The origins of Halloween involved wearing costumes to ward off ghosts as part of Samhain, a pagan end-of-summer harvest celebration. Now, the trend is to dress your pug up as Chucky and see how people will react when they turn up asking for fun-size packs of Maltesers.
Pets have always played a role for Halloween, be it black cats since the Dark Ages to dog costume parades that draw in 8,000 spectators.
However, Halloween is also another kind of spooky for pets. Pets take in a revolving door of weird sounds, tempting but dangerous treats, excitable kids turning up in unusual clothes, and – wait, just what is my human putting on my head? “There can be issues with the constant door openings, ringing the doorbell, people going up and down the street, and pets chasing for treats/food,” says Dr. Grant Little, DVM. He also claims that Halloween leads to an uptick in vet visits.
The Most Important Do’s and Don’t For the Best Halloween With Your Pets
Here are Dr. Little’s prime takeaways for keeping your little ones safe during Scheduled Terror Time:
Do:
Your dog doesn’t understand why their environment is suddenly riddled with loud, odd-looking strangers and groups of people parading around their territory. It’s your job to help them cope and provide comfort throughout the evening.
We recommend keeping your pet indoors, especially if they’re prone to fear or nervousness around strange noises, people, large lawn decorations, or anything new or ‘off’ in their environment. Even the most confident of dogs can find Halloween spine-chilling.
- Keep your pet safe from running outside and chasing people in the neighbourhood in excitement.
- Get familiar with the emergency services in your area in case your dog or cat gets into a chocolate. Be familiar with where they are located, and have a plan if something were to happen.
- Keep your cat away from string objects when you’re not watching. Cats ingesting string is a major concern for a linear foreign body that can require surgery.
Don’t:
- Let pets jump on the counters during a Halloween party or when you go to answer the door. Be mindful of where the treats are located and prevent easy access to them.
- Allow your pet to play with the Halloween decorations or costumes. Their presence can irritate pets, triggering animals to destroy them or ingest them.
- Use a candle that can be harmful to your cats, especially if they have previously been diagnosed with asthma or other respiratory diseases.
Respect Your Pet’s Boundaries
Halloween can be a fun, wholesome way to connect with your pet – if it’s their thing. However, like their humans, cats and dogs have firm physical and emotional boundaries. Overstepping those can be distressing, and the Halloween dog experience can be full of unexpected visitors, lights, large decorations, unfamiliar smells, and loud noises.
Work out whether they get on with decorations early
Decorations might be whimsical and horrifying, but they completely change a pet’s environment, filling it with bright lights, strange textures, and attic sounds.
Larger decorations on the front lawn might also prove genuinely disturbing for animals used to barking out of the window at, say, squirrels than eight-foot inflatable Frankensteins.
It might be worth working out where your little one can reach. Cats are natural climbers, so that immaculately carved Jack-o’-Lantern is, at best, about to be wrecked forever and, at worst, might burn your house down once there’s a candle inside. It might be better to use artificial bulbs or fairy lights to protect both your pets and belongings from singeing or worse.
Avoid filling the house with unfamiliar dogs and people
Imagine waking up to a house full of people and animals you don’t know. That’s what your dog or cat has to face if you throw a Halloween get-together. So, make sure that the guests are familiar faces, or take steps to introduce guests to your pet beforehand. Cats may need slow, careful introductions, as they’re territorial creatures.
No pet is staring at a calendar wondering why you’re not throwing them a Halloween cat party, Christmas dog bonanza, birthday bash, Gotcha Day get-down, or any other celebration.
Their idea of a celebration might be an unbridled sprint around the local dog park or snuggles with their favourite human (you). The most important thing is understanding your pet’s personality.
Grottini suggested ways to keep multiple pets calm in the same space, including:
- Pet-calming music
- Giving each a toy, depending on their temperament
- An Adaptil plug-in, which may aid in calming the dogs in that room by mimicking the pheromones of a nursing mother dog. This works as a diffuser, spreading the dog-calming pheromones around the home. It may not be effective for every dog or every situation, but it’s worth a try on busy times like Halloween.
- Pet gates to keep pets separated from overexcitement or crowds
However, Grottini also suggests that “if you do not have to have other dogs/pets in your home, it is advised not to include them in a Halloween gathering. Dogs at a Halloween pets party may stress out being in an unfamiliar place and will likely pass this mood on to the other dogs.”
How Do I Keep My Pets Calm During Halloween?
Your pets might not do well with guests, noise, or weirdly dressed interlopers. Here’s how to keep them in a chill, comfortable space.
Reduce overstimulation by keeping pets indoors in a calm, dedicated space
You might be the most important person in your pet’s life, However, other factors are equally crucial to their well-being, like an environment that helps them feel safe.
For example, a 2018 review found that a secure environment is more important to cats’ well-being than their human or feline bezzies. (Perhaps unsurprisingly, the study authors found that dogs are the exact opposite.)
Your pet may be spooked by massive skeletons on the lawn, an endless stream of strangers, or the noise and hubbub outside. Spooked animals bolt, and a search operation is not the kind of Halloween thrill anyone’s after.
Keep your pets inside to help them feel like their environment is secure from intruders and danger. Giving them their own Halloween dog or cat cave away from the door might also help remove them from perceived threats. Dr. Little recommends a basement, office, or even walk-in closet away from the front door.
Wear them out during the daytime
This is a great way to prep your pet for the shock of a (pretend) undead horde rocking up at your front door and demanding Skittles.
Giving your hairy best bud whatever form of exercise, stimulation, and attention they enjoy most means that, come the Witching Hour, they’ll be less on edge and more likely to chill out.
Soften the noise
If the non-stop carousel of sweetie fiends is giving your dog anxiety, Dr. Little recommends a few ways of drowning out the din.
“You can also play white noise on a TV or use a sound machine that includes samples like dogs barking or people talking. This can drown out the noise of the doorbell ringing and people coming up.“
Grottini also suggests a desensitization process that can help the dog get more used to the doorbell.
“When it comes to the doorbell constantly ringing, you could start to get the dog used to that by simply sending a family member outside to ring the doorbell over and over again.” She suggests the following process:
- The owner should be sitting calmly in a room where they may normally spend time with the dog.
- The owner needs to ignore the ring and stay seated. If the dog sees the owner always remaining in their seat and not getting the door, it may help the dog calm down when the doorbell does go off.
- Part of the issue with doorbells/knocking on a door is that people rarely have a large amount of people doing that in one day. So if you can get the dog to remain in place with the owner as the family member goes out and rings the bell or knocks on the door over and over again for days on end, the dog may be able to calm down.
Alternatively, if you have a Ring doorbell or electronic doorbell with different sounds, Sally suggests “changing the sound of the ring so it is not recognisable to the dog.”
Love on them with treats
Spare a thought for your hungry pet while you’re chowing down on that packet of stale Love Hearts. They deserve Halloween treats, too!
Plus, high-value treats like meat, cheese, or whatever usually gets them mega-excited might help to nurture positive associations with a near-neverending array of curiously dressed strangers.
However, Dr. Little warns about overfeeding pets. “The right serving of Halloween dog or cat treats may be a few licks of some whipped cream or a tasty fruit treat, but the calories can be a lot for their smaller stature,” he maintains. “There are a lot of pets that are overfed treats and food, and we see obesity as one of the biggest issues in pets in the veterinary network.”
Save Your Pet a Trip to the ER
You know what’s really spooky? Emergency vet bills. (And, of course, worrying for your little one’s health because they got into the fun-size Mars bars or set their tail alight on a Jack-o-Lantern.)
Here’s how to keep your pet safe from poisoning and injury during Spooky Season:
Keep all human treats out of reach
Halloween provides a pretty limitless supply of things your pet shouldn’t eat. Chocolate is to dogs what Michael Myers is to humans: absolutely lethal and everywhere during Halloween. Likewise, many sweets contain xylitol, a sweetener that is also toxic to dogs.
Cats should also avoid chocolate, which contains a chemical called theobromine that can be poisonous.
Keep the candy you’re giving to trick-or-treating neighborhood ghouls in a jar. If you or your kids bring any home, be sure to avoid leaving it lying around. Put it straight in a higher-up cupboard for safekeeping.
Also, Grottini advises leaving dogs at home during trick-or-treating, no matter how cute their Halloween dog costume looks.
“Kids will drop potentially lethal items on the street or even on your pathway, including Halloween chocolates. Some people also make Halloween food decorations that include raisins and grapes, which are toxic to dogs and would require immediate vet care.”
Don’t over-decorate
Halloween decorations with blinking, evil eyes and howling sound effects often come with cables that can be chewed and batteries that might be swallowed. Tempting as it may be to throw together an animatronic house of horrors, these pose a threat to curious or playful pets.
The same goes for fake cobwebs and vampire teeth. Any decorations that can be chewed up or swallowed can cause gastrointestinal obstruction.
If your cat or dog is suddenly in pain, has diarrhea, and starts vomiting, hit up your local vet’s ER. However, this is largely preventable by keeping decorations to a tasteful minimum (or as tasteful as Halloween permits, anyway) and focusing on higher-up, hard-to-reach decorations.
Home-made Halloween treats to distract your pets
You hold a small tube of Smarties in your hand. Your dog is staring at you. Your cat is perched on the mantlepiece, waiting to swipe that singing, light-up skeleton head to the floor.
You need distractions. Luckily, creepy, tasty treats can help divert your pets’ attention from the smells and sounds that can lead to eating something they shouldn’t.
Pumpkin cutout cookies for dogs treats (Kiki Kane’s recipe for Rover)
Here’s our recipe for this dog-safe, fall-flavoured pumpkin that’s sure to take your pupper’s eyes off your trick-or-treat haul.
Ingredients
450 grams oat flour (simply blend rolled oats in your food processor to create it)
450 grams of any flour suitable for your dog’s digestion (some dogs may not tolerate all-purpose flour, but you can use it if your dog can)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
240 grams plain pumpkin puree
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 176°C. Mix the ingredients until they’re just combined. Add food colouring before the beautiful yellow dough fully forms. If you wish to have multiple colours, divide the dough into separate bowls and use different food colouring before rolling them out. Use Halloween-themed cookie cutters to create ghost, zombie, or bat shapes. Alternatively, you can cut your own shapes – you might want to make a few larger ones for presentation and some smaller ones for quick, bite-sized treats. Place the cutouts on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for twenty minutes or until they just start to brown at the bottom.
Purr-ifying pumpkin Halloween cat treats (Janelle Leeson’s recipe for Rover)
Yield: Makes 6 treats, each weighing approximately 85 grams
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
85 ml (1/3 cup) of pureed pumpkin
120 ml (1/2 cup) of water or the cooking liquid (the liquid used to boil the chicken)
Instructions
Cook the chicken: In a medium-sized saucepan, place two boneless, skinless chicken breasts in just enough water to cover them. Bring the water to a simmer, cover, and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 71 degrees Celsius.
Blend the ingredients: Remove the chicken from the pan to cool, keeping the liquid for later use. Roughly chop the chicken and place it in a high-powered blender or food processor along with the pure pumpkin puree. Add 120 ml (1/2 cup) of water or the reserved cooking liquid and blend, adding more water as needed until the mixture becomes smooth.
Fill your molds: Transfer your blended puree to a freezer-safe, single-serving container, leaving about a centimetre of space between the puree and the top to allow for expansion in the freezer. You can serve immediately or freeze for up to four months. Optionally, sprinkle some catnip on top of the treat.
Notes
For a single cat, we recommend filling the molds only halfway.
You’re welcome to switch out the protein and include other ingredients that are both tasty and beneficial for your cat—options like raw goat’s milk, fish oil, and nutritional yeast work splendidly. Or, you can sprinkle a bit of catnip on top and you’ve got yourself a fantastic feline delight!
Halloween Makeup & Costume Tips
Now for the truly spook-tacular part: Pets in costumes!
But first…
Give pets the final say on whether they dress up
Yes, they look extremely cute as the puppet from Saw. No, they might not like wearing costumes at all.
Costumes can restrict vision, movement, or even breathing. They can also prevent heat from leaving the skin, which is vital for dogs in controlling their body temperature. Luckily, your pet will show you whether they’re comfortable in scary clothes pretty quickly.
A dog uncomfortable in a costume might:
- Back away
- Growl
- Freeze in place after putting on the costume
- Try to take the costume off
Make sure you measure up a Halloween cat or dog costume to get the right fit. Give them a run around in the costume before the big day so you can spot any issues walking around or seeing.
Therapy dog evaluator and author of “Tips from a Therapy Dog Evaluator,” Sally Grottini advises that “most dogs do not like headbands.” She also recommends securing your pet with a collar or harness in case they get spooked and try to run.
Once you’ve worked out if your pet is comfortable getting fancy, it’s time for the most difficult task of all: picking a costume!
If you’re planning to dye your pet’s fur, it may be worth consulting their vet first. It’s not always the most comfortable option, especially for those with sensitive skin. However, pet-safe dyes are available. These might include:
- food dye mixed with water
- dog chalk
- specialist pet-friendly coloring products.
Anything with luminescent or glowing features might also be a bonus to help keep track of your pet at night. Plus, when considering dyes and make-up for your dog, it might be best to consult a groomer about the red Sideshow Bob ‘fro for your Labradoodle if you’re not used to doing it yourself.
Cat Halloween costumes
As a creature with close links to Halloween, costume-comfortable cats suit the more traditional fare. Cats as vampires or Beetlejuice can’t really ever miss. And as humans love painting their faces as cats, how about you and your cat dress as each other?
Dog Halloween costumes
Why not go for a couple of costumes that match? Dress up as Stranger Things’ Eleven and dress your dog as her favourite thing (an Eggo waffle) or a Demogorgon monster (which is as simple as a headband). Or have your dog embody their worst nightmare – the UPS guy.