Are Christmas trees poisonous to cats, dogs, rabbits and other pets?

French bulldog sitting in front of a decorated christmas tree.
Pets can’t help but be intrigued when the Christmas tree goes up at home. (Picture: Getty)

Christmas trees , while a wonderful way to decorate the house for the festive holiday, can pose a risk to pets if certain precautions aren’t taken.

Dogs and cats seem to love to try and destroy festive decorations , whether that’s playing with ornaments, pulling baubles off the tree as part of a game or trying to scale the tree and climb it as if it were outside in their garden.

While it’s nice to let your pets take part in the festive fun, the following points should be observed if you have dogs, cats and other pets to ensure that they don’t come to harm because of the Christmas tree.

Are Christmas trees poisonous to cats, dogs and other pets?

Christmas trees aren’t a hazard to your cats and dogs by being poisonous, but the RSPCA advise that your pets only be allowed around the tree when supervised.

‘It’ll be best to only allow pets around the tree when they can be supervised, as cats and dogs might be tempted to chew or play with hanging tree decorations’ the RSPCA point out on their website.

They also highlight the fact that dogs might eat hanging edible Christmas tree decorations if given the chance, which would be very dangerous as chocolate is poisonous to dogs and ‘can cause severe damage to their health’.

Make Your Own DIY Refillable Water Bowl. Are you filling up your dog water bowl multiple times a day? Create your own DIY refillable water bottle bowl.

The Blue Cross say that ‘a mild stomach upset can be caused if dogs eat pine needles’ and also advise that the sharp needles have the potential to cause internal damage to your pet if they are eaten – so don’t let your dog, cat or any other pet have a nibble on the Christmas tree if you can avoid it.

While Christmas trees aren’t deadly poisonous, other types of festive plants and flowers often found in the home at Christmas can be.

Poinsettias, holly, ivy, mistletoe and lilies can all be toxic and dangerous for your pets, so avoid having these in your home if you have animals who might eat them.

The Fix

The daily lifestyle email from Metro.co.uk.

Find out more