The holidays are an exciting time of the year for the whole family, but the festive food and decorations can sometimes be dangerous for your furry family members. With the holiday season just around the corner, it’s important for pet owners to consider the safety of their pets when they are enjoying the festivities.

Keep the following safety tips in mind to ensure your pets stay safe this holiday season:

1. Maintain your pet’s schedule.

Though things may get busy in your household, it’s important to remain consistent with your pets’ eating and exercise schedules. Your pets thrive on routine and may feel neglected if their schedule is disrupted too much.

2. Keep holiday decorations out of reach.

Tree decorations can look a lot like toys to your pets. Make sure that any glass ornaments or tinsel are hung higher on the tree so that they do not cause temptation. Ingesting tinsel or broken ornament pieces can have serious health consequences for animals. Also, secure any strands of tree lights or other wires to avoid shock hazards or other potentially dangerous situations.

3. Do not leave burning candles unattended.

A scented candle makes a lovely addition to the holidays, but left unattended, burning candles can become a serious hazard as pets may knock them down causing a fire or severe burns. Keep an eye on your pets when they are around candles, and extinguish all flames when you leave the room.

4. Restrict your pets’ access to holiday plants.

Many holiday plants are toxic to animals. Holly, mistletoe, and a variety of lilies can cause a number of serious health issues for your pet. Keep these plants out of areas that your pets have easy access to or opt to use more pet-friendly plants.

5. Avoid sharing holiday treats with your pets.

Though special treats may make the holiday season, they can also cause digestive problems for your pets. Avoid sharing these treats with your animal companions, and be sure to let your guests know the “house rules” about feeding your pets scraps from the table.

6. Be mindful of your pets when you have visitors.

Typically, your home will see more visitors during the holidays. This increased traffic may cause stress for your pets. Make sure that your pets have a quiet place to retreat to when the holiday excitement becomes too much.

Taking a new pet home shouldn’t be a snap decision that you make in the middle of a pet store. Owning an animal means that you make a commitment to that animal for the rest of its life. Before you buy or adopt, make sure you meet these requirements.

1. You have a place for the animal. While a gerbil might just need a shelf for his cage, a large dog needs a place to roam. It’s not fair to keep a big animal in a house or apartment that is too small, even if you plan to walk him or her everyday.
2. You have a stable home life. Your commitment to this pet will last for years. What will happen if you have to move? If you’re currently renting or need to rent in the future, would a landlord accept the pet? Also consider if your family’s schedule is stable enough to make sure that the pet is played with, exercised, and fed everyday. If you’re going through a lot of personal upheaval, it’s not time to get a new pet.
3. You have enough savings to cover the animal’s care. The cost of a pet is more than food and toys. Regular vet care can cost hundreds of dollars a year for a large or exotic animal. Expect to spend more when an emergency comes up. Make sure you have part of your savings dedicated to pet care. If you’re going through a financial hardship right now, wait until you’re more stable before bringing home a furry or scaly friend.
4. You have time. All pets require attention. It’s only a good idea to bring home a new animal friend if you have a schedule that allows you to play, feed, bathe, and exercise your pet. If you’re working long hours or travel frequently, wait until you get more settled before bringing someone new home.

You’ve decided that it’s time to open up your home to a furry friend. That’s great! Whether it be a cat, dog or any other type of animal, there are important steps you need to follow to ensure your home is pet-friendly.

Gather All Your Cords

You don’t want your pet to get tangled in electrical wires and cords, so make sure to gather and tie the cords together where possible. For example, behind your TV, there’s a good chance that there are lots of cords. You’ll want to group these together and tie them with a zip tie.

Always Check Your Cabinets and Drawers

Small pets, especially kittens and such, are prone to sneaking their way behind drawers and cabinets when you have them open. Sometimes, these animals are so tiny that even once you close the cabinets and drawers, they’ll fit without you noticing you closed them up. Because of this, always do a double check before accidentally losing one of your furry friends.

Clean Your Countertops with the Right Cleaner

Did you know your cat can jump about seven times the length of his or her tail? It’s because of this that you’ll likely find it roaming on your kitchen table and countertops. Keeping this in mind, make sure to clean these surfaces using antibacterial soap; this way your cat won’t be trekking around dirty paws.

Keep the Lids Closed

From your trash cans to your toilets, always keep the lids closed. Even though cats aren’t the biggest fans of trash and water, they’re still curious, and if they manage to get into either of these areas, this can lead to a huge –not to mention nasty– mess.

 

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How can you not love Grumpy Cat? If you’re wild for Grumpy Cat, like the rest of the world, check out the great Christmas video above from Purina. Adorable!

• Cats gone wild! A Nativity Scene in Brooklyn has been overrun by feral cats, even going so far as pushing baby Jesus off his manger of hay. Meowy Christmas, indeed.
  • Read More: Cats take over local Nativity Scene, have no problem kicking out Baby Jesus

• Did you think dog parks are the best place for dogs to socialize? Well, you might want to think again. Learn more details from Mother Nature Network where they debunk 4 common misconceptions about dogs.
  • Read More: 4 Popular Misconceptions about Dogs

• We’re loving this dog swimming round up from The Huffington Post. What’s more adorable than a puppy? A puppy air swimming, duh.
  • Read More: It’s a Bird, It’s a Plan, It’s Air Swimming Dogs!

