Cat owners will no doubt be well aware of the havoc that your pet can cause once the Christmas decorations go up – with moggies likely to climb the tree and tear down any dangling tinsel.
But one woman on TikTok has shared a devious plan to stop her cat from damaging her perfectly decorated tree, and it could help your tree stay cat-free too.
Becca, who posts under @becs.richards, said she had seen the tip in another TikTok and decided to try it out for herself.
And what do you need to do to keep your cat away from your tree? Traumatise the poor feline by shaking the tree at it, making it believe the tree is dangerous.
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Alongside a video of herself trying out the trick, Becca explained: “I saw a TikTok saying that if you traumatise your cat with your tree before putting it up, they will leave it alone.”
Becca’s video went viral with over 31 million views, but people in the comments are divided over the plan’s effectiveness.
While some thought the idea was “genius”, others were concerned it would only make the cat more determined to get “revenge” against the tree.
One person said: “This is genius, I’m trying it with my toddler tomorrow.”
And another agreed, adding: “Okay but I’m an animal science major and this should actually work as long as they’re not too traumatised. It’s simple animal behaviour.”
But someone else said they needed more information, stating: “I need an update on if this actually worked or if your cat just took it upon himself to destroy the thing that was tormenting it.”
As a fourth wrote: “You just developed your cat’s villain origin story.”
Becca later offered an update once her tree was fully decorated, as she let people know that her plan had been a huge success.
She said in another video: “There has not been a single bulb, ribbon, bead, or branch off this beauty. My cat doesn’t care about it.
“The only thing that she has messed with were the little trees on my TV stand, which she knocked to the floor. But nothing on the main Christmas tree.”
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
