The holiday season can be a dangerous time for pets due to the gingerbread cookies and eggnog, tinsel, Christmas ornaments, and all the friends and family who visit homes. Regardless of whether people celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Festivus (from "Seinfeld"), they can keep their pet cats and dogs safe and sound when decorating a tree, lighting candles, or preparing special food and drinks. Here are some helpful tips:
Holiday Decorations
While decorations can be dangerous for cats and dogs, families can take steps to make them pet-friendly. They include avoiding tinsel since kittens and some dogs might want to chew on them; not leaving lit candles unattended; and not buying seasonal plants that can cause health problems including holly, mistletoe, and poinsettias.
Electrical cords are another decoration-related hazard for pets. They should be out of reach for a pet, or attached to a wall so a pet cannot play with them.
Christmas Trees
Curious cats become interested in many things on a decorated tree, including the branches, strings of lights, and ornaments, according to Mother Nature Network. The tall plant can be made feline-friendly by placing the tree in a corner and securing it, not letting electrical cords hang, and keeping kitties away from the tree stand.
When choosing a live Christmas tree, it is important to keep the area around it free of pine needles. If a pet eats them it can damage their intestines.
Holiday Parties
While holiday get-togethers can be a festive time for humans, they can be a scary time for pets. That is due to factors such as the strange sounds and extra foot traffic.
It is important to keep human food and drinks away from furry friends. They include grapes, raisins, chocolates, and bones. Such foods can cause reactions such as kidney failure, heart failure, and comas, according to Mirror.
It is also helpful to create a safe space for pets. Reserve a quiet area that includes pet food, water, and a litter box for cats.
Gift Wrapping
While cats are famous for hilariously sitting on wrapping paper, possible harm from the materials used is not a laughing matter. In particular, if pets eat cloth, string, plastic, or the wrapping paper itself, it could cause their intestines to get stopped up.
Here are other human foods that are toxic for pets: