ASPCA Offers Halloween Safety Tips For Pets

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Tuesday, 16 October 2001

Halloween can be a festive and fun time of year for children and families, but for family pets, it can be a stressful and even dangerous time of year. The ASPCA offers pet owners some common-sense tips to help them keep their pets safe during this time of year:

Don't leave your pet in the yard on Halloween: There have been stories of vicious pranksters who have teased, injured, stolen, even killed pets on this night.

The ASPCA recommends that cats should be kept indoors throughout the year, however if your cat does go outdoors, keep her inside several days before and several days after Halloween; black cats in particular may be at risk from children's pranks or other cruelty-related incidents.

Trick-or-treat candies are not for pets: Chocolate is poisonous to a lot of animals, and tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed.

Be careful of pets around a lit pumpkin: Pets may knock it over and cause a fire. Curious kittens especially run the risk of getting burned.

Don't dress the dog or cat in costume unless you know he or she loves it. Otherwise, it puts too much stress on the animal.

If you do dress up your pet, make sure the costume isn't annoying or unsafe; it should not constrict her movement, hearing or ability to breathe or bark. Also, there should not be small or dangling accessories on the costume that your pet could easily chew off and choke on.

Be careful not to obstruct your pet?s vision; even the sweetest animal can get snappy when he or she can't see.

All but the most social dogs and cats should be kept in a separate room during trick-or-treat visiting hours; too many strangers in strange garb can be scary for a dog or cat.

When opening the door for trick-or-treaters, be very careful your cat or dog doesn't dart outside.

Make sure your dog or cat is wearing proper identification. If for any reason they escape and become lost, identification increases the chances that they will be returned to you.

For more information, or to contact American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, see their website at: www.aspca.org