It is my favorite time of year! The leaves are changing, there is a chill in the air, and the Halloween decorations and candy are in abundance! Pretty soon, there will be ghouls and goblins walking around getting all the candy they can. While this year trick-or-treating will look a little different, there are still some important guidelines to follow to keep your pets safe and happy.
1. COSTUMES – There is nothing cuter than seeing a pet in their Halloween costume. Before dressing them up though, be sure they are not stressed out about it. Here are some safety tips to consider for the pets that enjoy being dressed up.
2. KEEP YOUR PETS INSIDE – There is nowhere safer than inside your home for your pets (especially black cats). There are plenty of stories of people teasing, injuring, stealing, or even works, killing pets that were in their yard or allowed to roam on Mischief Night and Halloween Night.
3. DON’T GIVE YOUR PETS CANDY – This is true for any day of the year. Chocolates and candy can be very harmful to pets. The Pet Poison Helpline states that calls to veterinarians on their hotline increase by 12% during the week of Halloween. Here is a list of Halloween Dangers to Cats and Dogs.
4. KEEP PETS AWAY FROM FRONT DOORS – Even though trick-or-treaters may be visiting tables in your yard or driveway instead of your front door, it is still a good idea to keep your pets away from the door. If Stark sees us out front without him, he is big enough and smart enough to open the door to get to us. Then it is off to the races with him! Be sure your pet is microchipped (and your information is up-to-date) and/or wearing their ID tags on the off-chance they do get out.
5. BE CAREFUL WITH CANDLES AND LIT PUMPKINS – Your pets can be attracted to bright lights in a darkened room. Curious kittens especially run the risk of getting burned by an overturned candle or lamp.
6. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PETS IN THE CAR WHILE YOU GO TRICK-OR-TREATING – Can you imagine how scared your pet would be sitting in a dark car while strange creatures continuously walk by? Your normally friendly pet could try to ‘protect’ you from all the scary people and become aggressive. Not to mention, there’s the possibility of them bolting out the car door as you get in and out. For their safety, leave them home where they are comfortable.
Everyone here at Weather or Not wishes you a spook-tacular Halloween!!
