The festive season is fast approaching and it can cause a lot of anxiety for us, but pet owners often forget that the holidays can also be stressful for animals. It is a good idea to bear in mind that there are many things that can affect a pet’s health and happiness at this time of year. Obviously, the last thing you want is to spend the holidays at a veterinary surgery with a sick animal. Subsequently, there are some things that a pet owner should bear in mind.
1. Take Care With Christmas Decorations
Obviously, you will want to cover your home with decorations over the holidays, but you should be careful to ensure that your pets cannot reach them. Chewing tinsel, Christmas lights and other decorations could cause serious injury to your animal. You may find that placing a product, such as Bitter Apple on electric wires will prevent some chewing, but it is always wise to keep an eye on any pets around decorations.
Moreover, it is not only the manmade decorations that you need to be wary of, because natural decorations, such as ivy, holly berries, mistletoe and poinsettia can all be poisonous to animals. If you plan to place any of these attractive natural decorations around your home, make sure that your pets cannot get to them.
2. Lots of Guests Can Stress Your Animal
Understandably, your home will be filled with guests over the holidays, so to ensure that your animal does not become over anxious it is advisable to have a quiet retreat for him, or her, to go to if feeling overwhelmed. Over the festive season, you may find that you have to move a lot furniture, but be warned that disruption can cause a cat anxiety, which may mean that he, or she, stops using the litter tray.
3. Be Careful What You Feed Your Animal
We all indulge a little over the festive season, but, ideally, pets should never be offered human food. Of course, it can be very difficult to refuse those pleading looks. It’s true, a small treat will not do any serious harm, but it is advisable to offer any treat in moderation. Similarly, all your guests should be encouraged not to consider your animal as a waste disposal unit. There are some things that should be avoided altogether, such as chocolate, which can be poisonous, and bones, which can splinter and cause damage to an animal’s digestive tract.
4. Christmas Tress Can Topple Over
You will find that cats are extremely attracted to Christmas trees. A cat climbing or scratching a tree can easily cause it to fall over. To avoid potential danger to your cat, you should find a way to anchor the tree, by attaching it to something sturdy with fishing wire or something similar.
5. Don’t Leave Ribbons on Gifts Under the Tree
Another danger to cats can be found underneath the tree. If your gifts are wrapped in beautiful ribbons, you may find that your cat tries to chew the gift, which can cause serious damage. Ribbon can become wrapped around the cat’s esophagus or intestines.
These are some of the main dangers that your pets face over Christmas. To ensure that your animals remain happy and healthy, you should take extra care to keep an eye on your pets during the holidays. If your animals are safe, they can enjoy the festive season with the rest of the family.
Samantha Markham is a professional freelance writer, based in the UK. She is currently producing articles for Remmeer.com, a high quality supplier of pet products, including pet lover Christams gifts and pet picture frames. Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/how-to-keep-pets-safe-over-the-holidays-1521516.html