How to stop cats ruining the Christmas tree this December

Every year, many cat owners have to grapple with the yearly challenge of their feline friend tearing down baubles, tinsel, and the Christmas tree.

However, with new expert advice, it might be a bit easier to save your Christmas decorations this time around.

Harriet from Yorkshire and B&Q expert, Mairi Devlin, revealed some simple ways to curb this bad behaviour.

How to stop cats from ruining the Christmas tree

Here are the best ways to stop your cat from ruining your Christmas tree this year, according to B&Q:

Citrus

One of the best ways to keep your cat away from the Christmas tree and from wrecking it is to add citrus to the area.

Harriet says: “Typically, cats dislike the smell of citrus. Planting either a spray or peels from citrus fruits nearby the tree should be a natural way of keeping your cat from destroying your Christmas decor as mine did.” 

The reason why cats and other animals are averse to citrus is that they have an extremely sensitive sense of smell, meaning citrus smells may be over the top for a cat.

Keep your tree away from furniture

By placing the Christmas tree away from furniture, you're decreasing the chances that your cat can access the tree as well as its ability to jump from furniture into the foliage.

Mairi Devlin, Head of Horticulture at B&Q, says: “You want to minimise their opportunities for getting to the tree as much as possible. If you have your tree close to furniture, you’re giving your cat an easy route to destroying your tree.”

Canva - Citrus is a great way to repel cats from a Christmas tree (Image: Canva)

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Avoid placing decorations on the lower part of a tree

By placing baubles higher up, these decorations become less tempting for cats to knock off.

Mairi explains: “Cats are attracted to anything that is shiny or remotely dangling in their face. Temptation can easily be prevented by avoiding placing baubles at eye level and focusing on decorating further up the tree.”

Place tin foil around the base of the tree

"Cats hate the look, feel, and sound of tin foil" according to Harriet, so by placing this at the base, you can deter them from jumping into the tree.

Opt for a half-parasol Christmas tree

Mairi suggests: "Rather than keeping half of your tree bare, why not go for a half parasol tree this year to remove any temptation from your cat? This way the decor is out of your cat's reach, whilst still keeping the festive feel in the room.” 

To find out more about B&Q, please visit the B&Q website.