 

• Congratulations are owed to Jewel, an American Fox Hound, who won The 2013 National Dog Show. Great work, Jewel!
  • Read More: American Fox Hound Jewel Wins The 2013 National Dog Show

• Well this certainly isn’t the most uplifting news. Japanese researchers have recently discovered that cats can indeed recognize their owners’ voices. Unfortunately, they’re unlikely to respond.
• Read more: Study backs up what owners already know: Cats don’t care

• San Francisco is on a roll! First Bat Kid, now therapy dogs at the airport. San Francisco International Airport will be welcoming the “Wag Brigade” into their terminals for stress relief and general enjoyment.
• Read more: San Francisco airport welcomes therapy dogs

 

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• She’s just being Miley? Well in this case being Miley includes performing in front of a lip-syncing cat gif. What do you say, cute or crude?

• Dog lovers, rejoice! The National Dog Show will return to broadcast on NBC this year. Catch the competition between the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and some NFL football. We all know it’s not really Thanksgiving until John O’Hurley graces our screens, right?
  • Read: The National Dog Show, returning to NBC on Thanksgiving

• On the side of incredible, you have to read the USA Today story about Chaser, a border collie who knows more than 1,000 words.
  • Read: Smart Dog: Border collie learns language, grammar

• We’re all about luxury and extravagance, but what about for your cat? Some businesses are taking it to the next level with luxury cat hotels. Via The Guardian, “Each suite at the Ings has “stunning panoramic views”, underfloor heating and bespoke wrought iron four poster beds “complete with cut glass crystal balls and the softest cotton bedding with goose feather cushions.” Flat screen TVs come as standard, permitting the pampered pet to watch their favourite DVDs, such as looped footage of a fishtank or butterfly meadows, and an optional a la carte menu offers dishes such as pan fried sea bass with organic butter and steamed prawns.”
  • Read: Cat hotels: boutique accommodation you can only dream of

 

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• A kitten barking like a dog? You have to “hear” it to believe it! Watch the video above to hear Bun Bun’s unique purr.

• Bellevue, Washington has a great story about how donors are helping fund a cat’s surgery after an apartment fire broke out and burned the animal.
  • Read Donations pour in for cat that needs skin grafts 

• #theoandbeau love. Daily photos of an adopted puppy and a toddler napping have gone viral. Jessica Shyba, who adopted the puppy, started posting the photos on Instagram and her blog, Momma’s Gone City. Check out the pictures for your daily dose of #love.
  • Read Boy and Puppy photos napping together go viral

• We’re going to keep the sweet stories rolling. Coming out of Philadelphia are eight month old lab/pit bull mix brothers. Their story is especially heart-warming because one of the dogs is blind. It took the animal shelter some time to notice, but once they did, they could see that the other dog has been acting as a seeing-eye dog for his brother. The two dogs are always cuddling and never leave each other’s sides.
  • Read Brotherly Love: Blind Dog Snuggles Sibling

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• We love the LATimes for sharing this video on cats remaking The Hunger Games.

• In slightly depressing news, a man has apologized for microwaving his cat for a YouTube video. Unfortunately, this incident happened in Lebanon, where there are no animal protection laws.
  • From Metro

• Authorities are currently trying to identify a dismembered body after a dog brought home a human leg.
  •  From ABC News

• NBC News has a story about canine evolution and a genome mutation that may have led to dogs’ friendliness. Clive D. L. Wynee, the head of Arizona State University’s Canine Science Collabroatory is currently writing a book about the evolution.
  • From NBC News

Did we miss anything this week? Please feel free to share in the comments section!

• The picture above might say a thousand words, but you still need to read about Shrek from the Huffington Post.
• Huffington Post: Abandoned Dog Named Shrek Get a Fairytale Ending

• We loved this incredible story from NYT about Phineas, a dog who went from a death sentence to back home in his owner’s arms.
• New York Times: Dog’s Tale: From Death Row to Doorstep

• Read more about how inmates are being used in Maryland to train service dogs for veterans.
• Baltimore Sun: Maryland prisoners train service dogs for veterans

• Discovery has a great article on how humans may be reversing cat domestication. Thoughts?
• Discovery: Are humans reversing cat domestication?

Did we miss something this week? Let us know in the comments below.

This week we’re starting a new feature on the blog. There are so many pet-related news stories, both happy and sad, that we’d love to highlight a few that caught our eye. As always, please let us know if we missed something in the comments.

• Just say no to jerky. In the last few weeks over 580 pets have died and the FDA isn’t 100% sure why. The illnesses and deaths have been linked with different types of jerky.
• Read more from NPR: FDA Asks Dog Owners to Help with Illnesses Link to Jerky

• Huffington Post has an interesting article this week on why dog growling can be a good thing. Nicole Wilde writes, “He could certainly have snapped at the puppy, or worse. But instead, he gave an appropriate warning. That the puppy didn’t buy a vowel, get a clue, and understand what was being spelled out was a problem, so the dog growled louder.”.
• Read more from Huffington Post: Why Growling is Good 

• Tampa Bay Times has a heart-warming story about an Air Force dog that survived heatstroke. From the article, “When a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois dog named Eddie put his nose to the ground in Afghanistan last year, he was credited with saving an entire Air Force platoon from an improvised explosive device.”
• Read more from Tampa Bay Times: Celebrated bomb-sniffing Air Force dog survives brush with heatstroke.

• And in viral news this week, the Internet is loving this Kitten Tootsie Roll Video. Check it out below: