Holiday

[skittles2]

Those of you who have or had an artificial flock Christmas tree, could you recommend one, whether here or at another store?

I'd prefer it here so I could use my member credits, and I'm looking for a green tree with flocking already within the needles; I can't have flocking coming off.

. I don't want it to be completely flocked; I want to be able to see green and have the option of clear or colored lights.

The last tree TSV, I think it was Bethlehem lights, it was the mini lights, I believe, there were just so many minis that all I could see were lights. I'd like to be able to see the tree.

I like that their flocking is done in a way that it's incorporated into the needles, and I was so close to purchasing it, but I didn't want to sit in a room where the lights took over.  Now, maybe it doesn't look like that in person?

I know I'm down to crunch time, but I've been vacillating between either getting two real trees or one of them being artificial.

We have a kitty, if he decides to show interest in the real one or the artificial, and we can't stop him, we'd have to take it outside. Of course, I would take the ornaments off if we had to take either one of them outside.

But hoping that if we had to do that, he wouldn't like the other one and leave it alone, so we'd at least have one tree.

We rescued a severely injured year-old cat last January. It looks like someone tried to scalp him. It was so bad, and he seemed to have been a stray.

It was snowing last January, and instead of him coming up under our porch cover,  to have some protection from the snow, he stayed on our walkway with snow just building up around him.

We brought him in that night and got him urgent care, had him neutered, vaccinated, micro microchipped. He was close to dying.  

He slowly acclimated. He would come close to me to make biscuits against me, then quickly leave.

He had no idea what a cat tree was, nor a cat house, cat toys, or anything. He played with the only toy he ever had, and that was his tail. He would go in circles, as if he never knew what direction his tail was going to go.

 He'd come in the room, weeks later, onto the bed, later head-butting or face planting my face,  as if giving me kisses, he eventually started to lie on the bed, but not near me, on the edge of the other side of the bed.

And then the day came when he started to make biscuits against me, and now he lies on me for short periods and makes biscuits. There's nothing better.❣️

It makes me cry every time to see his progression from almost a year ago.

He loves his cat tree, looking out the window. He loves his gingerbread fluffy cat house, and his tunnels, playing with balls and sticks with furry tails.

He's a handsome gray and white striped, check, beautiful fur that rarely sheds. He's a fast, smart, strong boy; we should have named him Hercules. He's wonderful with my grandchildren, and his favorite place to lie is my bathtub.

 I have no idea how he's going to behave with real Christmas trees, and we have 48 years' worth of ornaments, 4 kids, their spouses, and grandchildren, and everyone gets a new ornament every year, with many being breakable. Now I don't buy breakables any longer, but I still want to put up the precious ones I have.

So I don't know what he's going to think of the trees; if he's going to climb chew wires, he does like to get to my phone cords now and then, and the horrible issue of trying to drink from the water fixture that our beautiful corgi and sweet kitties, who are no longer with us, used to do.

 I've tried so many contraptions, even my own inventions, to try to have it narrow at the top of the water container, but somehow easy for us to get water inside.

And artificial trees, how easy are they for a cat to chew through a limb, especially the end? Is it going to have silicone or plastic, whatever they're made out of, ingests to where he can't pass it and needs surgery?

Or become very ill from drinking tree water,

or knocking over either style, real or fake trees.

Actually, I need help with two recommendations;

1.  A very good nice nice-looking flocked tree where the flocking is included within the design of the needles, ends,  it's not on the outside.

 That there's no possible way flocking can come off,

and very HARDy against a cat who may want to chew the ends

or climb up the pole

or pull over the tree

2.

Suggestions for the real tree's water fixture- to let us be able to add water, but keep him out

, and suggestions to block him from climbing

I have these tall decorative folding section  Christmas tree covers that go around the water fixture, and the ends velcroed, but my previous kitty just went over the top to get to the water.

I think strays kitties and dogs come to homes where they want to live, where they know their parents are.

We are so happy we had the chance to save him,

but in the end.........

we think we're saving them, but they're really saving us.

💞🐾🐈‍⬛🐶🐾💞

[Bonkers1]

First of all thanks for rescuing your kitty.  Bethlehem lights does have trees that are called sun kissed and snow spruce but they are quite pricey.  I have a 7.5 ft flocked tree that I got at Walmart last year for around $75.00.   It switches between white or colored lights.  This is my second season with it and I am very impressed with the way it held up.  I also have a cat that does chew on the ends and I find them under the tree occasionally.  Good luck on your search.

[skittles2]

@Bonkers1 

Very kind of you to say. Thank you.

You're right, Bethlehem lights are expensive! Is the Walmart flocking made into the needles like Bethlehem's latest trees?

Bethlehem had a beautiful tree, I believe it was during the summer Christmas shows. I almost bought a flocked 7 1/2 foot blue spruce, but I didn't, thinking I'd buy it in October, and I never got around to it.

The one a few weeks ago had a bazillion mini lights, but the flocking was the same as the one in the summer; you couldn't rub it off.

