Your cat at Christmas: the tree, tinsel, plants and food
For a cat, Christmas is a theme park: a new tree to climb, shiny things dangling, ribbons, parcels and lots of food. It is also the season for some very typical emergencies. With a few adjustments, everyone can enjoy it without a scare.
The tree: stable and free of temptation
A new tree in the living room is irresistible to a cat, and many will try to climb it. The most important thing is that it cannot fall over: choose a heavy, wide base, or tie it to the wall or ceiling with discreet fishing line. Some owners put it up without decorations for a few days so the cat loses interest in the novelty. Hang fragile glass baubles and anything with metal hooks near the top, out of reach, and unbreakable ones lower down. If the tree is real, cover the water in the base: it may contain fertiliser and resin, and the cat may drink it.
Tinsel, danger number one
Tinsel, ribbons, bows, gift-wrapping string and the twine used on roasts are, by a long way, the great Christmas danger for cats. They love them because they move and shine, and a cat’s tongue, with its hook-shaped papillae, means that once it starts swallowing a thread it cannot spit it out. A linear foreign body in the intestine can bunch it up like a concertina and perforate it, and almost always needs surgery. If you see a thread coming out of your cat’s mouth or bottom, do not pull it: you could tear the intestine. Take it to the vet. The safest thing is not to have tinsel in a home with a cat.
Lights and cables
The cables of fairy lights are a temptation for young cats that chew everything, and one bite can cause burns in the mouth or a serious electric shock. Tidy cables away, run them through cable covers or protect accessible sections, and unplug the lights when you are out or at night. Lit candles are another risk: a cat that jumps onto the table or swishes its tail over one can get burnt or start a fire. LED candles are better, or real candles only where the cat cannot reach and never unattended.
Seasonal plants
Christmas flower arrangements often include lilies, the most dangerous plant there is for a cat: every part, the pollen and even the vase water can cause fatal acute kidney failure. If someone gives you a bouquet with lilies, do not bring it into the house. The poinsettia has a worse reputation than it deserves: its sap irritates the mouth and can cause drooling or vomiting, but rarely serious poisoning; even so, keep it out of reach. Mistletoe and holly are more toxic, especially their berries, and are best avoided or hung where the cat cannot get at them.
Festive food
Christmas tables are full of things a cat should not eat. Cooked turkey, chicken or lamb bones splinter and can get stuck in or perforate the gut. Stuffings, gravies and stews usually contain onion and garlic, which damage a cat’s red blood cells. Turrón (Spanish nougat) and chocolates contain chocolate and sometimes nuts or raisins. Skin, fat and ham in quantity can cause vomiting, diarrhoea or pancreatitis, besides a lot of salt. And alcohol, including punch or half-finished drinks left on the table, is dangerous in very small amounts. If you want to give it something special, a small piece of cooked turkey or chicken, skinless, boneless and unseasoned.
Rubbish and wrapping
After dinner, the bin is treasure for a curious cat: meat scraps, bones, greasy foil, roasting twine soaked in juices. Use a bin with a lid that shuts properly, or take the rubbish out that same night. Gift wrap, cellophane, ribbons, plastic bags with handles and tissue paper can be swallowed or get tangled round the neck. Cats love getting into boxes and bags, and a bag with handles is dangerous: it can catch round the neck, and the cat may bolt dragging it behind. Clear up the paper and ribbons as soon as the presents are opened.
Toys, batteries and other small hazards
Children’s presents bring small parts, elastic bands, button batteries and balloons, all of which a cat can swallow. Button batteries are particularly dangerous, because they can cause serious chemical burns in the digestive tract within hours. Glitter decorations, artificial snow and Christmas air fresheners with essential oils are also irritating or toxic to cats. And do not forget your guests’ medicines: visitors’ handbags and washbags often contain paracetamol or ibuprofen, which are highly toxic to cats.
Visitors, noise and parties
Lots of visitors, children running around, loud music and changed routines stress most cats. Set up a quiet room with its litter tray, water, food, bed and a hiding place, where nobody will bother it and it can retreat whenever it wants. Ask guests not to chase it or pick it up if it does not want to be held, and not to feed it. Keep its feeding and play times as normal as possible. And New Year’s Eve usually brings firecrackers and fireworks: the article on cats that are afraid of fireworks has ideas for that particular night.
Open doors and escaping cats
With guests coming and going, parcels and delivery drivers, it is very easy for the door to be left open and the cat to slip out, especially if it is frightened. Tell everyone there is a cat and that the door must always be shut. At very busy moments, it is better for the cat to be in its own room with the door closed. Check that its microchip details are up to date. And if you are travelling over the holidays and leaving it at home with a sitter, leave the number of your vet and of the nearest emergency clinic, because many clinics close on bank holidays.
What to do if something happens
Bank holidays are bad days for emergencies, so it is worth finding out in advance which emergency vet is open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and, in Spain, Epiphany on 6 January. If your cat has swallowed a thread, ribbon or tinsel, bitten a lily or eaten something toxic, call the vet without waiting for symptoms and do not make it vomit yourself. The signs that cannot wait are repeated vomiting, lethargy, not eating, difficulty breathing, tremors or a thread showing at the mouth. The rest, with a little planning, rarely happens.
At Christmas, keep tinsel and ribbon out of reach and never pull a thread that is showing; no lilies at home; secure the tree, tidy the cables and keep the bin closed. No bones, chocolate or gravies with onion. Know which emergency vet is open over the holidays.
Educational content from Michipedia, translated from the Spanish original. It does not replace the advice of a vet or a feline behaviour specialist. Every cat is an individual.