Whilst some pets may love the excitement of Halloween, others might find it slightly stressful. That’s why, as pet owners, it’s a good idea to ensure you’re well-equipped to keep your pets happy and safe during the spooky season.

Take a look at our guide, which lists some of the top Halloween safety tips for your pets.

Halloween safety tips for dogs

Halloween can be a tense and scary time for your canine companion. From loud unexpected knocks on the door to seeing people dressed up in quirky costumes, it can be quite confusing and unsettling for them. Keeping them safe and calm is important, so here are some of our top tips on how you can make Halloween as relaxing as possible for your furry friend:

• Plan ahead for the night – the doorbell will likely go off multiple times during the evening, which can be quite alarming for your dog. To prevent them from getting too unsettled, keep them busy with games, toys and their favourite snacks throughout the night, or keep them in a separate area of the house further away from the door so the sound of knocks and the doorbell isn’t as loud or disturbing for them.
• Keep sweets and other treats away from your dog. They may be attracted to them, but sweets and chocolate can actually be very harmful to dogs due to the artificial sweeteners found in most of them. Be sure to keep flashy wrappers and tasty treats out of sight and reach of your dog.
• If you or other household members are planning to dress up in costumes for the day, your dog may become confused if they cannot recognise you. It would be helpful for them to actually see you put the costume on, so they know it’s still you underneath. Throughout the night, you can take your mask or other parts of the costume off every now and then just to reassure them.
• Think twice before dressing your dog up – whilst it would undoubtedly be extremely cute and amusing for your dog to get their own costume, they may not actually be comfortable in it. Costumes may also obstruct your dog’s vision or their breathing and movement, so it’s better to avoid them, regardless of how cute they may be.

Halloween safety tips for cats

Similar to dogs, cats may also feel unsettled and uneasy during Halloween. Here are a few things you should keep an eye out for to ensure your cat stays safe during Halloween:

• Keep them away from human treats – they don’t really agree with your feline companions. Chocolate, in particular, contains substances that can be quite harmful to cats if they ever ingest it, so keep the sweet treats far away from them to prevent them from getting sick.
• Make sure your Halloween decorations are well out of reach. Decorations could contain sharp materials like wires that can hurt them, or if they ingest anything like long tassels, they could get stuck in their intestinal tract leading to further health problems. Be sure to keep them away from candles too, as the dancing flame can burn them or singe their fur.
• Try to keep your cat as calm as possible during the hustle and bustle of spooky events. It’s likely that their anxiety will increase as the doorbell rings more frequently and their home sees more visitors than usual. Turn up some music, keep the tv on to mask the doorbell sounds, or keep them occupied with games and toys.
• Make sure your cat is microchipped, as there’s a chance they may wander out whenever the door is open and get a little lost. If your cat is microchipped and the details are all up to date, it will be much easier to find them if they do stray a little further from home.

Smaller animals

If you have smaller animals, such as a bunny, hamster or guinea pig, you’ll have to take special care to make sure they stay safe and calm on Halloween. Some steps you can take include placing them in a room away from the front door, so the noise doesn’t stress them out or occupying them with their favourite toys and treats. The key to keeping any of your pets happy is to make sure they are always comfortable and feel at ease.

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