 I'm concerned that if there is any flocking on the outside, after the needles and branches are made, my cat would eat any that drop to the floor or get into his eyes.

💞🐾🐈‍⬛🐶🐾💞

we think we're saving them, they're saving us.....

[Puppy Galore]

@skittles2 

God Bless you a thousand time for rescuing your sweet cat!

I've ordered trees on Amazon and have always been pleased with them. My tree last year was Frazer Tree, it was gorgeous. I think QVC is now selling  them.

Bethleham trees are pretty, but I always set them on one setting, I don't need all the bells and whistles.

Amazon delivers quickly and returns are easy.

If you find a tree with flocking consider your cats health, will he digest the flocking, some have glitter on them, will it get on his little paws, the ones he uses to knead on you?

If you have a window you look out on, we used to call them pictures windows, perhaps you can set one outside and look at it with it's pretty lights?

When mom was alive she had a gorgeous chandelier over her small dining set. I braided garlands through it and hung her favorite old ornaments it, of course there was Christmas picks on it. At the time there wasn't small strands of battery operated fairy lights.

Can you hang garlands higher up near the ceiling and string lights on it and hang your cherished ornaments?

I know trees are now made a solid white and garlands too. 
I purchased one of B.L. TSV earlier it was the 4.5 ft white tree, it was beautiful. It looked like it was flocked.
'I returned it because I knew my health was failing and it was too much for me to set up.

Home Depot, Lowe's, Wallmart are a few places to look. 
'BTW, when I put a tree outside the windows I would string blue lights on them, it looked like stars and small ice drops on them.

[GingerHead]

@skittles2 

Ugh, you're killing me! Reading your story made me tear up. Bless your heart for showing such kindness and giving a neglected little soul the rescue he so desperately needed.

The way you were so lovingly patient and understanding of his initial fears of closeness just warms my heart. You didn't push him but let him come around in his own time....beautiful.

You're love for him shows in your words. He's a lucky lucky little guy to have you as his mom.

Sorry, I don't have any advice about a tree but I hope you find the perfect one for you and your little love.

[Hoovermom]

I have never had a flocked Christmas tree until this year.  DH bought me one at Costco, and I love it all 7.5 ft.

[Bonkers1]

@skittles2 

Hello the flocking doesn't come off but if your cat chews on the ends as mine does it will ingest some of the flocking.  My cat has been doing this for 2 years now and he is still walking and chewing.

[CamilleP]

@skittles2   Here's my experience after 30+ years of holiday trees and cats and Scottie dogs.  Natural trees are a DISASTER.  The natural smells are a very powerful attractant, my own cats felt they needed to spray mark the fir tree due to it smelling like the outdoors, plus probably some feral cats marking it while it was still in the field.  The day after we brought it home and decorated it, we un-decorated it, took it outside, and washed it with a hose and cold water over and over, then set it in the carport to dry for two days before we brought it back in.  I didn't smell as bad after that, and we put it on a card table and put up a doggie exercise pen around the table to keep both dogs and cats from having easy access to the table or tree.  Since that first year in our new home (1987) we have only used artificial trees.  Most have been green in color, but I did get a color prism tree that was flocked last year.  The flocking did fall off, but my one remaining dog was not interested in it.  However, I will be donating it, because this year I got a green tree with the "snow" being actual plastic tips of the branches molded out of white plastic, so it looks "snow kissed", but has no loose flocking.  I really advise you to avoid a truly flocked tree, no matter how much the manufacturers try, that stuff is going to fall off as it dries out, and it cannot be safe for your kitty to eat it.  I seriously doubt if your cat will take any interest in chewing on the plastic branches of an artificial tree, so the safest option will be a green tree, or a silver, pink, or white tree, where the color is molded into the needles of each branch, not sprayed on as is the case with a flocked tree.  Secondly, I'd suggest a tree about 5 feet tall, so you can put it up off the floor on an end table, card table, or even a small dining table.  That will discourage your kitty from getting too curious.  I believe there was a thread in the Pet Lovers forum last holiday season about surrounding a Christmas tree with oranges or orange peel, as cats don't seem to like that scent.  You could take some orange peel and put it under the tree skirt, and while people would enjoy the scent, maybe Kitty would avoid it?  You can test the orange theory by leaving some peel out right now and see if it works before surrounding your tree.  If your cat avoids the tree altogether because of the orange peel then you don't need to worry about him breaking ornaments or eating the tree, either one.  However, this first year, if I were you I'd play it safe and not put up the heirloom breakables at all.  Next year, the whole "Christmas Tree" thing will be old and boring, and Kitty will probably ignore it.  Then the breakables can come out again.  If you do have something like a play pen or exercise pen you can put around the table the tree sits on, that will be one more layer of protection, but hopefully, again, just this first year when the tree is all new and exciting, and by next year, it's old hat, boring and pretty much ignored.  Good luck!

Oh, I doubt you'll find the molded in white tips anywhere but from Bethlehem Lights, so if you want one from QVC, order it this weekend on free shipping.  I have never, ever seen any company but BL offer those white molded tips, so again, good luck!