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Halloween customs vary around the world, but it’s a big night of fun for children everywhere. The constant ringing of the door bell can be a lot for some humans to bear, though, so you can imagine how stressful all these comings and goings could be for your cat. Here are a few tips to help ensure that your family, including the cat, have a safe and happy Halloween.
Avoiding unnecessary stress
Cats are creatures of habit, and they can be very sensitive to any breaks in their normal routine. They feel safe in their own territory, surrounded by familiar things and people and reliable meal times.
Lots of cats disappear the moment a stranger is in the house, and many cats find children more stressful than adults. On Halloween, not only will the doorbell or knocker be going all evening, but a multitude of unknown children will be audible and possibly visible to your cat. The bizarre masks and costumes could also be pretty frightening to your cat.
Keep your cat confined to as large an area of the house as you can, where they do not have access to the front door. This way, they can still hide away if the noise is upsetting them and have some freedom of choice.
Creating a safe, happy space
It’s best to keep cats indoors on Halloween. Even if your cat is used to freely coming and going, with the crowds and excited squealing of hundreds of children, your cat might panic, bolt and get lost. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Make sure your cat has food, water and a comfortable place to sleep, off the floor, wherever you are going to put them for the evening. Even if your cat usually goes outside to go to the toilet, you should provide them with a litter tray. They may be reluctant to go out for a while, even after all the noise has stopped, so it’s better to give them the option and not force them to go outdoors. Cats are habitually clean creatures so make sure the litter tray is as far as possible from their food and water, preferably in another room.
Lastly, keep all confectionery out of your cat's reach — especially chocolate, which is toxic to cats.
Dressing up your cat on halloween
You should not dress your cat up for Halloween. It may be fun for us humans, but it is very likely to cause distress to your cat. Even though the signs aren’t always obvious, cats’ bodies are particularly sensitive to stress and so dressing them up could be causing them very real unnecessary distress. Not only will it stop them being able to do regular cat things such as grooming themselves, but it may cause injury if they try to rid themselves of the costume and get a leg or their head stuck.
Following these simple tips will help keep your cat safe, healthy and out of any scary trouble this Halloween.
Reviewed by Dr. Hein Meyer, DVM, PhD, Dipl-ECVIM-CA and Dr. Emma Milne BVSc FRCVS.
