Also a good time to post some Halloween reminders since black cats are associated with Halloween!
Halloween can be very scary & dangerous for animals. The costumIs, the energy, and the candy! Animals don’t understand costumes. Not all pets will be afraid, but some will. Halloween is a day when a lot of animals go missing but most humans don’t consider it to be a risky day for animals.
Animals can dart out the door when Trick Or Treaters come. Kids are excited, they can be loud, the costume can be scary. To an animal it feels like someone is invading their home! This can make them run away in fear. Or just be really scared and anxious all night.
Animals (like cats) that go in and out may also not come home. The costumes walking around, the loud noise, the heightened energy. It can be enough to make an in/out cat run away in fear, get too lost, and not come home. Or just spend the night outside and come home when things settle. Spending the night outside, scared and hiding is not what we want for any of our pets.
Also, less common, but still something to consider. If you have a black cat, keep it inside. It’s unfortunate but some people will be very unkind to black cats on Halloween. Inside is safe.
If you have an animal, being extra safe is always better than taking a chance that something unexpected happens. This can mean, keeping your animal in a room in your home away from the open door. It is very easy for an animal to quickly and unexpectedly slip out the door when hanging out candy.
Lost pets are heartbreaking and scary for the pet and guardian.
Please take your responsibility as a pet guardian seriously and have a plan to keep your pet safe during a day when many pets feel fear and anxiety. It’s not easy for them to live in a human world and Halloween is just one example of that.
Though I do understand some pets enjoy wearing costumes! Remember that wearing one, is much different than seeing beings at your door. When you put a costume on a pet, they understand you putting it on. When someone just shows up at your door dressed in a scary costume making weird sounds they have no idea a human is under there