A CAT CHALLENGED CHRISTMAS
When I say my Abby cat is really into Christmas I am referring to her ability to literally get into the Christmas tree. She climbed about two thirds of the way the up the tree as soon as it was in the house. I did not have this problem with my former elderly cats. Mario had arthritis and couldn’t climb anything. I had to make cardboard cat stairs so that he could get up on the window seat. Kitty just didn’t give a hoot about the tree although she had a passion for the sparkly ribbon on the gifts underneath it. Abby is barely out of her teen years and she is full of energy. When I brought my fake tree in from the garage she saw it as a new place to explore. CAT DETERENTS I have heard of people surrounding their trees with cat fences or hanging them from the ceiling as a way of protecting them against a curious cat. I use plastic. Abby hates plastic. She can’t get her claws into it. When I was still attempting to let her out in my fenced yard I wrapped clear plastic shower curtains around the jasmine vines as a cat deterrent. It worked great to stop her from climbing the jasmine, but somehow she always found some other way to climb the fence. Last year I experimented with using shower curtains to protect the tree. I made a barrier around the bottom of the tree so that she couldn’t get a foothold on climbing it, and then cut strips of shower curtain to drape like a garland around the rest of the tree. Because they are clear you can still see the lights shine through. They actually add a bit of sparkle as the lights reflect off of the plastic. CAT CURTAILING CURTAINS I was hoping Abby had matured enough in the last year so that I wouldn’t have to cover my tree in shower curtains this Christmas. Unfortunately it was only up for a few minutes before she tackled it like an experienced climber on Mount Everest. Out came the shower curtains I had wisely stored with the tree. It was easier putting them around the tree this year because I didn’t have to figure out how to do it. In just few minutes the tree was Abby proof. I am a serious decorator when it comes to Christmas so the aesthetics of my tree are very important to me. I have to say that my plastic wrapped tree has a certain charm to it. It’s not traditional and it wouldn’t pass muster with Martha Stewart, but I like it. It reminds me of growing up in Minnesota. The plastic reflects light in the same way that I remember the light reflecting off of the ice and snow when I walked home from school. This year I am going to add a few decorations between the plastic garlands. I won’t use anything too shiny that might tempt Abby. I have some crocheted decorations that my dad and grandma made. I am hoping they will add a little color and texture without looking like cat toys. CONTINUING THE CELEBRATION I like to keep my tree up until the week after New Years when I celebrate my birthday. My twin sister is no longer alive to celebrate it with me and it’s important to me to keep her in my heart and mind at Christmas. When we were kids we begged our parents to keep the tree up for our birthday but the natural trees of my youth became a fire hazard too quickly. My fake tree could stay up all year and never threaten to burn down my house, so I want to enjoy it as long as possible. I feel secure in the knowledge that, however long I keep it up, it will stay upright and safe from Abby - unless she discovers some new way to climb plastic. Hopefully that day will never come.
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Leslie Masona woman in search of her post-retirement future Guess what! By subscribing, you get notices about the latest Little Old Lady with Cats posts sent to your mailbox!
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(from an entry posted on 5/1/2015) “I definitely fit some of the characteristics of a little old lady with cats: Retired - check, Single - check, Like to knit - check, Have cats - check. . .I do not want to get stuck in my Little Old Lady persona, however. In fact, this blog is a risk taking experiment in exploring and redefining what I want my retired life to look like.” Categories
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