Safety tips for your pets during the festive season
Keeping your four-legged friends safe this festive season is easy. Here's how.
The holiday season has arrived, which means that many families will be celebrating Christmas and hosting New Year’s Eve parties.
Fireworks are an important part of any end-of-year celebration.
Because a cat’s or dog’s hearing is greater than a human’s, these loud explosions can be frightening to many pets.
“Pets also respond to much lower levels of sound intensity than we do,” said Heather Gero of the SPCA.
The SPCA has provided the following tips to ensure the safety of pets this holiday season:
– Make sure all of your pets are wearing identification tags in case they escape from your home.
– If possible, stay home if you suspect fireworks will be set off in your area.
– If you can’t be home with them, you have the option of boarding your pet during this time. This will ensure the safety of the animal as well as your peace of mind.
– Pet owners can also keep their animals in a room with higher windows that are more difficult to jump through, such as a kitchen.
– Close windows or blinds and play calming music at a reasonable volume or keep the TV on to try to mask or muffle the sound of the fireworks.
– Make sure your dog or cat has a safe place to hide and that it has constant access to it. This could be under a piece of furniture or in a cabinet.
– Surround them with familiar and comforting items such as toys, baskets and so on.
– Give them something to do, such as a chewy bone or catnip.
– If your pets react negatively to fireworks, seek professional assistance from your veterinarian.
– Make sure your pet has a hearty and nutritious meal before bedtime. This will increase their chances of falling asleep.
– Never punish or fuss over your scared pet as this will only make matters worse.
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