A Tortoiseshell Kitten Stretches Up to Swat the Lowest Ornament
Standing tall on her hind legs, a tortoiseshell kitten has one paw wrapped around a shiny green ornament dangling from the lowest branch of the tree. Her coat is a mix of brown, black and amber, and her tail curves behind her for balance. The living room around her is mid-holiday, with a denim jacket on the sofa, a travel bottle, a paper bag with a few presents and a toy mouse on the floor.
The lowest branches are a magnet for kittens, because shiny, swinging objects are exactly what a hunting instinct goes after. The solution is not scolding, but planning. Many families put unbreakable ornaments on the bottom third of the tree, or leave that part bare, and save glass and heirloom pieces for higher up. Hooks should be pushed on firmly, since a loose hook can be a hazard if swallowed.
It also helps to make sure the tree itself is stable, and to cover or hide the water at the base if you use a real tree, since stagnant tree water is not good for pets to drink. Your vet can tell you more about holiday plants and tree safety.
We will call this one Jingle. Her careful reach is part curiosity, part mischief, and part physics experiment. Nothing has fallen yet, and the ornament is swinging gently. It is a very small tree-top-to-floor adventure with a lot of confidence.
