Wart: Hey Fisher, who’s She talking to?
Fisher: Friends who are coming for Christmas dinner.
Wart: Those people with their CAT aren’t coming are they?
Fisher: Probably.
Wart: Is that CAT coming?
Fisher: Probably. But if so, you need to behave.
Guests at any time of the year can cause the stress factor to rise in the resident cats and dogs. Holiday times add to the stress because your humans are likely a little stressed-out, too. The energy is high, often chaotic, and usually erratic. So what do we do?
Humans do not especially know beforehand the kind of behavior their pet may display. The range can go from peeing on the coats arranged on the bed to over-exuberance from the minute the guests arrive.
You can choose to just run away and hide or fight back if anyone is so bold as to offer you their hand. Some will just freeze up and pretend they are invisible. They believe if they are very still and avoid eye contact, they can indeed seem invisible to the intruders. Or, best case scenario, just decide to act friendly and cope with the situation.
Your people should plan ahead. It is best to put a sign on the front door that everyone can read before ringing the bell. Large bold letters will show they mean it. Stop the problem before it begins!
Here is an example from the Bill Foundation in Santa Monica, CA, non-profit foundation dedicated to rescuing dogs from the Los Angeles shelter system and placing them in permanent loving homes. And they know what they are talking about:
To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About MY Pets
- They live here. You don’t.
- If you don’t want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That’s why they call it “fur”niture.)
- I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
- To you, it’s an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted angel who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn’t speak clearly.
Please help us all out by adding to this list and sending via comments. We pets need to declare our home Stress Free for the holidays.
