Keeping Your Cat Away from Holiday Ribbons

Dec 23rd 2009

Cats love to play with ribbons, from batting to chewing to chasing. But the seemingly harmless stuff is actually quite hazardous to your cat's health. And with the holiday season upon us, it's important to consider your pet's safety when decorations and scraps from unwrapped gifts pepper your home.

"Cats like to eat ribbon," emergency veterinary specialist Dr. Tony Johnson tells Paw Nation. He's seen his share of kitties brought to the emergency room after playing with "linear objects." "One end of the ribbon gets lodged in the stomach and the other end gets wound up in the intestines -- like a curtain on a curtain rod -- and the cat will need surgery to remove it," says Dr. Johnson. Scary!

So what can you use to decorate the Christmas tree, other than ribbon and tinsel? "So many of us grew up decorating trees with the standard ornaments -- garland, tinsel, glass balls, candy canes -- that it's hard to envision breaking that mold," says Allison Mezzafonte, the senior editor at Shelter Pop. "But once you start thinking of fun new ways to decorate the tree, you'll see that they can be just as pretty, if not prettier."

Think outside the box, urges Mezzafonte, offering some fun alternatives to traditional Christmas decorations.

- Pine cones, whether gathered from the yard or bought by the bag at your local craft store, are a natural and rustic decoration for the tree.
- Make cardboard cut-out stars that you can embellish with paint and glitter.
- Create paper ornaments from vintage postcards or doilies that resemble snowflakes.
- If you're handy with a crochet hook or knitting needles, knit your own one-of-a-kind ornaments.
- Gingerbread-man cookies baked in the oven and decorated with icing are a fun way to decorate the tree, as long as you don't have dogs in the house who'll gobble them up.