🎄 How to Cat Proof Christmas Tree Chaos with BOB (According to Your Cat)

If you’re desperately trying to cat proof Christmas tree mayhem before your feline launches themselves into the branches, chews the tinsel and rearranges the baubles, you’re in the right place.

From your cat’s point of view, you have just installed a giant, sparkly climbing frame in the middle of their territory. It smells interesting, it rustles, it has dangling toys and flashing lights. Why on earth wouldn’t they try to scale it at 3am?

Throw in dangling ribbons, rustling wrapping paper and the odd unattended plate of pigs in blankets and you’ve got the ultimate feline adventure park… and a potential fast track to the vet.

🐱 Why You Need to Cat Proof Christmas Tree Fun (Even If Your Cat Disagrees)

Most cats don’t wake up on 1st December and think, “How can I cause chaos today?” They just follow their instincts: climb the thing, bat the shiny stuff, chew the interesting texture, see what happens if it falls over.

Unfortunately, UK vets see the other side of that curiosity every year. Surveys from the British Veterinary Association show that vets commonly treat festive injuries caused by:

• Tinsel and ribbon (when swallowed, they can cause dangerous “string foreign bodies”)
• Glass baubles that shatter and injure paws, mouths or eyes
• Fairy lights that can burn, shock or entangle curious cats
• Real tree needles which can irritate mouths, paws and stomachs
• Toxic seasonal plants like lilies, holly and poinsettias

Cat charities like Cats Protection also warn that cats may knock over unstable trees, drink from tree water, play with wires and chew decorations.

So no, you’re not being dramatic if you want to cat proof Christmas tree chaos this year!

🎁 Meet BOB – The Portable Indoor Cat Fence That Thinks in Circles

Now for the unfair bit – according to your cat: BOB.

BOB (Battery Operated Boundary) is our most popular indoor solution – a smart, portable unit that creates a circular “no-go” zone around the things you’d rather your cat didn’t treat as a climbing wall or snack bar.

How BOB actually works

The BOB unit looks like a sleek black disc. Instead of using any boundary wire, it projects a small, adjustable invisible zone around itself. Place it under or beside the area you want to protect and your cat’s CatFence receiver collar will pick up the signal as they approach.

• When BOB is placed horizontally (for example under furniture or by a Christmas tree stand), it can protect an area up to around 3 m in diameter (about 1.5 m from the centre).
• When it’s placed vertically (for example standing by a doorway or beside a worktop), it creates a protective “wall” up to around 2.4 m (8 ft) across and about 1.5 m (5 ft) high.
• There is no wire to install; the MB1/BOB unit is rechargeable, with a battery that typically lasts between 4–30 days per charge, depending on how big you set the zone and how often it’s triggered.
• It’s completely portable and waterproof, so you can use it indoors or outside – under the tree, by the stairs, near the kitchen worktops or even out on the patio.

In your cat’s words: “It looks like a coaster. It is not a coaster. It is a forcefield.”

Best of all, BOB works with all CatFence receiver collars, so if you’re already using one of our outdoor systems, you don’t need a separate collar indoors.

👉 You can read more about BOB on our indoor cat fence page (search for the BOB Indoor Cat Fence section on our site).

🎄 Using BOB to Cat Proof Christmas Tree Antics

Here’s what usually happens without BOB:

• You put up the tree.
• Your cat pretends not to notice.
• At 2:37am, they are halfway up it.

With BOB, you can create a cat-free ring around the base of the tree:

• Place BOB under the tree skirt or just behind the stand.
• Set the radius so that your cat’s collar picks up the signal before they’re within pouncing distance.
• Your cat approaches, gets a gentle, consistent warning and learns that the tree zone is simply not worth the effort.

Combine BOB with basic “cat proof Christmas tree” tricks from feline behaviour experts – such as using a sturdy base, securing the tree to a wall, avoiding glass baubles and placing the tree away from obvious launchpads like side tables and shelving.

🍗 BOB vs. Worktops, Buffets and the “Accidental” Taste Test

Of course, Christmas isn’t just about the tree. It’s also about the food. Which, from your cat’s perspective, is the main point.

Use BOB to create invisible boundaries around:

• Kitchen worktops overloaded with turkey, gravy and trimmings
• Buffet tables with tempting meats and fish
• Sideboards with cheese boards, canapés and desserts
• Any area where chocolate, raisins or other cat-unfriendly nibbles might be left out

While UK vets regularly warn about chocolate, dried fruit, onions, xylitol and certain festive plants being dangerous to cats, the simplest way to avoid trouble is to stop your cat getting up there in the first place.

BOB quietly turns those “help yourself” zones into “nice try, whiskers” zones – without you having to shout, clap, squirt water or cover every surface in tin foil.

🎁 Cat Proof the Rest of Your Christmas Home

Once you realise how easy it is to move BOB around, you’ll start seeing all kinds of uses to cat proof Christmas tree areas and beyond:

• Gift zone: Stop your cat shredding wrapping paper or chewing ribbon before you’ve even handed the presents out.
• Candle and fairy light displays: Keep curious paws away from open flames and tempting cables.
• Doorways to “no cat allowed” rooms: Use BOB vertically at a doorway to gently discourage feline gate-crashers.
• Pet-free quiet room: Give nervous cats a safe space away from guests by using BOB to limit access to busier areas instead.

In short: you decide where the boundary is. BOB and your cat’s collar do the quiet, consistent enforcement.

😼 BOB vs. Your Cat: Who Wins?

Your cat will absolutely still:

• Supervise present wrapping
• Sit in every empty box
• Appear in the middle of the board game at the most inconvenient moment

But with BOB, they’re not likely to:

• Topple the tree
• Chew tinsel like spaghetti
• Walk through candles and fairy lights
• Help themselves to unsafe festive food

You still get their personality. You just don’t get the 11pm emergency vet bill.

🎯 Ready to Cat Proof Christmas Tree Chaos This Year?

If you’d like a calmer Christmas where your tree stays upright, your decorations survive and your cat stays safely on the right side of mischief, BOB can help.