas tree - Freeze-Frame Radio

Ruby · The Good Witch Of The South

your pet and your christmas tree

Mad Mema · Bad Biker Granny

My cats just like to sit under the tree like they are presents. Eddie did "help" me wrap some presents last year. For some reason he likes to chew on tape.

Ruby · The Good Witch Of The South

They don't mess with the lights or ornaments? I wold think a cat would be worse at that than a dog.

JD The Jazz Doctor · Grand Poobah

well I know G-gals tree has "decoy" ornaments for her ferrets. These are little stockings that hang on the bottom of the tree. When the ferrets come out to play, they dive at these stockings and try to take them away.

As these are the decoy ornaments easiest for them to get at, they leave the rest of the tree alone. they think they are being bad, but actually are doing exactly what is intended....

Mad Mema · Bad Biker Granny

Ruby wrote:
They don't mess with the lights or ornaments? I wold think a cat would be worse at that than a dog.

I have a 4 ft. palm tree, no ornaments. They are far more fascinated with the stockings. There are shelves on both sides of my fireplace, so they try to climb up there for a look.

Years ago I had a traditional fake Christmast tree that got dive bombed by a cat. My then roommate's cat, Haji, jumped from the back of the sofa into the tree, about a third of the way down from the top. Snapped every single branch clip from there to the floor on that side of the tree. Funny in retrospect... but man was I pist at the time. That tree cost me $135 which was a fortune for me back then.

MzHartz · Permanent Vacation

The cats really don't mess with any decorations. They're too fixated on the presents, particularly the ribbons. I love curly ribbon but have had to switch to press on bows, because Jack will chew the ribbon off at the knot. He still chews on the bows, but at least he doesn't consume them.

Woo Hoo · The Chosen Woo

Well I'm not sure my fish have seen a Christmas tree yet but I don't think they will bother it wink

ghostdancer · Ghost In The Machine

My Lab's first Christmas was awful. She was 3 months old at the time. She would chew on the strings of lights, take whatever ornaments she could reach off the tree, bite at the tree branches, use her paws to bat ornaments off the tree, and ate every single candy cane that she could get to fall off the tree. I kept moving things higher and higher up on the tree and by the time Christmas actually got here, only the top 2 feet of the 6 ft. tree had anything left on it. It was a pitiful looking tree that year.

There are still 3 or 4 ornaments that catch her eye every year that I have to either put way up high on the tree or leave 'em off completely. They're handmade knitted snowmen and snowwomen that look/feel like stuffed animals. My dog thinks they're her toys.

Ruby · The Good Witch Of The South

I am sorry Ghost but I am LOL! I bet you were not laughing then, but hope you can laugh about it now!

ghostdancer · Ghost In The Machine

We laugh about it now Ruby, but it sure wasn't funny at the time. I was tempted to take her back to her mama's "family" and let them deal with her. That same year she also managed to get a container off my buffet one night while we were sleeping that had 4 dozen Christmas cookies in it. We got up in the morning and only 2 cookies were left. She laid around the house moaning and whimpering all day because she was so stuffed.

I still don't know how she managed that one. She couldn't reach the top of the buffet while standing on her hind legs, but somehow she got to them.

confuzzed · Permanent State of Confusion

We never had trouble with our golden retriever and trees. I was always worried that he would pee on the tree. He never did.

When we provided a temporary home for my brother-in-law's cat, he seemed okay. Sat under the tree and maybe pawed some of the balls hanging low on it. Thankfully he didn't attack it or eat it. I think I was more worried about him trying to eat it.

WebGuy · Doesn't Do Windows

Last year, the boy and dog were playing. Somehow, the tree got knocked over. The boy blames the dog, the dog blames the boy.

We were REALLY lucky though, only one ornament got broken and it wasn't one of the "if you break this, I'll kill you" ones.

sgmorrell · Low in Fiber High in M-SG

Our Golden has never bothered the tree except ocasionally getting to close while he's walking near it. Amazingly, the cat has ignored the tree every years too!

Ruby · The Good Witch Of The South

WebGuy wrote:

Last year, the boy and dog were playing. Somehow, the tree got knocked over. The boy blames the dog, the dog blames the boy.

We were REALLY lucky though, only one ornament got broken and it wasn't one of the "if you break this, I'll kill you" ones.

I like the dog blamed the boy reference!

