Halloween with pets: how to keep the night calm and safe

Halloween is fun for people and hard work for a lot of pets: the doorbell goes all evening, strangers in masks appear at the door, and there is candy everywhere. The safe plan is simple. Keep sweets out of reach, give your pet a quiet room with a closed door and somewhere cozy to hide, and make sure they wear ID and are easy to see if you walk after dark.

Keep the candy out of reach

A bowl of candy by the door sits at nose height for a lot of dogs. Keep it on a high shelf or behind a closed door, and ask children to keep their haul in their rooms with the door shut.

• Chocolate is toxic to dogs and cats. Dark and baking chocolate are the most dangerous.
• Sugar-free sweets and gum can contain xylitol, which is very dangerous for dogs even in small amounts. Check the label on anything sugar-free.
• Raisins (and grapes) can be toxic to dogs, so watch for little raisin boxes and chocolate-covered raisins in the mix.
• Wrappers and lollipop sticks can cause choking or a blockage if swallowed.

If your pet eats something it should not, call your vet straight away, even if they seem fine. Do not wait for symptoms, and do not try to make them sick unless your vet tells you to. Keep the wrapper so you can say what was eaten and roughly how much.

Stop the door dash

Every knock is a chance for a curious dog or a startled cat to slip out into a dark, busy street. The easiest fix is to keep your pet well away from the front door while trick-or-treaters are about.

• Set up a quiet room away from the front door with water, their bed and a favorite toy, and close the door.
• Put the radio or TV on low to soften the knocking and the doorbell.
• Walk your dog, and bring cats indoors, before it gets dark and the trick-or-treating starts.
• Keep an ID tag on their collar, and check their microchip details are up to date.

For cats, a breakaway collar is the safer choice because the buckle pops open if it snags. The Breakaway Cat Collars with Bell each have a D-ring for a tag and a reflective strip that picks up headlights.

Costumes: only if your pet is relaxed

Some pets do not mind dressing up. Plenty hate it, and a stressed pet in a costume is not having a good time.

• Only use a costume if your pet stays relaxed in it. If they freeze, hide, scratch at it or try to back out of it, take it off.
• Nothing tight, and nothing that covers the eyes, ears or mouth. Your pet needs to see, hear, breathe and pant freely.
• Check for small parts that could be chewed off and swallowed.
• Never leave a pet in a costume unsupervised.

Many pets are happiest with a simple bandana or no costume at all, and that is a perfectly good Halloween look.

Decorations to rethink

• Candles and lit pumpkins: a wagging tail or a curious cat can knock them over. Use battery-powered candles, or keep real flames well out of reach.
• Glow sticks: the liquid inside tastes unpleasant and can cause drooling and an upset stomach if chewed. Keep them away from pets, and call your vet if one gets bitten open.
• Fake cobwebs: the stretchy fibers can tangle around paws or be swallowed, and cats are especially drawn to stringy things. Keep them high or skip them.
• Cables: light-up decorations mean extra cables. Tuck them out of reach or cover them so they cannot be chewed.

Dark evening walks: be seen

Trick-or-treat time is often after dark, and the streets are busier than usual with excited children and people in masks, which can unsettle a dog. Keep your dog on the leash, keep the walk calm, and make sure drivers can see you both.

• The LED Rechargeable Dog Collar charges over USB and has three modes: steady, fast flash and slow flash. It comes in six sizes.
• The LED Collar Light Pendant clips onto the collar your dog already wears, with a replaceable battery and the same three modes.
• The Reflective Rope Leash with Padded Handle has a reflective strip woven through the whole rope, in 1.5 m (5 ft), 2 m (6.6 ft) and 3 m (9.8 ft) lengths.

A light on the collar and a reflective leash work well together: the light shows where your dog is, and the reflective strip catches headlights.

A cozy hideaway and a favorite toy

Nervous pets cope better when they have somewhere to retreat. Put a covered bed in the quiet room, let them choose to go in, and do not pull them out. Hiding is how many pets settle themselves.

For dogs, the Hooded Cuddler Bed has a hood that folds up into a cave and a raised bolster rim to lean into. On ordinary nights, fold the hood back and it is an open donut bed.

For cats, the House-Shaped Cat Cave Bed is an enclosed den with a pitched roof, which is exactly what a cat that hides under the bed is looking for. It comes in three sizes, from 31 x 27 x 25 cm (12.2 x 10.6 x 9.8 in) up to 41 x 35 x 36 cm (16.1 x 13.8 x 14.2 in).

A favorite toy helps too. A Flower Snuffle Mat with some of your dog's usual kibble hidden in its felt strips gives them a calm, absorbing job while the doorbell goes. For cats, a play session in the Pumpkin Print Cat Play Tunnel earlier in the evening helps burn off energy before the knocking starts.

Everything above is in our Halloween Shop, alongside the rest of the season's picks.

Bonfire Night is close behind

In the UK, fireworks around Bonfire Night (November 5) often follow within a week or so, and they usually start before the night itself. Leave the quiet room, the hideaway and the background noise in place, keep cats in after dark, and walk dogs before the fireworks begin. If your pet finds fireworks very frightening, talk to your vet well ahead of time.

Still not sure?

If you are not sure which size of collar or bed will suit your pet, email contact@honeyandpaw.com with their neck measurement, weight or your question and we will help. For anything health related, including something your pet may have eaten, your vet is always the first call.