This post is sponsored by petMD and ARM & HAMMER™ Clump & Seal™, and the BlogPaws Professional Pet Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about The petMD Cat Care Center, but I only share the information I feel relevant to my readers. ARM & HAMMER™ Clump & Seal™ and petMD are not responsible for the content of this article.
We love the holidays because they are fun and different from regular days. October is the start of the holiday season with Halloween, Thanksgiving and then Christmas. It’s one of my favorites times of the year, but it’s not without stress for people and pets.
Cat Safety on Halloween
We have three cats. Colors is a tortoise shell. Heather is a black domestic short hair. Scout is a black tiger. They all have their personalities, and all three are loving members of our family. It always makes me sad when I see pictures of black cats that look menacing on Halloween cards and in movies. A black cat is no more or less likely than any other to be unfriendly.
Because of this tendency to show black cats as mean, many owners of black cats choose to keep theirs inside in the few weeks before and after Halloween for safety reasons. Our cats are inside cats, so this isn’t really an issue for us, but cat safety on Halloween is something we should all be aware of.
- If your cat is prone to dash for the door when it opens, keep them in another room when trick or treaters are visiting in case they try to run outside. Be sure they have food, water, and a litter box available to them.
- A Mini Cat Playroom might be a great way to keep a cat safe and occupied on Halloween
- Do not leave candy where they can get into it. Candy is not good for cats and chocolate is toxic.
- Put empty wrappers in the garbage. Our cats like to chew on things and will chew on plastic just to see what it is.
- If you aren’t home for trick or treaters, consider turning off your doorbell, so the ringing doesn’t upset your cat. If that’s not an option, put a bowl of candy on the front porch with a sign that says “Take One.”
- Make sure that any wires or cords from lighted Halloween decorations are out of reach of your cat. They may chew on them or pull on them and knock something heavy down.
- If you plan on putting a candle inside a carved pumpkin, choose a battery operated one to prevent injuries to your cat if they get to close.
- If you’re dressing your cat up for Halloween, please use an approved pet costume. If you’re making one yourself, be sure it isn’t too tight, doesn’t constrict their movement and doesn’t have any pieces or parts that can be chewed on or swallowed.
- Make sure your cat has on their ID tag. Just in case they get out, be confident they can be identified if found.
Please don’t display decorations that portray black cats as evil or mean. They’re just as loving as any other cats, and we shouldn’t encourage people to be afraid of them. If your child does see something that shows black cats as being mean, talk to them so that they understand it isn’t true.
This post is brought to you by: ARM & HAMMER™ Clump & Seal™, offering a unique technology that forms a tight seal around odor and destroys it with powerful odor eliminators and ARM & HAMMER™ Baking Soda.
Colors, Heather, and Scout thank you!
The post Cat Safety on Halloween appeared first on Confessions of an Overworked Mom.