Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. When my kids were younger, we had the best parties each year. Friends would come over for the festivities and then kids would trick-or-treat from our house because we live in the perfect neighborhood for collecting candy. We usually have no less that 200 kids each year.
We’ve always had cats, and have taken their safety and comfort into consideration each season. Halloween is super fun for humans, but most cats are not so fond of the loud noises and crowds that come along with it. Plus, there are safety cautions to keep in mind. Here are five Halloween safety tips for families with cats.
1. Keep kitty calm and indoors
The ringing doorbells, constant activity and excited voices can bring out anxiety in some cats, especially if they’re not used to that kind of chaos. If this is the typical scene at your house on Halloween or during a seasonal party, it’s a good idea to put kitty behind closed doors in another room and consider using some sort of calming product like Feliway. Remember to tuck your cat away anyway if your trick-or-treating door will be opening and closing all night.
Plus, although we don’t like to think about it, Halloween is sometimes a night of mischief, and cats (especially black ones) are best kept indoors.
2. Make sure kitty has proper identification
Aside from keeping your cat indoors, make sure they have a tagged collar or are microchipped. Sometimes even the best efforts at keeping your cat behind closed doors don’t work so well. Perhaps place a sign on the door of the room that holds kitty: KEEP DOOR CLOSED!
3. Remind costumed kids to be gentle with kitty
Sometimes when kids dress up in costumes, they take on the traits of the character. My son was a pirate one year and ran around the house screaming, “Arrrr!” Halloween is a perfect time to remind your kids (or visiting friends) of proper cat-handling and that kitties prefer calm voices and don’t like to be chased.
4. Keep candy out of kitty’s reach
Brightly colored candy wrappers can be attractive to cats, and they may decide they’re toys and even ingest something that could physically hurt them. Remind your kids to keep their Halloween candy in a pantry or somewhere your cat can’t access.
5. No real candles with kitties
Lit candles are dangerous because your cat easily can singe their whiskers or fur if they come to close to them. The fake ones are the best way to go and will provide seasonal ambiance with a much safer flair.
Do you have any Halloween safety tips for families with cats? Tell us about them in the comments!
Read more about cats and kids:
- 5 Tips for Teaching Your Kids How to Properly Handle a Cat
- Should You Let Your Kids Name Your Cat?
- 4 Ways to Keep Your First Cat Happy When You Adopt a Kitten
- 5 Things to Consider When Choosing a Cat for Your Family to Adopt
- It Gets Better With Age: 5 Reasons to Adopt a Senior Cat
- How to Socialize Your Cat
- 10 Reasons My Cat Won’t Look at My Baby
- Further Observations on My Cat’s Relationship With My New Baby
Read More by Angie Bailey:
- 5 Tips for Helping Your Kids Start a Pet-Sitting Business
- I’m Raising My Son to Love Cats, No Matter What Society Thinks
- 6 Tips for Planning the Perfect Cat-themed Party for Kids
- 5 Ways Cats Are Great Therapy for Anxiety and Depression in Kids
- 5 DIY Projects You and Your Kids Can Make for Your Cats
About the Author: Angie Bailey is an eternal optimist with an adoration of all things silly. Loves pre-adolescent boy humor, puns, making up parody songs, thinking about cats doing people things and The Smiths. Writes Catladyland, a cat humor blog, Texts from Mittens (originated right here on Catster) and authored whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds, a silly book about cats wheeling and dealing online. Partner in a production company and writes and acts in a comedy web series that features sketches and mockumentaries. Mother to two humans and three cats, all of which want her to make them food.
