Your Cat and Christmas
By Space Coast Daily // January 14, 2022
As many have just seen, Christmas can be a daunting time for cats. With people in and out of the house, boxes just about everywhere and not to mention the bitter cold.
While yes, it’s only a few weeks, it can still have an effect on cats, especially if your kitty is a little more skittish than most. You want to keep their routine in place with minimal disruption but you also want to get all of your Christmas jobs done.
There are a number of things worth considering when it’s Christmas time that will help your cat get through what can be a hectic fortnight or so. Here are just a couple:
Maintain The Routine
Dressing your cat up in a little elf costume may be cute and will make for a good social media post, but it also may distress them.
If you have a cat that values their own space and routine, do what you can to keep them in place. While that’s easier said than done with all-over-the-place work hours and Christmas days out, try to keep their routine intact as much as you can.
Many who have Christmas off live a totally different lifestyle for a couple of weeks, which is fine, so long as it doesn’t force the cat to switch up their lifestyle.
Give Them A Space
If you are in a position where things have to change, maybe you have family over or some family staying with you throughout the holidays. If this is the case try to make sure some space is unaltered for the cat.
Whether that is a spare room, an office, or your own bedroom, a place where people aren’t going in and out and aren’t leaving luggage, presents, and shopping bags will offer your cat somewhere to chill and recharge.
This can be really important in order to keep your cat energetic, as they may not be able to properly rest in a space that feels disrupted.
It’s worth thinking about a safe space for your cat beforehand so that you can put their cat tree or bed there.
Don’t Overfeed Them
Remember, while it may be tempting to keep your cat calm with some extra meals, their long term health should always come first. Do not overfeed them.
It can also be tempting to treat your cat to some of the delicious Christmas foods that you’ll be eating, but remember, health comes first. Make sure that you aren’t letting them overindulge in foods that they aren’t used to, as it could cause havoc for their digestive systems.
If you aren’t too sure what you can and cannot feed your cat, have a look at this helpful Christmas food guide put together by Bella & Duke.
Keep Them Inside A Bit More
Christmas can be a rather dangerous time for cats outside, from black ice which hurts their paws to less visibility on the street.
While it’s not always that straightforward, try where possible to limit your cat’s outdoor time, especially later in December when it’s dark by 4 pm.
Don’t Host Unless You Have To
Unless there is a situation where you are the only hosting option, don’t host Christmas with a skittish cat.
It puts them into a vulnerable position and could stress them out to no end, which will only add to the very stressful feat of making a Christmas family dinner. If there is no other option, as mentioned before, your cat will need its own personal space to relax.
Christmas isn’t just stressful and turbulent for people, we need to think about our pets too, so hopefully, this guide helps a little for this years’ Christmas.
