Don’t Forget Your Pets This Christmas!

Busy nights leading up to Christmas day can use up all your time and your pets might be overlooked.

With everyone running around asking, ‘Who will do the roast’, ‘Who is in charge of the salads’, and making sure Aunty Mae doesn’t forget her Christmas teeth, we tend to forget the pets, especially if you are to be inside all day cooking and serving. Christmas is supposed to be the day off, but really as a mother, you know that’s not true.

Now, I know a lot people probably think it is a waste of time and money, but I like my dogs and cats to have a little something under the tree just for them and to keep them safe and happy over the busy Christmas period!

For Outdoor Pets

Make sure that they have plenty of water for the day..

Have beef stock or gravy frozen into ice blocks and throw them out in the yard. Dogs love to lick them and they cool them down at the same time. You can fill up an empty milk bottle with beef stock and punch some holes in it, then freeze it. Once frozen, throw it outside and as it melts it leaks out, it will keep the pooch happy for ages. If kids are home on holidays, get them to help you bake homemade doggy treats.

Give them a new chew toy.

Just like kids, they do get bored with the same old toys and a new one will help with boredom and stimulate their minds. There is nothing more rewarding to a dog than to get that noisy squeaker out of the toy.

If you have an outside cat, they will probably take off at the first sign of people arriving, but if you know that they hide in the shed or somewhere like that, then leave a bowl of water so they don’t have to come out too far for a drink, and a small bowl of food.

Remember to always supervise any children with dogs, doesn’t matter how friendly they are.

For Indoor Pets

Even though they are inside, they will still need access to their water bowl. If you are going to have a lot of traffic through where they are usually drinking, you might have to move it to a quieter place. With all the noise and excitement, especially with children’s yelling and toys going off and making a racket, they might need a safe place to retreat to when things get a bit too much for them.

Make sure they have either a crate or even a room where they can go and not be disturbed. It sounds extreme, but remember: if they have been living with relative quiet during the year, then one day the house is full of strange people and inquisitive children, it can be quite a shock.

Just like the outside dog, a new toy will go down a treat with your four-legged friend.

Inside cats, just like outside ones, will most likely disappear while you have guests.

So the same thing applies — water and food in a quiet spot.

If you are getting a cat or dog for Christmas, make sure you have all supplies before the big day. You don’t want an unhappy animal who is hungry or that you forgot to get the kitty litter tray, and with shops shut for a couple of days over this period, it could get nassssty.

How do you make sure your pet is taken care of at Christmas?