It would keep at least one of my cats well away from it.

Felix and Eleanor sneak in to play or just hang out.

I have a lot of beautiful glass or breakable ornaments I've inherited or collected that we haven't used in many years because of the kitties.

Those furry rascals are lucky they are loved because they are T.R.O.U.B.L.E.

They are also very sweet, loving, and very funny!

Anyway, so far the tree hasn't fallen over. Will we make it through the season? We have bets going on at our house!

I haven't heard of any being hurt. Cats are pretty hardy, although I think they could get hurt if a tree has sharp branches or sharp ornaments. I don't think that even sharp branches or ornaments would do serious damage, though, because the impact of the falling trees would not be very hard. The branches cushion the fall. Trees tip when a cat gets near the top, where their weight is too much for top branches to support. So when everything falls over with the cat, it's the lighter weight top that lands on the cat.

Also, a tree has to be light enough for a cat's weight to knock it over. Average adult cat weight is from 9 pounds to 12 pounds. If the cat is inside the tree, close to or on the upper trunk, they are shielded from most ornaments and from the full weight of the tree.

I've only had two cats that climbed a Christmas tree. Both were just little kittens at the time. They could hardly have knocked over a stick, let alone a tree.

My current cat, Ember, climbed my tree during her first Christmas. She was only 4 months old and very small as the runt of her litter. It was so cute that I wish I had taken a picture or video. The whole time that the tree was up, she only swatted a couple low hanging ornaments to the floor. Each time, I picked them up and put them back on the tree.

Cats, especially kittens, learn a lot from observation and imitation. So when I started taking the tree down, she was super enthusiastic, like, "Wow! Mom wants to play swat the ball, too." While I took off the lower ornaments, she climbed up the inside to push off the upper ornaments from inside the tree. "Here, mom. You get the low ones and I'll get the high ones." When Iooked up after the first one fell, she peeked out from the branches looking so proud of herself that I couldn't help laughing.

So some of it is mimicking human behavior.

Yes in one scene from the video the tree lands right on the cat.
Ouch.

removing them, yes, I think she was joining me in the activity of ornament removal.

But, usually when cats swat at ornaments on the tree, it's because they love to go after hanging things, especially when those hanging things sway. Walk past a tree and the breeze that your body makes will cause some ornaments to sway a little. Irresistible temptation for a cat. They are hard wired to go after things that move.

Cats are also hard wired to be climbers, leapers, and scratchers. Trees give them an opportunity to do those things as well as to knock things down and to hit things that are moving.

Christmas trees to cats are like a giant toy designed just for them. That's why there are so many pics and videos of cats and Christmas trees.

I was going to ask you about that.

Plus the cat and Christmas tree interaction is so amusing to see.
The huge tree with lights and ornaments and the small cat drama.

...I'm crying -

Very cool