That funny-looking tree!

Seriously, people. 
You have pets and you also want one of those tree-thingys?
In researching this month's Images of Interest, I found a BUNCH of funny pictures of pets tangling with Christmas trees.

I'm not going to glorify the ones where the animals appear to be in active danger (though the tree-topper cats are pushing it), but here's a collection of assorted favorites. Happy holidays!

This was a much-re-posted favorite, all over the Internet.

Assorted critters
It's not just dogs and cats who get in on the Christmas tree action.

Yes, it's a rat. Don't judge--rats make great pets. They are sweet natured and smart. Also take to trees pretty naturally.

Almost a "Hallmark moment," if you're a rat-lover.

Here's another natural climber. Matches the pseudo-flocking pretty well, don't you think?

Who knew Bearded Dragons made such good Christmas decorations? This one liked the warmth the lights created.

I thought this little guy was especially stunning. When better for a chameleon to show what it can do?

But the Cats rule
Dogs, lizards, rats, and ferrets may take the occasional stab at consorting with the Christmas tree, but the cats OWN this territory. Don't believe me? Take a look:

This is my favorite Christmas Cat photo of all time.

What? You thought it needed something more?

it's almost like the toy closet scene from ET: The Extra-Terrestrial, don't you think?

Ruler of all s/he surveys . . . naturally.

Never doubt it.

So, then, are we who want Christmas trees defenseless?
Well, maybe. But we do still have a few options left.

We could take the "minimalist" approach . . . or is that simply how the tree looked after the cat got done with it?

I think this might qualify as "extreme cat-proofing."

I actually did a variation on this "Fortress Christmas Tree" idea one year, when we had a puppy. Made it harder for the humans to mess with the packages, too!

Whatever pets you may have--and however they interact with your Christmas tree (if you have one), I hope you got a Christmas laugh from this post, and I wish you the best holiday season possible!

IMAGES: Many thanks to The German Shepherd Dog Community's Facebook page for the "Oh Christmas Tree" German Shepherd; to Bonnie Cook's Christmas Animals Pinterest Board for the Christmas tree Rat on a limb and the Christmas Ferret; to Michelle Nyree's Pinterest Board for the red-package Christmas tree rat; to TikkiLink's DeviantArt page for the ornamental Beardie, and to Harlingen Pets' Facebook page for the Christmas Chameleon. As for the cat collection: a thousand thank-yous to: Emma Bruck's "Emma's Pics" Pinterest Page, via my own earlier post from Christmas 2015; to FunnyCatsGif's "Christmas Cat" post, for the two mid-tree cat photos; and once again to Bonnie Cook's Christmas Animals Pinterest Board for the tall "Tree-topper Cat" and "I'm the Star." The three "cat-proofed" trees are all from i iz cat's "6 Cat Proof Christmas Tree ideas to try out during the holidays" page. I appreciate you ALL!