Cats and the Holidays

Written by Anne

'tis the time to be merry! Hannuka, Christmas or another holiday - most of us are celebrating this month, but what about our precious felines?



Going over the latest cat-related headlines, it's clear that these are the holidays. Two themes come up over and over again.

Holiday Safety

New stuff around the house can put curious kitties in harm's way. We have our own Cats and Christmas Safety Guide on the site, but you may also want to take a look at this recent article by Frank Bryce, the president of the Humane Society of Southern New Mexico discussing the dangers for cats during this time of year.

Kandi Stevens from the Valley Oak SPCA provides another good review here and the people at Purina issued a more specific warning in their recent news release here. They are concerned not just with the physical well-being of our pets during the holidays, but also with the effects of the mental stress.

Shelter Cats

The other major pet theme in the press around this time of year is animal shelters. With so many pets in need, the idea is to somehow harness the spirit of giving and caring towards helping animals. Of course, these days, hopefully we won't see any "brilliant" suggestions of gifting a pet to someone else - no bow wrapped box containing a dog or a cat. The general idea is to consider adopting a cat or a dog yourself, or at least donate to a shelter. The Kelwona SPCA does suggest a pet gift voucher, where you pay for the recipient's adoption fees but they have to come to the shelter after the holidays and find the right match for them. Read more about this initiative and other messages for the holidays right here. Make sure you read this article to, where the Berkley county Humane Society urges adopters to pick wisely.

On another holiday related note - our newsletter, Kitty Bytes, will not be released this month. Expect a fresh new issue in January 2010!