Keeping your cat safe at Halloween

28th September 2017

Halloween is a fun time for us humans. Dressing up, strangers coming to the door for trick or treat may be fun for you, but for your cat it will be intimidating, stressful and confusing.

Keep cats indoors

Halloween preparations can be in full swing from the at least a week before the October 31 so it is important to be aware that your cat may find the buildup stressful.  Try to keep your cat indoors during the darker hours and, on Halloween itself, try to keep your cat indoors.  There will be far more people on the streets looking, and behaving, differently which will cause your cat concern.

Always place hanging decorations out of reach

Hanging decorations may be a source of fun for some cats, but try to keep noisy and flame-generating decorations to the minimum. Candles and decorations which either have a heat source or are mains-generated, may cause injury to your cat.  Either place them higher up or out of reach for a curious cat that will investigate. Some decorations can also contain materials that are harmful to your cat if they were to chew them, therefore always keep them out of reach.

Give your pet a safe place to hide

Provide your cat with a quiet, dark and warm place to hide, such as a spare room during Halloween to reduce noise and stress levels.

Keep sweets out of reach

Chocolates and sweets are everywhere at Halloween; the packaging is colourful and attractive but are highly toxic for your cat. Make sure that sweets are kept as far away from your cat as possible and, if you catch your cat trying to eat sweets, take them away immediately.  Make sure that all children are aware that the sweets are for them and not your cat.  

Be aware of superstitions

Some cats, such as black cats, can be subject to superstition and can be targeted.  Make sure that you continuously check where your cat is, particularly in the evenings, and where possible, keep them indoors.

Having a party?

If you are having a party, make sure that you try not to use noisy fireworks and keep noise to a minimum.  As well as giving your pet a quiet and safe place to hide, make sure that you guests are aware that your cat is at home and to not access their safe space and to be aware that your cat must stay indoors.