Keepin Tinsel Away From Animals

I use to put tinsel on my Christmas trees, but the cats and dogs would try to eat it and it made them sick. Anyone else have this problem?

My friend's dog ate some tinsel a few years back and became very sick. My friend took the dog to the vet because it had trouble breathing. You really have to be very watchful of your pets when you have little ornaments and tinsel around during the holidays.

We stopped putting tinsel on when the cats thought it would be fun to climb the tree. Tinsel can make them very sick. We use garland and beads now. I'm just not taking that chance. They seem to like to pick things up from the floor with their mouths. Tinsel and all!

Yes, tinsel could make them very sick. I happen to have a cat who would be the first to eat tinsel if given the opportunity (he likes to lick plastic and chew on ribbon), so we're very careful to keep potentially dangerous and tempting items away from him.

On the lighter side, a former student once gave me a Christmas card featuring a cat, a Christmas tree, and tinsel. The cartoon showed the cat discovering the tree, investigating the tinsel, sampling it, and then farting with multiple strands of tinsel streaming in the breeze behind the comically disturbed kitty. The card stayed on my refrigerator for a couple of years!

It is possible for the tinsel to become entwined in the dogs intestines, requiring surgery to remove it. Hence it is very much necessary to keep the tinsel away from the reach of pets. I would use tinsel only when I can supervise them and keep them away from pets.