Halloween Safety Tips for Cats

Halloween is fast-approaching.  Whether you like to celebrate by handing out candy to trick-or-treaters, throwing a Halloween party, watching scary movies, or going to haunted houses, it's important to keep your cat's safety in mind during your celebratory activities.

Keep Cats Indoors: It's unfortunate, but there are cruel people in the world who steal, injure, or even kill cats during Halloween.  While black cats are most vulnerable during this time of year, it's best to keep your cat inside, no matter his coat color.  Don't just keep your cat inside on Halloween night - keep him confined to the house several days before and after Halloween to ensure his safety.

Provide a Safe Space: If you're planning to hand out candy to trick-or-treaters, it's advisable to keep your cat confined to a bedroom with the door shut during trick-or-treating hours.  While your kitty may not typically try to escape through the front door, the chaos of strangers coming to your home may prompt her to slip through the door.  If you think the disruption of having strangers come to the door will bother your cat, play some soft music for her in her safe room.

Likewise, if you are throwing a party at your house, confine your kitty to a safe room.  Be sure to provide her with comfortable places to sleep, food, water, litter box, and toys.  Do not allow guests to go into her safe room during the party unless your kitty is already comfortable with them.  You may also want to play soft music in the room to calm her if she is nervous having house guests over.  Additionally, if you can slip away for a few minutes, visit your cat periodically throughout the party to check in on her and provide her reassurance.

Please ensure your companion is wearing a collar and ID tag on Halloween in case she accidentally escapes outdoors.  If your kitty is microchipped, take a moment to ensure your contact information is up-to-date as well.

Halloween Decorations: It's fun to decorate your home with festive decorations for the season.  Pumpkins and decorative corn are typically considered to be safe plants to have around pets, but they may cause digestive upset if your cat snacks on them, according to the ASPCA.  Pumpkin is actually very beneficial to a cat's digestive system.  Instead of letting your kitty chew on your pumpkin decorations, though, purchase some unsweetened, plain canned pumpkin for him to eat.  You can feed a teaspoon of it to him plain or mix a little into his canned food.

Jack-o-lanterns are one of my favorite Halloween decorations, but they certainly can pose a danger to our beloved furry friends.  Cats are particularly curious and run the risk of burning or singing their paws and whiskers on lit jack-o-lanterns.  Please keep lit jack-o-lanterns and candles out of your kitty's reach for his safety.  Alternatively, purchase LED candles, which are safe to use near your companions.

Some Halloween decorations have electrical cords.  For your cat's safety, please protect electrical cords with cord covers or spray them with a deterrent like Bitter Apple.  Cats who chew electrical cords can suffer cuts, burns, and/or life-threatening electrical shocks.

Candy is Not for Cats: I'm sure you've heard about the toxicity of chocolate for cats.  While dark and baking chocolate are the most toxic to cats, all types of chocolate are dangerous for kitties to ingest.  Xylitol, an artificial sweetener, found in some candies is also toxic to kitties.  If you believe your furry friend has ingested xylitol or chocolate, please call your local veterinarian, emergency animal hospital, or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center for immediate assistance.  You can reach the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435.  Please note that a $65 consultation fee may apply.  

Candy wrappers also pose a danger to kitties.  Please keep all candy out of your pet's reach and promptly throw all candy wrappers into a covered trash can.

If you'd like to get your companion a treat for Halloween, purchase her favorite cat treat or try a new one.  Carmine and Milita absolutely love ProPlan Savory Bites in chicken flavor.  If your cat hasn't tried these, we highly recommend them!

Costumes: Please do not dress your kitty in costume unless you know he loves it.  Dressing up a cat who doesn't enjoy it causes him distress.  He may even end up hurting himself trying to get out of the costume.  Most cats don't enjoy being dressed up.  Instead of a costume, you could purchase your cat a bow-tie that slips onto his collar.  You can see Carmine's bow-tie in the photo to the right.

If you know your furry friend loves playing dress-up, be sure to try his costume on him before the big day.  If he starts acting abnormally, seems allergic, or looks distressed, it's best to let him celebrate Halloween in his "birthday suit."

Thoroughly examine the costume to ensure that there are no small or dangling parts your cat can chew off, choke on, or swallow.  Additionally, make sure your pet's costume fits well.  Clothes that are too loose can get caught on objects, which can potentially injure him.  Your kitty's costume should not restrict his breathing, ability to meow, or ability to hear, see, or move.

Utilizing these Halloween safety tips for cats will ensure a safe and happy holiday for everyone in your home.

Do you have any plans for Halloween?  Please share them with us in the comments section. 

Halloween Safety Tips for Cats

I've seen a few of these posts around the blogosphere, but the topic is so important that I thought it warranted a post from us as well.  Please keep these safety tips in mind as you celebrate Halloween in the coming days.

Candy Is For Humans Only: I'm sure many of you know that chocolate is very toxic to cats and dogs, especially baking and dark chocolate.  However, any candy containing the xylitol, an artificial sweetener, is also toxic to pets.  Moreover, candy and its wrappers pose a choking hazard to your kitty.

If you want to give your cat a yummy treat for Halloween, purchase his or her favorite kitty treats or try a new brand of cat treats.  Keep all candy out of your pet's reach.