Mad Mema · Bad Biker Granny

After thinking about it for a while, I do have one good Christmas tree story, but it only works in this thread if you are willing to consider my wuzband a "pet". He kind of qualifies:

Years ago we used to live in one of those 1950's tiny crackerbox houses (2br, 1 bath, kitchen, family room). He decides he wants a real tree, so off to the tree lot we go. He picks out the "perfect" tree. It was beautiful... but roughly the dimensions of a Sequoia. I took one look and told him it was too big. He insisted it wasn't and was getting mad, so I reluctantly agreed to get it. The guy at the tree lot laughed when he saw my car that we intended to transport this tree with... a '98 Nissan Sentra. When he bundled the tree up and set it across the trunk, the tailpipe was almost dragging the ground.

Again I said, "That tree is too big." "NO IT ISN'T!!"

We get the few blocks home with the undercarriage of my car still intact, cut the twine that it was strapped to the car with and proceed to try to carry it in the house. As we were going through the doorway, the twine wrapped around the tree gave way and an explosion of branches got the tree stuck in the doorway. After several minutes of hassle, we did get it in the family room. Laying on it's side, it took up half the room. We had to remove furniture.

Kev gets the tree stand out... one of those metal ring, dish, and three leg bad boys... I told him it was too small. "NO IT ISN'T!! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO FIGHT ME EVERY STEP OF THE WAY?!? JEEZ, MICHELE!!! YOU ARE SO NEGATIVE!!" So, I said fine... climbed over the tree and went into the kitchen to make dinner and let him sort it out. After several minutes of cussing, I hear WHUMP WHUMP WHUMP... so I look out into the family room to see what is going on. Kev is laying on the floor attempting to kick that little ring up the tree trunk with the heel of his boot. DUDE! THE TREE IS TOO BIG FOR THAT STAND! GIVE IT UP!! Nope... he manages to kick it far enough up the stump and get the rest of the assembly together. "HA! I TOLD YOU SO! You always doubt me! Now help me stand it up." Sure... so we do that. The top of the tree is bent over because it's too tall for the room. Not dissuaded, he says "Okay, let it go." So I did... it promptly fell on him as the tree stand crumpled under the weight.

From under the pile of tree, I hear "Okay.. you might have had a point about the tree stand. Could you please go to the store and get another one?"

One industrial sized tree stand and a hand saw later, we did get the tree to stand up. I still had to tie the star to the front of it... the top was still brushing the ceiling. It took up a quarter of the room. But it was a beautiful tree.

-- Edited by Mad Mema at 15:47, 2008-12-01

-- Edited by Mad Mema at 16:28, 2008-12-01

confuzzed · Permanent State of Confusion

I can so see this whole thing going on. I think in one way or another we have all had something like this. I especially enjoy that it took the tree being on top of him to admit the stand wasn't going to work. Although, I don't see where he actually admitted that the tree was too big. I'll even bet when you guys were finished he said, "See, told you it would fit."

MzHartz · Permanent Vacation

LOL!

Ruby · The Good Witch Of The South

Mad Mema · Bad Biker Granny

Yeah... he never would admit that the tree was too big. He insisted that first tree stand was defective. The thing was so huge that we had to take the sofa and coffee table out of the living room. All that was left was a wing backed chair, a recliner, and the TV. The tree was between the chairs. To see each other to converse, we had to lean all the way forward in the chairs at the same time, otherwise it was all tree.

DUFUS! I still laugh about him kicking that ring up the tree trunk. I wish I could have gotten that on video.

confuzzed · Permanent State of Confusion

Stubborn-types are tough.

WebGuy · Doesn't Do Windows

Dylan · Leader Of The Banned

The fragile male ego...when installed in a dope is a very frustrating and yet funny combination.

Mad Mema · Bad Biker Granny

As Momma once pointed out... that was his appeal... the comedy relief. Hadda go when it quit being funny.

Dylan · Leader Of The Banned

Life is too short not to find the humor in it little mama.

Mad Mema · Bad Biker Granny

And too long to suffer stupidity. Ah well... I'm much happier now.

Some fine day I might even meet the guy who can make me laugh without turning himself into a jerk.

Dylan · Leader Of The Banned

He is out there to be sure smile

Mad Mema · Bad Biker Granny

Yeah, but at my age, aren't the odds greater that I will be struck by lightening?

Dylan · Leader Of The Banned

Well, not in December biggrin

Mad Mema · Bad Biker Granny

Crushin' my hopes, D...

Dylan · Leader Of The Banned

Well, I was inferring December might a good Mr Right month since I dont think lightning is all that common...c'mon work with me here biggrin