A Halloween Headscratcher

The ghostly doggo has got us all spooked here at Everypaw HQ! So much so that all the office cats have gone into hiding. Where have they all got to? It's down to you.

Can you find the 7 scaredy cats in the image below?

Looking After Your Pets on Halloween

Halloween can be an enjoyable time for all the family, but for our four-legged fluffballs, it's not always so much fun. So to accompany our Halloween Headscratcher and to bury the answers further down the page. Here are Everypaw's top 5 ways to look out for your pets on Halloween.

Hide the Halloween Treats

While you get to munch on all the tasty sweets and chocolate, you have to be especially careful what your pet chows down on at this time of year. Chocolate and sweets with xylitol are highly poisonous to cats and dogs, so keep the treats in a safe place.

Beware Halloween Costumes for Cats and Dogs

Dressing up is great fun, whatever age, but that usually only applies to us humans. Don't try and force your pet into something they don't want to wear – you wouldn't like it if a giant came along and forced you to dress up as a spider!!

Everypaw's resident vet Dr Anna Foreman says, "If a pet is distressed in clothing, they will actively try and remove any items they are wearing with their teeth and/or paws… If they are unable to remove the items or are so terrified they exhibit the 'freeze' rather than fight or flight response, then they may simply sit still with their ears and head down, trying to make themselves as small as possible.

More worryingly, some animals can become aggressive when put in a costume due to the distress… they may start by licking their nose or lips, yawning and turning away, but this can turn quickly into growling, snapping and biting.

If an animal becomes extremely stressed, which can be the case with many cats and small pets, then they can suffer a heart attack or other fatal stress-related events."

Think Pet Safe Decorations

Decorating the house is all part of Halloween; hanging skeletons, pumpkins, ghostly apparitions and candles. You want the fear in your visitors; you don't want to scare the living daylights out of your pets. If you avoid decorations your cat won't launch themselves at and switch flame candles for battery-powered ones, you'll find a happy medium.

Keep your Pets Indoors on Halloween

As the creatures of the night take to the streets to trick or treat, it's a good night to keep the pets indoors. All the scary costumes could actually have the desired effect on your pets. Some people may take the scaring a little too far and spook a pet on the street on purpose. You don't want your pet to bolt and get lost, so for one night, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Dr Anna says, "If taking animals trick or treating, make sure they are on a secure harness or lead and their microchip details are up to date in case they get lost. If they are a nervous dog or do not like the dark/have poor vision, then they should be left at home."

Clearing up After Halloween

It's pretty straightforward to make sure you clean up after Halloween. Don't leave random wrappers around for your pet to get their paws on. Also, don't forget about the pumpkin. While you went to great efforts to carve that masterpiece, it's basically going to rot before your eyes. So before it becomes a haven for bacteria that could make your pet poorly, get rid of it.

Everypaw Pet Insurance

Everypaw's Pet Insurance comes with 24/7 unlimited access to vets and vet nurses to help your pet's health, care, nutrition and behaviour. So you can rest assured that they'll be well looked after, whoever your new family member is! Get a quote today!

Start a quote

 

 

Halloween Headscratcher Revealed

Did you find all 7 scaredy cats? If you didn't, you can find all the answers below!