Five Tips to Make Sure Your Pets Are Safe and Happy During the Holidays

It's easy to get stressed out during the holidays. Pets can be stressed out, too! Follow these five tips to keep your dogs and cats happy this holiday season.

1. Use holiday decorations with caution.
Holiday plants like poinsettias, ivy, mistletoe and holly berries are poisonous if your pet ingests them. Keep them out of the reach of your animals. If you're using them outdoors, make sure they're out of reach of feral cats or stray dogs, too.

Tree decorations like icicles or garland are beautiful, but they can cause choking hazards, and the metallic icicle strands can actually make small lacerations in pets' mouths. If you use them at all, make sure they are high enough on your tree that your pet can't reach them.

Keep electrical wires neatly tucked away or out of reach of pets. They may chew them, which can lead to electrocution! There are also products available, like Bitter Apple, to deter pets from chewing things.

2. Numerous guests can cause stress.
Pets may feel stressed if numerous holiday guests are visiting. Make sure your pet has a "retreat" for some quiet time. If your dog has a crate, make sure he can freely enter/exit the crate if he chooses. Also, cat owners should note that disruptions such as rearrangement of furniture could cause your cat to not use the litter box.

3. Excessive "people food" can make your pet sick.
Pets are not garbage disposals. While it may be hard for you or your guests to ignore Fluffy's pleading gaze, feeding pets table scraps can be bad for them. Food like turkey or chicken bones can splinter and puncture the intestinal wall of a pet, or cause intestinal blockages. Excessive amounts of chocolate can be poisonous. And any change of diet, even for just one meal, can cause your dog or cat stomach pain and diarrhea. This is particularly true for older animals.

4. Christmas trees can be climbed or knocked over.
Cats in particular may find your Christmas tree to be a giant playground. Felines often will use one as a scratching post, or he/she may attempt to climb all the way to the top. Make sure your tree is in a wide, flat base, and you may want to anchor it to the wall with fishing line tied to drapery rods or use hooks in the wall. You may want to put your tree in a room with doors that can be closed to keep out animals.

5. Avoid ribbon on gifts under the tree.
Cats are often drawn to chew on gifts, especially those beautiful curly ribbons. Those ribbons can cause blockages in the intestines, or lacerate your cats mouth and esophagus. If you choose to use the decorative ribbons and packaging, be sure to keep those gifts out of reach of the animals.

By following a few safety tips, you can make sure your pet has a joyous holiday season this year and many to come!