Meowy Christmas and Happy Howlidays from us here at Family Pet Veterinary Centers!
With the holiday season comes holiday music, delicious food, and gatherings with loved ones. However, the holiday season also brings cold weather, snow, decorations, and lots and lots of food. Now, for us humans, the decorations and food don’t seem like negatives. But for our furry loved ones, these can bring dangers.
When decorating for the holidays, make sure to think about your fur babies. The shiny objects that aren’t around all year long will attract the attention of both canines and felines alike (us humans, too).
Make sure to secure your Christmas tree to prevent it from tipping, falling over, and harming anyone in the near vicinity. Cats love to climb, and as they get older, they may not realize exactly how big they’ve gotten since last Christmas. I had the opportunity to see my cat realize his weight gain after he tipped over the Christmas tree he was easily able to climb the previous year. The lights and hanging “toys” attract the attention of all, so it’s also a good idea to be thoughtful of the ornaments you hang on the tree.
When thinking of adding Holiday plant life to your home during the holiday season, consider realistic-looking fake plants as many plants associated with the holiday season (holly, mistletoe, and lillies) can be very harmful to our fur babies.
Be careful with candles, and make sure to keep them in a place that is not easily accessible to our curious pals. Our pets never learned to stop, drop and roll in school. Tinsel is another decorative object that is very cute and pretty, attracts the attention of animals of all types, and can be dangerous. Cats seem to especially enjoy playing and chewing on this decorative tool. If ingested, it can cause obstruction, vomiting, dehydration and more severe symptoms.
Not only do holiday decorations pose possible danger, but holiday foods do as well! It’s best to keep your pets’ diet, exercise, and general routine as normal as possible, but we can’t help but wish our pets could enjoy the festivities as well. Instead of feeding sweets, turkey, bones, and/or table scraps, opt for something healthier for your pets. For cats, consider providing them with a canned food they don’t normally get. For dogs, consider stuffing a Kong (or similar style toy) with 100% pure pumpkin, and tossing it in the freezer for a few hours, then letting the pup go to town. Pumpkin is great for digestion and overall health! This could be good for our kitty friends too (if they’re not too picky).
Overall, if there is anything you are on the fence on concerning safety, contact us! We are happy to answer any questions you have concerning your pets and their health! And if an emergency occurs, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Call us ASAP and we can guide you on what to do next.
We hope you have a wonderful, joyful, and safe holiday season!