Victor is a bold, fearless cat — except when it comes to one very specific thing: tangerines.
For as long as his mom, Irene Olocco, can remember, Victor has wanted absolutely nothing to do with the small orange fruits. The mere sight of a tangerine sends him backing away in alarm, and that long-standing fear has turned into an unexpected holiday tradition.
Every Christmas, Victor sets his sights on the tree. Rules mean very little to him, and “don’t destroy the decorations” has never been one he’s eager to follow. So when the tree goes up, Olocco puts her tried-and-true plan into action: she surrounds the base with a carefully arranged circle of tangerines — a citrus “force field” Victor refuses to cross.
“I’ve been using the tangerine method since 2019,” Olocco told The Dodo. “They’re still 100 percent effective on Victor. He won’t go anywhere near the tree.”
Olocco admits she feels a tiny bit bad about using her cat’s greatest fear to protect the decorations, but the results are hard to argue with. Unfortunately, Victor is the only one of her cats who’s affected.
“Gedeone and Ferdinand are completely immune,” Olocco said. “Gedeone isn’t interested in Christmas decorations at all. Ferdinand, on the other hand, is very playful. He doesn’t attack the tree, but sometimes he bats the tangerines around and breaks the force field.”
When that happens, Victor doesn’t hesitate — the moment the barrier is compromised, he’s ready to dart straight under the tree.
Victor may love wrecking Christmas trees, but his hatred of tangerines runs deeper. So year after year, the holiday standoff continues — and for now, the citrus always wins. 🍊🎄
