A furry friend and a real fir Christmas tree can co-exist this festive season with these top tips.
As Christmas trees are going up, the questions of how to keep your tree safe from your pet and your pet safe from your tree arise.
Veronika Kusak from celebrity tree supplier Pines and Needles has a series of tips and tricks to ensure your tree lasts the entirety of the festive season.
Securely anchor your tree
Keep your tree secure by anchoring it in place when it arrives. This will prevent it falling and injuring someone, fragile ornaments breaking, or tree water spilling on the carpet when a curious pet starts investigating the new addition.
Leave your tree bare for a few days
Pets will be extremely inquisitive about the smell of a new real fir tree in the living room. By leaving it bare for a few days, the pet can get used to the smell without the risk of ornaments getting broken.
Hide electrical string lights and wires
Keep electrical wires out of sight and reach of pets to discourage any chewing of wires. The bright twinkly lights are bound to catch the attention of a pet, so keeping wires out of the way ensures anyone coming to any harm.
Avoid tinsel
While tinsel is a popular Christmas decoration, it can prove dangerous to pets as ingestion could lead to an intestinal blockage and a worrying vets trip. For pet owners, it is best to avoid tinsel this year.
Keep tree water covered and out of the way
Once you have placed water in you tree stand, keep it covered. If there is fertiliser in there, or bacteria grows in the stagnant water, pets can become unwell with an upset stomach
Place fragile ornaments higher up the tree
If a pet does knock your tree over, you want to ensure your favourite ornaments are safe. Place your delicate ornaments at the top of your tree on the sturdier branches so they don’t smash.
Save the presents for Christmas morning
Placing presents under the tree leading up to Christmas Day can help build the excitement, but they will get the attention of pets. Wrapped presents could contain items which are toxic to pets such as chocolate or raisins.
Image credit: Pines and Needles
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