No Tricks...Just Treats!

Can you smell the mischief in the air?  Its Halloween!  Even if you're all grown-up, you probably still get a happy little tingle of excitement from this haunting holiday, but our pets often find it truly scary.  All the spooky decorations, weird sound effects, and people coming to the door dressed in strange costumes can be quite overwhelming and stressful for our furry friends.  Here are a few tips on how to take some of the terror out of this freaky holiday for our pets.

 
1.  Keep Halloween happenings on the down-low:  Before the trick-or-treating starts, put your pets in a quiet room where they will be away from all the Halloween activities and can feel safe, comfortable, and relaxed.  Even if you're just having friends over for a Halloween party, keep your pets away from the festivities.  Masks and costumes change how people look and smell to a pet, so even familiar people may become frightening to them.

 

2.  Stow all the Halloween treats out of pets' reach:  Many of the yummy goodies collected on Halloween such as chocolate, gum and xylitol (a sweetener used in many foods), are hazardous to animals so you want to be sure to stash them in a secure place out of your pet's reach.  Keep these treats away from your children unless you are observing them as they may make the harmful mistake of sharing with their four-legged companions.

 

3.  Steer your pets away from dangerous decorations:  Changes to your home can make your pets, especially cats, nervous or frightened.  Never leave your pets alone with Halloween decorations.  Also, be aware of which decorations pose threats.  Some hazards are obvious, like lit candles, but here are some other dangerous decorations.  Rubber eyeballs (choking risk), glow sticks and fake blood (possible poisons), and fake cobwebs (can choke or entangle pets).

 

4.  Be cautious with pet costumes:  Did you know that about half of pet owners dress their pets in costumes for Halloween?  Although most pets are happiest wearing nothing but their birthday suits, if you do choose to dress up your pet, forgo masks, anything that covers eyes or ears, and everything that might tangle in your pet's legs.  Make sure the costume is comfortable and allows your pet to move freely.  Remove any chewable parts or objects that could come off and choke your pet.  If your pet appears uncomfortable, take the costume off right away.  Signs of discomfort may include folded down ears, eyes rolling back or looking sideways, a tucked tail and hunching over

 

5.  Protect your pets from outdoor dangers:  Bring your pets indoors before dark.  Cats are always safest inside with you, but with all the evil pranksters running about on Halloween, it’s especially important to secure all pets inside.  Opening the door repeatedly for trick-or-treaters also creates plenty of opportunities for a pet to slip outside and disappear into the night.  In case they do escape, make sure that all of your pets are wearing tags with current IDs or consider microchips for them.  

 

Now if you really want to get into the spirit of Halloween and make a PAWsitive impact at the same time, consider adopting a black cat.  Shelters are over-run with black cats year-round but especially at this time of year.  Why?  Black cats are just as playful and affectionate as any other cat and still deserve the unconditional love of a real family.  October 29th is National Cat Day, so what a PURfect time to give a beautiful black kitty cat the ultimate Halloween treat...a FURever home! 

 

Happy tails to you until we meet again!