Holidays can be hazardous for our pets. Most of the things to keep our pets safe during the holidays are common sense, but many times we are distracted by a busy holiday schedule. We need to remember that the holidays can be stressful on our as well. Our homes become hectic with decorations and visitors stopping by and all this activity can be stressful for our pets; that are used to a much more laid back environment.
Christmas packaging and ornaments can be choking hazard.
Keep wrapping supplies away from your cat . Cats in particular may be very
tempted to consume tinsel and ribbon that can cause a blockage in their bowel
or a tinsel hairball you will not enjoy cleaning up. Tinsel is best avoided in
houses that have cats .
Christmas plants are especially dangerous around cats. Mistletoe,
Holly, Hibiscus and even Poinsettia can cause fatal intestinal problems in
pets. Skip the poisonous Christmas plants and use silk plants instead. If a
guest brings a Christmas plant as a gift put the cat away until you can figure
out a place to place the plant where they will have no access to it. Explain to
friends and family that having pets makes Christmas plants an unwelcome
addition to your holiday decorating.
Be careful with chords that you use for holiday light
displays .Secure them with tape to the floor to discourage chewing from your cat.
You can also use wire ties to keep chords from dangling and being an extra
temptation for your cat. You can distract your cat from chords by providing
them safe dangling toys on the scratching posts.
Be careful with candles and fires in the fire place. Do
not leave candles light on tables and counters in rooms where cats can knock
them over. It is a good idea to only use candles when you are in the same room
and can extinguish them before you leave the room. Using a heath gate around
the fireplace will make the living room safe for the pets and small children.
Keep curious kittens from the fire place
until you are sure there are not lingering embers and clean soot as soon as
possible. You might find your snow white kitten as black as a Halloween cat if
you leave to fire place to clean later. You will cut down on finding black soot
paw prints on your carpet.
If you use a real tree keep your cat away from the Christmas tree. First there is a
good chance your cat will climb the Christmas tree dislodging large amounts of
pine needle or knock the tree completely over. The water many Christmas trees
sit in to keep them fresh; is a health hazard to your pet. It contains harmful
bacteria. If you have a large cat they will try to consume any edible ornaments
on the tree such as strung pop corn or candy canes.
These items can cause your cat to become ill and also can
become a choking hazard. It is unlikely that your cat will remove the plastic
wrapper from the candy cane or remove the dental floss that the popcorn is
strung on before eating. Avoid edible ornaments on trees around larger cats. If
you have a smaller cat and a cat you may wish to leave these types of ornaments
off the tree. In my house the cats work in tandem with the dog. The cat
dislodge the ornaments on the tree and knock them down and the dog tries to eat
them.
Most of us have our houses filled with goodies during the
holiday times. Even a little chocolate can kill a cat or dog; so does not leave
out a candy bowl full of chocolate Santa's. If you share people food with your
pets make sure that it does not contain caffeine or nuts that can make pets
very ill. Also things like grapes and raisons can cause kidney damage in pets.
When you are a guest in someone else's house never give their cat any human
food. Their cat may have a severe food allergy you know nothing about.
When you have holiday guest over spare you cat or the need
to socialize. Put them away in the back bedroom until your holiday festivities
are over. You pets will not get stressed out and your guest will appreciate not
being jumped on. Lastly, don't give pets as holiday gifts. Shelters are full of
Christmas puppies and kittens after the holidays. Becoming a pet owner is
something each person has to decide for themselves. When giving pets to younger
children; you must realize you are really committing their parents to care for
the pets. Even older children quickly lose interest in caring for Christmas
pets.
No comments:
Post a Comment