Did you know that the holiday season can be one of the most stressful time in your companion animal’s life? While we are busy preparing for, stressing over, and celebrating the season, our pet may take on unnecessary stress or become physically ill. But there are some simple things that you can do to have a Happy Healthy Holiday Pet!

Whenever someone talks to me about a physical or behavioral issue their pet is having, I share with them how our companion animals take on our stress (and even medical issues). They are energetically sensitive. I saw this first hand years ago when I would come home from work, fully stressed out, and my cat Sammy would promptly vomit on the floor. BLAH! He was taking in and expelling my stress. Once I realized this and shook off my stress before coming home, he stopped the welcome-home-vomitting! What I do is an energy sweeping technique where you brush your hands a few inches above your body and sweep the energy off. It really does work! And be cautious to keep your stress underhand so that your pet does not take it on.

It’s important to keep a consistent schedule with your pet (playtime, cuddle time, going for a walk, etc.). Our schedules can become over burdened during the holidays and that is when our beloved pet may receive less attention from us. As I write this, my cat Lucy is watching me also create a shopping list for two holiday parties I am hosting at my house. I know that she’s shaking her head and wondering how I will get it all done! When we change our schedule with our pets, they do not understand why and may begin to have behavioral issues. So it is important to be consistent with them. Spending time with your pet will also help to reduce your stress. At least that’s what Lucy tells me.

If you have a new kitten or puppy, I would highly recommend slowly rolling out your holiday decorations. My cat Rudy (who is one year old) is celebrating his first Christmas in the Phillips home. Rudy has a kitten tendency to eat everything in site (including plastic bags, paper towels, etc.). To make sure that my artificial Christmas tree would be safe, I rolled it out in phases. First I put up the tree with nothing on it. Rudy chewed on it a few times and I stopped him. The next day I added lights and watched Rudy to make sure that he would not chew the wires. Then I added soft ornaments (lest he decide to smack one flying across the room). As you can see in the photo, he has perched himself in the tree (more than once). It can be overwhelming for our small furry friends to suddenly pull out all of our holiday decorations at once. To them, it may be like an amusement park of new play things. Enjoy, but be cautious.

Be careful about bringing in decorations that are poisonous to pets. Check this webpage from the ASPCA on plants and foods that are dangerous. The last thing that you want is for your pet to become sick and for your busy schedule to fit in an emergency room visit. Make sure that your home is holiday safe for your pets.

I’ve created a helpful tip sheet listing 10 things that you can do to keep your pet happy and healthy this holiday season (and throughout the year). So click here, fill out your name and email (I will never ever share it) and you will be taken to a page where you can download it (and loads of other great stuff). When you can follow these ten tips, your pet will be healthy and happy through the holidays, and that will help you to relax.

All my best,

Allie is a unique combination of self-empowerment coach (Certified Law of Attraction Counselor and Life Coach), energy therapist (Usui Reiki Master-Teacher, Integrated Energy Therapy Master-Instructor, and Advanced Crystal Master), award-winning book author, attorney and nationally-recognized animal advocate. Whether it’s wanting more freedom, creativity, loving relationships, financial security, wellbeing, relaxation, or adjusting to the energy of our new world … she looks at each person and animal holistically and creates a well-being plan. She holistically combines these methods to help people gain control of their lives and to help animals live with comfort in our hectic world. It worked for her and will work for you!  She particularly loves helping our animal companions because for those of us who have them grace our worlds, they are our soul mates.

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