A Cat-Safe Christmas Tree Solution, Thanks to The Sill · The Wildest

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A Cat-Safe Christmas Tree Doesn’t Exi...

The Sill’s “holiday cactus” is actually less prickly than a pine.

by Avery Felman
November 18, 2021
Cat playing with Christmas tree
zsv3207 / Adobe Stoc
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Keeping your cat out of harm’s way and spreading Christmas cheer are hardly synonymous. However, the holidays are always a balancing act between family, food, festivities, and finally curbing your cat’s proclivity for gnawing on house plants — since there’s now a giant tree smack dab in the middle of your living room. Thankfully, The Sill’s holiday collection offers a respite from this added stress during a historically stressful season.

While traditional Christmas trees (fir, spruce, pine) are technically non-toxic, pine needles and oil have been known to cause oral irritation and gastrointestinal upset in cats — NBD if your cat is not a chewer. But if they like to nibble on everything from plants to plastic, then a holiday cactus may be your best bet. Also called a Thanksgiving Cactus, Christmas Cactus, or Easter Cactus (depending on bloom time and leaf shape), this winter succulent is not only pet-safe, it’s also perfectly petite for apartment-dwelling cat people.

The Sill’s holiday cactus blooms white and comes in a mid-century-inspired ceramic pot, available in various colors. Prop it up on a plant stand or bookshelf or anywhere somewhat out of reach of your cat, but if they get their claws on it, fear not — this cactus doesn’t even have thorns.

Btw, our editors (and their pets) picked out these products. They’re always in stock at the time we publish, but there’s a chance they’ll sell out.

holiday cactus
The Sill Holiday Cactus
$40

Avery, editor at The Wildest, and her cat, Chicken

Avery Felman

Avery is a writer and producer. She has written for numerous publications, including Refinery29, BuzzFeed, and V Magazine. When she’s not at her computer, you can find her reading, practicing her Greek on Duolingo, and delving into the Sex and the City discourse. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their cat, Chicken, who rules with an iron fist.

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