Spending Christmas with Your Pet

The holiday season approaches and that means many things. Christmas lists need to be written, gifts need to be bought, lights need to be put up, a tree needs to be bought, and about a hundred other things. What about Fido and Fluffy? Christmas is about spending time with friends and family, and that should include the family pet. However, there are a few things you should consider to make this holiday season the safest and most enjoyable for you and your pet.

Christmas Safety

1. When putting up and decorating the Christmas tree, keep the cat and dog in the other room. Fragile ornaments that can be broken and walked upon by sensitive paws can be a safety issue. Additionally, having an animal underfoot while you're moving around can pose as a tripping hazard. It's best to keep Fido occupied elsewhere while the festivities are going on.

2. Make sure while you're placing ornaments upon the tree that you put the most fragile and breakable ornaments higher up on the tree. When your dog or cat walks past the tree, he or she may brush against the branches, knocking them to the floor where your pet may break or attempt to eat them.

3. With a pet in the house, avoid using fake snow in creating your holiday scenes. If ingested, fake snow can cause an upset stomach or worse. Instead, use a length of white fabric to create the illusion of snow.

4. Keep holiday plants, such as holly, up and away from your pets. Some seasonal plants can be poisonous. Additionally, remember that cats and small dogs can leap onto tables and surfaces. A hazardous plant placed up on a table, but within jumping range, is still a danger to your pet.

5. Be extra mindful when you light candles. A passing cat or dog not paying attention to where his or her tail is drifting might accidentally light their tail or fur on fire. This is a very dangerous situation that you want to avoid. When lighting candles, always keep them in sight and be conscious of where your pet is in the house.

Christmas Activities

1. Consider hanging a stocking for the cat and/or dog. Pets enjoy presents and gifts just as much as people do. Plus, with new and exciting toys to play with on Christmas morning, your cat or dog will be less likely to interfere with the human activities of Christmas morning.

2. Are you going caroling? Bring the family dog along for a fun and exciting evening walk complete with festive singing. Before doing so, however, check to make sure that it's alright with everybody going.

3. During Christmas dinner, a pestering and begging pet can ruin the mood. Separate your cat or dog from the holiday dinner, feeding them at the same time or occupying them with a toy in a different room. All parties will be much happier.

4. Dogs love snow! After a fresh snow fall, got outside and play in the snow with your dog. Build a snowman or throw snowballs up in the air for your dog to catch. If your dog is a quick learner, try to teach him or her to roll over in the snow and wiggle to create a doggy snow angel.

5. Turn off the Christmas carols sung by people and turn on Christmas music performed by cats and dogs. Christmas Music Featuring Dogs and Cats: Christmas Super Pets is just one of many CDs available with cats and dogs singing the carols we all know and love.

Have a happy and safe holiday season!