13/12/2024
🎄🐱 How to keep your feline friend calm this Christmas 🐾🎄
This time of year means lots of changes to a home, and for our kitties who thrive on predictability and routine, this can be distressing. With furniture rearrangements, the arrival of the tree, lights, decorations, and the hustle and bustle of extra guests, our kitties may find their homes looking, sounding, and smelling quite different. In addition, unfamiliar people, and worse still unfamiliar dogs may visit the house or even stay for several days, interrupting the normal routine.
To minimize stress during this season, consider the following tips:
🔹 Provide multiple safe and comfortable hiding spots to escape the noise and commotion. A cardboard box or igloo bed above the wardrobe or under the bed can offer a sense of security.
🔹 Advise visitors to approach your kitty only if they initiate contact, especially if they are in their bed. Visiting children may be keen to see and cuddle them, but the kitty must initiate any contact.
🔹 Give guests cat treats and toys to create positive associations between your cat and the new people.
🔹 Ensure there's always an open door to allow your cat to retreat from noisy gatherings to a quieter part of the home.
🔹 Plug in a 'Feliway' diffuser in the room your cat frequents several days before festivities begin. This product, available from us, contains feline pheromones that help your kitty feel more secure. Keep it switched on continuously throughout the festive season.
🔹 If guests are occupying rooms your cat usually uses, provide necessary resources (beds, food, or litter trays) in quieter areas beforehand, allowing for a gradual adjustment.
🔹 If your cat's litter tray is in a high-traffic or noisy area during the holidays, consider placing an additional litter tray in a quieter part of the home.
🔹 If your cat is sound-sensitive, avoid using crackers and party poppers.
🔹 When a dog is visiting, use baby gates or similar to restrict its access to the cat's retreat areas.
By following these suggestions, you can ensure a more serene and joyful holiday season for your beloved feline companions. 🎄🐾