Pet Information > Birds > Bird Article > Your Pets And Christmas

Your Pets And Christmas

28 12:16:03
This is a season which seems to be full of holidays. From Halloween to Thanksgiving to Christmas, it seems as though we just move from one celebration to another. One of the most wonderful aspects of the season is that it's a time for celebrating the love and the closeness and the fellowship of our families.

Our time is full during the holidays, with all the celebrations, all the shopping, the pageants, the religious services, and the holiday parties. Most of us stay very busy, our habits altered completely, and we understand that these changes in our lifestyle are short-lived. At least, most of us understand this

Our pets, those family members we sometimes forget to think about, probably don't understand all the changes in the family routine at this time of year. They find comfort in our habits.

Our dogs know when to expect their food, each day. And they'll wait by the door, excited, when they know that it's time to go out with us for exercise.

Our cats rely on their food bowls being filled at the same time every morning. They may wait by their family's beds, each sunrise, watching closely as their breakfast time approaches. They may meow or jump on us, but they'll definitely let us know, if we oversleep and miss filling the bowl.

Pet birds are particularly sensitive to routine. A change or alteration in a family's habits, even temporary, can cause birds a tremendous amount of stress.

If we change our habits, suddenly, as often happens during the holidays, all of our pets may react in strange and unusual ways. Dogs, even adult dogs, may begin to chew on toys or shoes for the first time in years. Cats who are confused may hide in unusual places, or call out, loudly, as though they are in pain. Birds may eat less or not at all.

We all have plans over the holidays, and our routines can change. We need not give up a holiday celebration simply because our activity may cause pet stress, but we do need to be aware that our pets really don't understand the difference in our behavior at this time of year. The best thing we can do for our pets is to shower a little extra love on them, when we have the chance, to let them know that they are still important members of our families.

There's nothing we can do to make our pets grasp what's happening, fully, but if we take a few minutes, each day, to acknowledge their importance in our lives, the stress we put them through during the holidays will be softened a great deal.