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Keep pets safe this Halloween

By SARAH LAMONT - The Southland Times | 5:00AM - Saturday, 30 October 2010

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SCARY TIME: Invercargill SPCA shelter manager Mary Bradley, with
two kittens at the shelter, prepares for Halloween and Guy Fawkes,
when animals often go missing from their homes.
 — ROBYN EDIE/The Southland Times.

AS PEOPLE GET READY for the festive season, our furry friends are dreading it.

With Halloween tomorrow and Guy Fawkes Day next week, family pets may be found hiding under beds or nowhere to be seen, according to animal experts.

Invercargill SPCA shelter manager Mary Bradley said she often received calls from people looking for dogs and cats that went missing because of Guy Fawkes Day and Halloween.

She had not had any calls relating to cruelty in relation to these two holidays but knew it happened, she said.

It was not just cats and dogs but also animals such as horses that were terrified as well, she said.

Doggy Daycare manager Jo Hamilton said a lot of boarding kennels filled up at this time of year because owners felt their pets were safer away from the fireworks.

New Zealand Veterinary Association Companion Animal Society branch president and veterinarian Pieter Verhoek said that not only were some people to be cruel to defenceless animals on Guy Fawkes Day but the noise of the fireworks could be distressing for some pets.

It was recommended that pets be kept inside.

Trick-or-treating should also be kept strictly for humans because treats like chocolate or lollies were not good for your pets, he said.

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DRESSING UP: Keep your little devils happy this halloween.

The celebrations come just before the RSPCA "Paws" annual appeal week which begins next Saturday.

RSPCA Southland branch treasurer Andrea Morrow said the organisation had one week a year to fundraise and this was it. "We rely on donations because we get no Government funding."

The money raised would go towards general running expenses, which were up to $20,000 a month, she said.

Last year, fundraising during the appeal week raised about $15,000 but it was expected about $10,000 would be raised this year because the support from the national office had been "absolutely useless" , she said.

The national office was no longer providing appeal envelopes, which would have an impact, she said.

"We have to do everything ourselves."

The annual appeal week runs from November 06 to 12, when SPCA members and the public would be collecting donations.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/4289203/Keep-pets-safe-this-Halloween/ (http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/4289203/Keep-pets-safe-this-Halloween/)

The cats in this household will be on curfew from well before dark through the silly Halloween/Guy Fawkes week - as they usually are - so won't be affected by it. At the very most, the youngest feline will sit on the window ledge and watch the fireworks.