I spent Saturday decorating for the holidays for the first time since 2019, which means it’s the first time that Olivia has seen Christmas decorations. She isn’t all that impressed, but she does seem a tad confused by it all. Cats, it seems, have a love-hate relationship with things changing in their space. They enjoy exploring new things and 
old things in new places, but some cats seem to resent big changes like someone bringing an entire tree into the house or putting so much stuff on a ledge or table that the cat can no longer perch on it.
If you’ve known cats for a long time you’re probably aware of the dangers of holiday decorations. And some cats will find 
danger in the simplest of decorations. I’ve had many cats that never bothered Christmas gifts (unless it had kitty treats in it, perhaps). Then Sophie, the string-and-ribbon-eater, came along and I had to give up using ribbon or bows or string when wrapping gifts.
Some cats will bother flowers and plants. Do not bring plants or flowers into your house this holiday season without checking for the toxicity level for cats. You might be surprised 
how many plants are toxic to cats, including poinsettias and lilies.
Tinsel is a thing of the past. In our house so is angel hair. Remember angel hair? Not good to use around curious cats. And if you don’t want to wake up one morning and find 
your favorite nativity scene on the floor in pieces, you might reconsider placing it where your cat can’t reach it. She probably won’t tolerate having it suddenly appear where she likes to nap in the afternoon. 
If she’s like most cats, she will do her best to reclaim her place.
Candles are also a danger to animals. I love candles and use only battery-operated ones now. Don’t want to singe any whiskers around here.
Some cats will actually try to climb a Christmas tree. A few will succeed. In some cases, the tree and your most precious ornaments may not survive. It’s really a no brainer. How do you entice your cat to play? You dangle things in front of her. Surely, she’s going to be fascinated with all that dangles from the tree.
