Published Dec 24, 2024
Cassidy Najarian / Fancy Feast
Well, too bad we can’t buy Fancy Feast’s clever creation for Christmas. But we hereby petition the Purina company to bring the cat-friendly “FeastiviTREE” to the mass market next year, so that we cat lovers can buy one and settle the feline vs. Christmas tree conflict!
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Feastivities – an annual celebration of the holidays from the popular brand of cat food – Fancy Feast created the “FeastiviTREE.” This feline-friendly Christmas tree ingeniously combines the opportunity to decorate with your usual ornaments while giving our cats a safe outlet for their mischief. Dangling ornaments are irresistible to many cats, who have knocked down many Christmas trees while playing!
The FeastiviTREE looks like a regular Christmas tree, but it incorporates cat-friendly elements harmoniously; for one thing, the tree’s branches conceal what is basically a cat tree! There is a sturdy base that doubles as a cat condo with several entrances, and on top of that stands an internal climbing structure and perches. Here, cats can explore and slip onto a perch without breaking branches. Wouldn’t it be a trip to see your cat appearing to hover in your living room tree, like a giant furry ornament?
If cats get the itch to scratch, they can scratch the textured tree trunk. And, to minimize damage from knocked-down ornaments, the FeastiviTREE comes with sturdy ornaments made of materials safe for cats.
“Cats love holiday trees because they are full of all their favorite things – visually interesting, mouse-sized objects with lots of dangly movement, high hiding spots, and they’re often located in the hearts of homes and family activity,” said Dr. Annie Valuska, Purina principal behaviorist, in a press release. “The FeastiviTREE takes all the things that cats love about your traditional tree and makes them feline-friendly to meet their needs.”
This FeastiviTREE seems like the purrfect solution to cat-human conflicts that can impede having a Merry Catsmas. Unfortunately, though, Fancy Feast was only offering three trees to three winners who entered an online drawing that has ended.
A Fancy Feast spokeswoman tells Cats.com that the FeastiviTREE is not available to the public at this time, and there are no current plans to sell the product in the future. But, that could change. Purina, please offer this tree for sale! I think many cat people and cats would love having one, either to replace their current Christmas tree or add another tree to another room in the house.
Let’s hope we see the FeastiviTREE on the market in the future. Meanwhile, Fancy Feast is offering two other special-edition products available for purchase. The 40th Anniversary Fancy Feast ornament is a miniature, working music box with the white Fancy Feast cat sitting on a gold can. You can buy one here for a $5 donation to Red Rover, a nonprofit that helps animals in crisis.
At Chewy, you can buy the new Fancy Feast Feastivities 4 Course Feast. This has a keepsake heart plate, an appetizer, two entrees, and a treat. For $8.99, your cat will appreciate this gift.
Cassidy Najarian / Fancy Feast
What about our traditional Christmas trees? How do we protect both our cats and our ornaments from mutual damage? I am lucky in that my five cats don’t bother my tree much, except for the occasional obsession a cat will get with batting a certain low-hanging ornament. In that case, I move the ornament to an unreachable place.
Also Read: 5 Tips to Cat-Proof Your Christmas Tree.
In a nutshell, pick a safe location for the tree, away from shelves that could make it easier for your cat to explore the tree, and use a sturdy base. You also could anchor your tree to the wall or ceiling, in case your cat decides to jump on the tree.
Shiny, breakable ornaments are the most tempting to cats, so put those in a higher place on the tree. For other ornaments, you can use softer, non-breakable ones, and avoid tinsel, which is dangerous if swallowed.
Cassidy Najarian / Fancy Feast
Inspect your tree’s lighting, to make sure no wires are exposed, and use cord covers so your cat can’t chew on the cords and get electrocuted. Keep the tree base covered, like with a tree skirt. And, to give your cats something to lure them away from the Christmas tree, offer an alternative – like maybe a new toy or even a new cat condo.
We wish you a merry Catsmas!
