I used to provide sacrificial ornaments for my cat. My good stuff I'd
hang to within a few feet of the floor, and then at the bottom of the
tree I'd hang some cheap bells & sparkly things that I bought for the
purpose (cat mischief). I'd scold him to leave the tree alone, he'd wait
until I wasn't looking, then sneak up under the tree and steal one of
those decorations. I'd wait for a while, then "discover" the theft,
make a big deal out of it, put it back on the tree - making sure he
could see me do so. Lather, rinse repeat for a week or two, after which
he got tired of the tree just like any other cat toy.

I did have to make sure that the hook was more firmly affixed to the
tree than the ornament. We did that for fifteen years. It seemed to
satisfy his needs to mess with the tree and to get away with something.
It definitely satisfied my needs to have the "messing with" be
somewhat confined...


wrote:
Well we just got our Christmas tree today and Clyde has already
explored all around it. We know for a fact that when we put ornaments
on the tree that he will be going crazy and playing with them all the
time. I was just wondering if there is anyway to stop him from doing
this? Is there anything we can do or maybe teach him to stay away? (I
doubt we can teach him)