Keep Cats Indoors: It's unfortunate, but not all people love kitties as much as we do.  To keep your kitty (no matter what his or her fur color is) from becoming an unwilling participant in Halloween mischief, keep him or her indoors.  Black cats are especially prone to going missing on Halloween.

If you are giving out candy to trick-or-treaters, it's a good idea to keep nervous kitties in a safe room in your home with the door shut to prevent them from escaping accidentally.  Even the most social kitties can become overwhelmed by all the trick-or-treaters visiting your home; keep an eye on your feline any time you open the door.  Keep collars and identification on your cat so that if your kitty accidentally escapes, you will have a better chance of finding him or her.

Halloween Costumes: Please do not put your kitty in a Halloween costume unless you know he or she loves it!  I haven't personally met any cats that would even tolerate being dressed up, let alone love it, but I'm sure there are a few out there.  Dressing up a cat who doesn't love being in costume causes him or her unnecessary stress.  An unhappy cat in costume may even hurt himself or herself trying to get out of it.

If you want your kitty to look festive for Halloween, you could try putting a decorative bandanna or bow-tie on his or her collar.  Mom Emily from Kitty Cat Chronicles makes some really adorable bow-ties that slip right over your cat's collar.  Carmine really loves his!

If you have one of the rare kitties who enjoys being dressed up, ensure that your cat's Halloween costume does not constrict his or her movement in any way.  Be sure your cat can see, hear, breathe, and meow without any difficulty in the costume you choose.  Try on the Halloween costume before the big night to ensure your cat is not distressed by it at all.  Be sure to make sure there are no small parts on the costume your feline could tare off and swallow as well.

Halloween Decorations: As you know, there are a variety of festive household Halloween decorations.  Please keep your kitty safe by using electrical cord covers on electronic decorations.  Cats can suffer cuts, severe burns, and/or life-threatening electrical shocks when they chew on electrical cords.  If electrical cord covers aren't an option for you, you can purchase some Bitter Apple to sprays cords with.  For added protection, unplug electronic decorations whenever you won't be around to keep an eye on your kitty.

Jack-o-lanterns also pose a danger to cats.  Jack-o-lanterns can be easily knocked over and start fires.  Curious kitties can also singe or burn themselves with flames, so it's best to keep all jack-o-lanterns out of your cat's reach.

We hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween next week!

Do you have any other safety tips to add?  Please let us know in the comments. 

Halloween Safety Tips for Cats

Halloween is just around the corner. Amidst all the trick-or-treating, visiting haunted houses, decorating, and throwing parties, we must remember to keep our furry friends safe. These tips should help you do just that.

Keep Candy Out of Reach: While tasty, candy can hurt your kitty in many different ways. For instance, chocolate is toxic for cats and can cause vomiting, increased body temperature, diarrhea, low blood pressure, high heart rate, rapid breathing, and seizures. In advanced cases of chocolate poisoning, cats can also experience coma, heart failure, and weakness, according to PetMD.

Cats can also choke on lollipop sticks or get them lodged in their digestive systems, causing an intestinal blockage. Candy wrappers can also get lodged in your pet's digestive tract. Thus, it is a good idea to keep Halloween candy out of kitty's reach or keep it in a secure, locked cabinet.

Keep Kitty Indoors: Another Halloween safety tip for cats is to keep your furry friends inside. Some individuals tend to think that black cats are evil and may try to hurt cats who are outdoors on Halloween. Additionally, if you are giving out candy to trick-or-treaters, your kitty will have ample opportunity to escape throughout the night. If it's possible, keep your pet indoors in a separate room away from the front door to prevent him or her from escaping when you are distracted handing out candy to trick-or-treaters. If this is not possible, you may want to consider boarding your pet for the night at a local boarding facility or your cat's vet office.

Safe Decorations: It is important to remember that your kitty may be curious about the wires and cords some Halloween decorations require. Kittens, especially, may try to chew on such wires, which can lead to burns and dangerous electrical shocks. Thus, I strongly encourage you to keep electrical wires and cords out of your cat's reach. If this is not possible, protect your kitty by enclosing electrical cords in electrical cord covers/protectors or spraying them with Bitter Apple, a taste cats find very unpleasant.

Kitty Costumes: Please do not dress your cat in costume for Halloween unless you know that he or she loves being dressed up. Dressing up a kitty who does not enjoy it will only stress him or her. The ASPCA warns that if you do put your cat in a costume, ensure that it does not impede your pet's movement, his or her ability to breathe or meow, or interfere with hearing or seeing. Also, ensure that the costume is not unsafe or annoying for your kitty. The ASPCA recommends trying the costume on your feline before Halloween night to make sure it does not distress your furry friend and to ensure that he or she is not allergic to it. Finally, make sure that the costume does not contain any small or dangling parts or anything that can be chewed off and choked on.

Jack-O-Lanterns: Pumpkins are definitely festive for this time of year. However, if you put a candle in your pumpkin, keep a close eye on your furry friend. Some kitties are interested and curious about fire and may get too close to it. Other cats might knock over jack-o-lanterns and start a fire. For the safety of your pet and your home, please use a lot of caution if you have jack-o-lanterns in your home during the Halloween season.

Keep your feline safe this October by utilizing these Halloween safety tips for cats. I hope you all have an enjoyable and safe Halloween this year.

Sources:

ASPCA: Halloween Safety Tips

CatChannel: Halloween Safety Tips for Cats