I'm sure it was Gary's massive girth which knocked it down.

Since we got the cats three years ago, I've had a fleeting thought each time we put up the Christmas tree.

"Maybe we should wire the tree to the wall so it doesn't get knocked over by a cat."

Well, gee that seems like a lot of trouble.

After this happened, while we were gone today, Logan drilled a small eye hook into the wall, wired the tree to it and the process took a total of 5 minutes.

Picking up the 20 or so broken ornaments, the fallen tree and attempting to rearrange the paper garland and lights took about 45 minutes.

So you can clearly see why we didn't just wire the stupid tree to the wall to begin with.

Comments

[foodmomiac]

Cleaning up tree - 45 minutes
Wiring tree to wall - 5 minutes
Life lesson - priceless

We soooo would not have tied up the tree.

[maiareads]

Ugh. I am thinking that little hook eye will become a fixture in your home.

[IzzyMom]

We really need to stop leading paralel lives. It's starting to creep me out a little.

(We were too lazy to get the bungee cord things out of the car and secure the tree like we usually do and so, naturally, the cat knocked the whole friggin' thing over. Of course. Duh.)

[Sunny]

Me too! My stupid animals knocked over my stupid tree today too!

[Dorothee]

Stupid cats ...

But I love the colour scheme in your lounge.

[platypus1320]

Oh dear, I know where you're coming from. At least you learned the lesson though! Every year my parents' tree gets knocked over by either the dog or the cat (or sometimes the cat chasing the dog) and they have never thought of wiring it to the wall! I might pass on your wisdom...

[Papa Urchin]

Are you sure it was the cat? I would have guessed it was that stupid house and it's crooked, buckling floor, or perhaps maybe something bounced off the Traffic Master Stain Proof Grout. :) Speaking of which if you have any ideas what I should do with my unopened (thanks to you,) non-returnable special order Traffic Master Stain Proof Grout please let me know.

[Ophelia]

Three times in one year our two cats knocked down our tree. Always in the middle of the night. We'd hear the thump and the shattering and then hear the cats tearing down the hallway in near orgasmic bliss. I was 8 months pregnant with my first child. I don't know why we didn't think to tie it to the wall that year. Pregnancy brain, I guess. (What was my husband's excuse?!?!)
The third time I heard the crash I just laid in bed and SOBBED.
It is tied to the wall now. Although that doesn't stop our cat from removing all decorations on the bottom third of our tree! What is it with cats and Christmas trees? Our cat lays around all year doing absolutely nothing, and now has suddenly transformed into a maniac!

[veg4me]

My parents still have the eyehook in their wall even though the tree hasn't stood in that spot for more than 15 years.

My first Christmas away from home I had purchased a beautiful fresh tree. As I arrived home my next door neighbor was coming home from walking her dog & stopped to chat as I hoisted the tree off of my car. As I was standing there discussing Christmas plans with her,with my hands holding the tree upright, her giant doberman lifted his leg and pissed all over my tree and my leg.

Ah, the aroma of pee and pine needles.

[carrie]

The first two years we had our cat, he seemed to knock the darn tree over or knock off half the ornaments on a daily basis. (That it never occurred to me to tie the thing to the wall just shows how dim I actually can be.) During the second year, after having knocked over the tree twice, he took it to the next level. He bit through a string of Christmas lights, severing one side of the wire. I'm sure it gave him the shock of his life as he shot out from under the tree in a flash.

And some 7 years later, he will still stay 10 feet away from the tree at all times.

[prettycrabby]

One year, the tree fell onto my mother. We were sitting on the floor by it and then it just toppled over. No one moved, or said a word, for about a minute. Finally I said "Mom?" and from inside the tree came her "yeeeeeeah?"

God, I love that story.

[the happy homewrecker]

My parents had a big picture window in their living room in front of which they put the Christmas tree every year so it could be seen from the street. They also had a dog who ran to the picture window, barking and jumping up and down and generally freaking out any time he heard a car door (or imagined that he heard a car door). I don't know how many times the dog knocked the tree over, and I don't know why they never tied it to the wall or the ceiling.

We have four cats and thank heavens they've never knocked the tree down. Instead they eat the lower branches and then throw up everywhere. Nothing says Merry Christmas like stepping in a puddle of cat bile and pine needles.