Make Halloween a little less scary for animals

Halloween is a wickedly fun time of year in our household. I love helping the kiddos put the final touches on their costumes, watching our favorite Halloween flicks, baking ghoulish vegan treats and adorning the house with decorations that, honestly, I could keep up all year.

But while the humans in our family enjoy a good scare, trick-or-treat night can be a little hair-raising for our animal companions. Especially for our pup Freckles, who is afraid of the parade of treat-hungry ghosts and goblins. So we’ve found a few tried-and-true ways to make our four-legged family members— and our wildlife neighbors — feel more comfortable and safe.

Walking dogs before the streets get crowded avoids the stressful commotion and reduces the chances that they’ll gulp down dropped pieces of candy. Later, when the doorbell starts ringing, staying with animals in a room far from the noise with a white noise machine, soothing music or the TV on can help them relax. It can also keep them from darting out the door — and of course, ours are all microchipped and wear collars with current ID tags, as all animal companions should, just in case.

A spectacular costume is the Halloween pièce de résistance for kids and even some adults. For dogs and cats, not so much. Costumes can limit animals’ mobility or sight, cause them to trip or choke and add to their overall discomfort.

But a Halloween-themed collar, harness or bandana gets their seal of approval. And just like checking kids’ goody bags, watching out for hazards that could await animal companions is a must. Candy, party favors, decorations and other holiday items can cause real harm, so it’s important to keep them out of the animals’ reach. If you suspect that your animal companion has swallowed something harmful, call your veterinarian or an animal poison hotline immediately.

It’s never good to leave cats outdoors, but Halloween is especially dangerous for them. Incidents of cruel people targeting cats — particularly black ones, like my feline companion, Edith — are more frequent in October. These animals are victimized for evil pranks or worse. Many animal shelters wisely suspend adoptions of black or even all cats in the weeks leading up to Halloween and urge guardians to always keep their feline companions safe inside or in an enclosed outdoor space under a watchful eye.

We’re a nature-loving family, so we take steps to ensure that the decorations we put out to make our human neighbors smile are also kind to our local animal residents.

Some well-meaning folks aren’t aware that even though fake cobwebs are, well, fake, they can still function like real spiderwebs — ensnaring animals who walk across them, along with birds and bats who might not see them as they’re flying. Many wildlife rescue organizations report treating animals with injured wings and limbs caused by fake spiderwebs, and they frequently issue warnings asking people to skip this decor item. Cats often find these stringy webs enticing, and if they swallow them, the material can cause an intestinal blockage. If you spot an animal in trouble of any kind, contact your closest wildlife rehabilitator or veterinarian immediately.

Another easy way to give wildlife a helping hand is to leave jack-o-lanterns unbleached. A freshly carved pumpkin on the porch is, I imagine, as tempting to squirrels as a fresh batch of ghost cupcakes on the table is for my kids. After Halloween, you can even leave your pumpkin in the yard for the squirrels to munch on, so long as it hasn’t been treated with a harmful substance.

We all know to drive slowly and watch for children darting into the road on trick-or-treat night, but keep an eye out for animals, too, as they can be startled out of their normal hiding or nesting spots by the additional noise and activity. Giving animals a “brake” and being considerate of them always makes holidays even more enjoyable. So this Halloween, let’s celebrate with all the fun and fright — while making sure our animal friends enjoy a cozy, safe night.