Holiday Pet Safety: Keeping Your Pets Off the Naughty List
As the holidays descend rapidly upon us, it’s time to consider more than the shopping and the Naughty-or-Nice list. After all, the holiday season is as ripe with excitement and temptation for pets as it is for their people. As with humans, pets can behave more easily when the temptation to misbehave is limited.
Christmas Trees
As we strive to bring home the tallest, most perfect tree and get it set up without putting a hole in the ceiling, our animals know exactly what we’re up to. The cat is sure you found it the most amazing scratching post. The dog knows it’s an intruder that must be vanquished.
- Help your feline friends play it safe by securing the tree to the wall or ceiling as well as in a solid tree stand. You’ll probably want to avoid glass ornaments (or put them on the top branches) if your cat is prone attacking those enchanting shiny prizes you’ve hung on its new scratching post.
- Even if the tree is only in danger from your dog’s happy tail it may be a good idea to block off the tree with a pet barrier. Edible ornaments are too tempting for most canines to resist so hang that popcorn garland elsewhere, possibly outside for our feathered friends.
- If you have a live tree this year avoid dangerous preservatives in the water, the tree isn’t the only thirsty thing in the house and will most likely get tasted by your pets.
Dangerous Decorations
We want to make the holiday home sparkle but we need to make sure that doesn’t also mean unintentionally harming our beloved pets. Remember that all decorations have the potential to be eaten!
- Holiday plants such as holly, poinsettia, lilies, and mistletoe are poisonous to pets. Keep them up high, or even safer, don’t bring them home at all.
- Ribbons, garland, tinsel, confetti, and even strings of lights can be tempting and hazardous to our fuzzy family. They can become entangled and even choked by them and if eaten can cause intestinal damage.
- Confirm that none of the wrapped presents under the tree have food or treats in them. If you know they do, place these gifts somewhere your curious pets (with their curious noses) can’t reach them.
- Check that all treats and toys brought for your pets are safe and appropriate, well meaning friends could unintentionally bring harm instead of joy for christmas.
As our schedules ramp up for the holidays everyones routines get challenged and that can be stressful for our pets too. Let’s keep our animals on the Nice list so they get more than coal in their stockings this year.