Purchasing a dog and a cat during the holidays

Holidays such as Christmas and New Year see lots of animals on TV and on billboards. Little kittens and puppies tied with pink ribbons look like presents – an image that is hard to resist for a young child or an adult. Unfortunately, this message from the media is not entirely true – often young animals do not tolerate the “holiday fever” . For some of them, the festivities are extremely stressful, with the fear of unexpected firework lights and bangs, loud party music, frequent visits from guests and so on. A cat or a dog is not a festive gift; these animals require strong, long-term human determination and preparation.

Prepare your family and children

It is very important for parents to know which breed is the most suitable for their family and home. Ideally, the family’s leisure or work activities should coincide with the pet’s favourite activities. For example, hunting dogs like to hunt, sporting dogs like to run – sporting, hunting owners are suitable; French Bulldogs and Persian cats like to be at home, so owners who like to spend time at home or who work at home are suitable for them.

Choosing a breed that has a certain appearance trait will help you choose not only beauty, but also character, temperament and hobbies. The beauty of the animal does not tell you anything about its willingness to socialise, its physical and mental needs, which you need to know before you buy a dog.

We have heard many a story where a small kitten or puppy is presented to a family as a festive surprise. However, this often leads to problems: the animals can be frightened by the excessive joy of children, the desire to hold hands, to cuddle, the sudden changes in space and other overloads of attention. Even if the children are older and behave responsibly, the sniffing of presents being unwrapped on Christmas morning can be frightening, and avoiding human contact can cause an animal to growl, bite or urinate to show fear of its surroundings.

You will need to talk to your children many times before getting a dog. It is only worth talking about getting a pet if you are sure that the child will not find the animal a whim, but will want to be involved with it. All the future changes in the life of the family and the child responsible for the animal should be discussed: the care of the animal, its daily occupation, feeding, training.

Prepare the home

When the house is full of festive toys, decorations, confetti, the smell of food and when the household is busy with all sorts of activities, it can be scary for a young puppy or kitten. If you happen to have an animal in your home during the holidays, try to give it only positive experiences. Remove cables and wires from the ground, pull curtains that may fall and any other dangerous or frightening objects to protect the animal from unpleasant experiences. Be prepared with the essentials: food, a cage, a lead, a collar and any other items the animal needs. It is also important to provide the animal with resting and feeding areas, and a place where it can retreat to be alone if it is not comfortable.

Alternatives for animals

If you are unsure whether the family will be able to look after the new pet properly, break the purchase process down into several steps. First, give an animal-related accessory as a promise about the future pet. This will bring your children even closer to the fact of the animal’s arrival, but it will also be more binding. If you still feel a strong desire, visit local shelters, buy food for the animals there and donate money for their care. Teach your children how to care for animals by visiting shelters regularly, thus giving attention to the animals that have been abandoned and passing on the good experience to your children. After such experiences, there is usually no doubt that the child is ready to become the youngest owner.