The Holidays at Home with Your Pet

Photo from Foster Cat, Inc.

We are now on the downward slope of the holiday season. Thanksgiving is Thursday followed by several holidays in December. Then there’s New Year’s Eve, college football bowl games and the Super Bowl. For us here in Southern Louisiana it doesn’t end there because we still have Mardi Gras to get through. Pshew! That’s a lot of celebrating taking place over the next few months. The holidays can be stressful for your pets. Some pet love meeting new people while others do not. Routines get out of whack and there are so many temptations for pets to indulge in. If you are hosting festivities at your home, please take the safety and comfort of your pet in mind.

Things to consider during the holidays:

• Strange people in your house who may not know how to interact properly with your pets. Your pet could get stressed out or frightened, or even escape and run away.
• People food can make your pet sick or can even poison them.
• Holiday decorations or open flames from candles could potentially harm your pet.

Precautions to take:

• Designate a “safe room” for your pet to escape the commotion.
• Make sure your pet is micro chipped and wearing identification in case they run away.
• Know what food is off limits for your pet. It’s tempting to share food from your holiday feast with your cat or dog but it can make them very ill.
• Know what plants are dangerous to your pet and keep them out of reach or out of the house all together.
• Know the signs of stress in your pet. Take time out when it’s quiet to give them some TLC.
• Try and stick to your pet's routine with regular feeding times, walking etc. That will help reduce their stress. Heck, taking Fido for a walk also gets you out of the house for a little while to relax.
• If your dog is particularly high-strung or energetic, you might consider boarding them at a kennel

These tips are general, but you can find detailed information on these websites:

About.com – a list of all their pets and holiday related articles.

PetEducation.com has a ton of great articles that go into great details. You can also download the articles as PDF to save.
Holiday Safety Tips for Cats
Holiday Safety Tips for Dogs
Holiday Safety Tips for Ferrets
Holiday Safety Tips for Your Bird
Holiday Safety Tips for Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Hamsters, and Other Small Pets