Halloween is argumentatively the most fun holiday celebrated in the United States. No matter the age, people young and old don costumes, decorate their yards, host gatherings, and don’t think twice about allowing children to ring their doorbells in the evening hours to ask for delicious sweet candies.
With all the festivities, it may be easy to forget how Halloween can negatively impact your feline friends. The obvious dangers are chocolate, ribbons, wires, and similar objects that a cat may find tantalizing to eat. Then there is the risk of your beloved pet getting so nervous and frightened by all the people in strange costumes that he or she escapes the safe confines of your home.
All of these dangers can be avoided by providing safe rooms and keeping all candy and bits and bobs out of the cat’s reach. However, there are two common items that almost every household has during Halloween which may cause your cat distress.
Glow Sticks can cause your cat distress
Glow Sticks are a fun novelty that can be used to keep kids and adults safe while they are out trick or treating. Inside the stick is a liquid called dibutyl phthalate. If your cat chews on the glow stick and ingests the liquid, it causes drooling, pawing at the mouth, irritation and in some rare occasions, vomiting.
To avoid your cat from biting into the glow stick, it should be disposed of immediately. But if your cat does ingest the dibutyl phthalate, in most cases no treatment is needed.
However, it is recommended that you wash the liquid off of your cat’s fur and skin. Providing water or clear chicken broth may also help alleviate your cat’s discomfort.
A rotting pumpkin may be easy to forget but will make your cat seriously ill
Pumpkins can be beneficial to the well-being of your cat. When served properly, it can help your cat with weight control, diarrhea, constipation, and hairballs.
In addition, the Vitamin A can help with your cat’s immune system while Lutein supports healthy skin and coat.
However, if your cat gets into the stem or skin of a pumpkin, it may cause digestive tract problems, and a rotting pumpkin may cause serious intestinal problems. A carved pumpkin or Jack-O-Lantern left outside to decay slowly becomes a breeding ground for mold and unseen bacteria.
If the insides of the decaying pumpkin are consumed, it may make your cat seriously sick. Therefore, it is better to side with caution and throw the pumpkin out once Halloween is over.
Accidents do happen, but there is help
With a little planning, there should be no reason why your cat isn’t kept safe during the Halloween festivities. Creating safe rooms where he or she is out of harm’s way is probably the easiest course of action. But there is no denying that accidents happen so if your feline friend does get into something that may cause distress or serious illness, call the ASPCA Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435. You can also Google the Pet Poison Helpline for additional information.
