Written by Jonathan Estrada
The holidays are a time for people to give gifts, spend time with their families and enjoy the warmth of one another. We celebrate moments of love, take a break from our day jobs and reminisce on the past year as we welcome another one.
By default, this month of giving and receiving also extends towards our furry companions at home; the loyal, loving companions who look up to us and become our biggest supporters through their own simple ways. They enjoy our company more, and spend more time cuddling up to us and playing with us, because the holidays have given them an opportunity to get more attention from their humans.
But what about the stray cats and dogs? How and where do they spend Christmas?
To say they go nowhere and spend it doing nothing wouldn’t exactly be correct.
A Place to Spend the Night
During the yuletide season, strays don’t exactly feel a change in their routine: they still scavenge, find shelter, and sometimes find themselves fighting for both. The only difference to them is that the air is cooler, and there are brighter lights and louder sounds.
In response to these changes, strays often feel overwhelmed and tend to hide more in:
- Abandoned buildings
- Under parked vehicles
- Among bushes
- Under bridges
Apart from finding some leftover warmth from the day, these places provide a place for them to hide from…
Holiday Hazards
It’s no secret that we humans tend to get a little carried away during the holidays; a season of joy usually means we go overboard and end up spending a lot, lighting things up and making lots of loud noises.
These are things we enjoy, but quickly become terrifying and harmful for animals:
- Fireworks – These beautiful explosives that we often use to light up the sky not only create loud noises, they also carry chemicals that when inhaled by animals bear lasting respiratory damage. Apart from this, they also leave pieces that may still spontaneously explode, causing severe harm to animals.
- Loud Noises – If these bother us a lot, imagine what it’s like for an animal with very sensitive ears. Cats and dogs can hear twice as loud as we can. Loud noises from all sorts of sources not only startle them, but cause stress and anxiety for them.
- Unsafe Food in the Trash – Whenever we feast on delicious holiday meals, we tend to throw out some bits and pieces of food that couldn’t be stored anymore. When a hungry stray comes across these, they tend to consume these foods that may fill their stomachs temporarily but cause permanent health issues.
While these hazards may come across as small to us, to them it’s a big deal. Each hazard on this list greatly affects the quality of their already difficult lives.
What Can You Do?
The holidays are for everyone to enjoy, and the warmth and love of this season should also extend to our furry friends. If that’s something you can get by, here are a few ways you could include them in the season of giving:
- Provide temporary shelter
- Even just a small space where you allow them to stay can help.
- Leave out appropriate food & some water
- This goes a long way for them daily and gives them a fighting chance.
- Call Rescue Organizations
- All year round, animal welfare organizations (like us at CARA) dedicate time and effort to ensure the welfare of animals.
- Foster
- When rescue efforts are a little overloaded ( and they usually do during the holidays), consider fostering a stray on your own!
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