Halloween is just around the corner, and keeping your pets safe, happy and healthy should be on your list of to-do items. Here are some things you can do to make Halloween a fun experience for the entire family:

Pet costumes are very popular this year. Don?t dress up your dog or cat unless you know he or she loves it. If you decide to do so, make sure the costume isn?t annoying or unsafe, and doesn?t restrict her movement, vision, hearing or ability to breathe or bark. Avoid costumes with small or dangling accessories that she could chew off and possibly choke on. Make sure an adult supervises pets in costume at all times.

It is wise to keep your pets in a separate area of the house. All but the most social dogs and cats should be kept in a separate room during peak trick-or-treat visiting hours. Too many strangers in unusual garb can be scary and stressful for pets.
Many animals become agitated at all of the "goblins" roaming the streets. Make sure all your pets are wearing current identification and take care when opening the door for trick-or-treaters that your dog or cat doesn?t dart outside.

It is IMPORTANT to keep all Halloween candy out of your pet?s reach. Chocolate can be poisonous to animals, and tinfoil and cellophane candy wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed.

Jack-o-lanterns and other decorations are fun, but can be dangerous. Be sure to keep lit pumpkins away from your pets. Better yet, use a battery powered light instead of a candle as pets can knock them over, and curious kittens especially run the risk of being burned by fire.

Don?t leave your pet in the yard on Halloween. Besides the scarey noise and activity that can upset your pets, sometimes animals become targets of "tricks", especially black cats. Keep your pets inside and keep them safe.

Black cats are considered very unlucky in the European and European-American traditions. Among Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavian people, it is said that if one sets out on a trip and a black cat crosses the road ahead, The only safe course of action is to turn back and return home. Tales of shape-shifting black cats and black cats who are in communication with the Devil are also a feature of European folk-belief. Concommitant with these negative feelings about black cats is the notion that they are particularly favoured as witches'-- hence they are always used on Halloween decorations throughout the world.

*DOG TIP*

All puppies go through a phase in which they sink their teeth into everything. While puppies play bite amongst themselves, it is important that they are discouraged from nibbling or chewing on human skin. What seems like a cute and affectionate behavior can escalate out of control later in life. Make sure you redirect the behavior by providing appropriate chew toys.

*CAT TIP*

If you are considering placing a heating pad in your cat's bed for warmth, be sure to exercise caution. Cover it with a towel and check it periodically to make sure it does not get too hot. An alternative is a warm water-heating pad  
through which warm water is circulated at a constant temperature.

*BONUS TIP*

Save money on litter for small fuzzy pets (guinea pig, hamster, etc.) bedding by shredding my old bills etc. and then mixing several handfuls of the shredded paper in with the expensive litter. This basically doubles the life of the litter and recycles the old paper.