Holiday Pet Safety Tips From Takoma Park Police

TAKOMA PARK, MD — There is always so much going on around the Thanksgiving holidays that it's easy to lose sight of keeping your pets safe. Whether you are staying at home or traveling, the Takoma Park Police Department has some tips to keep your pets healthy and safe during the holidays.

Tips to Keep Your Dogs Safe:

When you decide to “deck the halls” for the holidays, think about Christmas tree puppy/dog safety. Your puppy/dog may believe the Christmas tree is a special gift just for his entertainment. The attraction is natural, with puppies/dogs wanting to chew branches, pull off decorations, or worse. The result is a holiday that’s anything but merry.

First, make sure all breakables or dangerous items are not on lower branches, but situated out of pet paw-reach. Anything that fits in the puppy’s mouth is a potential hazard. Garlands, ornaments, strings or hooks, icicles and that fake spray-on snow can cause problems. Edible strings of popcorn may look festive but tempt pups to munch and eating the string can kill your pet.

Next, keep puppies/dogs at bay and a safe distance from danger. To keep puppies/dogs away from illegal targets, make the area surrounding the tree unattractive.

There are several options, and some work for certain pets and not for others:

• Aluminum foil is a great deterrent for tiny pups and cats since they dislike walking on that odd-feeling surface. Silver foil also offers a festive holiday look.
• The soft"tacky mats" available from home products stores designed to keep throw rugs from sliding around work well to keep pets at bay because they dislike walking on sticky surfaces.
• Another option is Sticky Paws which is a double-sided tape product. Sticky Paws now is available in larger sheets as well as strips that you can apply directly to carpets beneath the tree, or to place mats situated on table tops or wherever needed.
• You can also use the pet's sense of smell to keep her away from the tree. Vicks Vapor Rub (menthol smell) also works as a good pet repellent. Dip cotton balls in the ointment and stick in the lower branches of your tree. Bitter Apple or other nasty tasting substances help keep pups from chewing but don’t rely on this entirely. Some dogs actually like the flavor, and still chew through electric cords
• Smaller trees can be set on table or counter tops out of dog nose-reach.
• Place your tree inside of a baby’s play pen or block off the “tree room” with a baby gate.

Tips to Keep Your Cats Safe:

The only fool proof way to keep your cat away from your Christmas tree is to put the tree in a room the cat can't access. Unfortunately, this is often not practical. So the next best solution is to make the tree as safe as possible.

Real Christmas trees are more dangerous to cats than fake plastic ones. Pine needles can puncture internal organs if eaten; they are also toxic to cats. If you do have a real tree, make sure the drink stand has plenty of water to prevent the tree drying out and losing needles. It is important that your cat isn't able to get to this water and drink it as it could result in poisoning. Ensure the tree has a good solid base so it won't easily be knocked over by your cat. Try not to have the tree near furniture and/or shelves which the cats could use to jump onto the tree

Be careful with tinsel, if you must have it on your tree; place it at the top of the tree where the cat is less likely to be able to get at it. Tinsel can be caught around the base or move down to the intestines & stomach & cause a blockage, which will result in emergency (and costly) surgery to remove it.

Ornaments should be securely attached to the tree to prevent them being knocked off. Also place delicate ornaments up high where they're less likely to be knocked off & broken. When there is nobody around, unplug Christmas lights, you may want to try applying a cat repellent such as bitter apple to the lights to deter your cat from chewing the wires, obviously if this was to happen it could cause a fatal electric shock.

Holly, mistletoe, poinsettias are all popular plants to have in the home at Christmas, especially in the northern hemisphere. These plants are toxic to cats so should be placed where your cat can't get to them.

When buying toys for your cat, make sure you thoroughly check them first. Similar precautions should be taken with your cat's toys as you'd take buying a toy for a young child. Make sure there is nothing glued on that the cat can pull off and swallow. As the toy will quite likely be chewed on, ensure that it's made from a non-toxic substance.

Photo via Pixabay