Holiday Stress.... it's coming soon....

For all of you humans, the holidays bring on a bit of stress ( for some of you ... alot). The pets in the household are not that different. They feel it too. Here are some stressors to watch for and some of the things you can do for your feline and canine pals.

Many of the upcoming special events, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, include a big family meal with lots of special dishes. In the confusion of the family gathering for each of these events, it's easy for pets to find themselves alone with food that is left out.

Now, I don't want to rain on the parade of my critter pals, but it's all too easy for us kitties to find some turkey bones or a bowl of dressing. And you pups can flash a beautiful orchestrated long look at Uncle Joe or Cousin Charles and elicit a treat or two too many from them. It might be fun while grabbing that wayward bite, but later the tummy ache is not such a good thing.

Stress... HH gets stressed out during the holidays, so why shouldn't I? Some of my stress is naturally derived from picking up on what she's feeling, and part of it is just because our routine changes drastically during the holidays, and I'm not all that fond of change.

Now your pet may like change, but some of us don't like to ride in the car and many of us don't like to visit in other homes. Dogs seem a bit more adaptable on all of these points, but it's wise to watch for stress in them as well.
On the holidays, you might arrange to leave us home so we can stick to our favorite routine.

Decorations are beautiful, but they can be a hazard. If your pet has never encountered a Christmas tree, it may become overly excited or overly curious about the decorations you put up. Sometimes, they'll only assume they are toys and bat at them. Others might un-decorate the tree in quick order. Watch for the curiosity signs and pet-proof your tree.

In summary, don't forget Fido and Fluffy during these holiday events and always watch out for their safety.