Help Your Pet Manage Holiday Guests & Events
Prepare Your Pet for Holiday Guests

The holiday season is packed with friend and family gatherings full of food and entertainment. While these seasonal gatherings can be fun and exciting for us, they can be very stressful and scary for our pets. Our animals love their routines; it helps them feel safe and secure. Holiday visitors and parties are a wild step away from their normal daily lives, leaving them to feel anxious and nervous. With careful consideration and planning, you and your pet can enjoy the holidays in your home with your friends and family.
Plan Ahead for Your Holiday Guests
Most of us plan ahead for visiting guests and upcoming events we are hosting. We think about the dates, times, travel, food, entertainment, sleeping arrangements, and so on. But, do we consider our pets? Do we think about the reaction and comfort of our cats and dogs when filling out our holiday calendars? Here are a few things to think about in advance when having guests over this holiday season.
- Can guests bring their pets?
- Do your intended guests have pets of their own that typically travel with them? Some of your guests may have a cat or dog that travels with them wherever they go. It may be a service animal or simply an animal that they like to bring along. You will want to consider how important it is to your guest to have their animal with them and how well your cat or dog does with other animals. If your guest has a service animal that needs to accompany them, you can crate or separate yours to provide a safe space.
- Are any guests allergic to cats or dogs?
- If any of your guests have allergies to cats and dogs, you will want to separate your pet to a different room of the house while your guests are visiting. Vacuum and dust when you can to help eliminate pet fur and dander. It's also a good idea to change out your air filters before their visit.
- Are any of your guests scared of cats and dogs?
- Do any of your guests have a fear of cats and dogs? Everyone wants their guests to have a good time. They will have a better time if they are not worried about your cat or dog being around them.
- Let your pet interaction preferences be known in advance.
- Your invited guests should be aware of your pets and any specific guidelines you have before they come to your home. Some of the main considerations for rules you should make are in regards to petting and feeding. Are your guests allowed to feed your cat or dog from the table? ( This is not recommended at any time for our pets, as it can make them very sick.) Is your cat or dog ok with strangers petting them? Whatever your guidelines for these are, make sure your holiday visitors are aware in advance. A reminder upon their arrival doesn't hurt either.
During Their Visit
While your guests are at your home, try to keep to your pets routine as much as possible. This is easy to accomplish for a single night gathering, but much harder for a multiple day visit.
- Be thoughtful when planning outings with your guests.
- When planning out of the home activities with your guests, try to select times around your dog's normal feeding and walking times. Plan on coming back home through the day to let them out again around the normal time. Try not to leave them all day or for too long in between to prevent potty accidents.
- Consider crating or separating your pet.
- Provide a safe space for your animal when you have people visiting. If you sense your dog feeling overwhelmed or fearful, allow them to be in that safe space. Do not force interactions between your pet and your loved ones. (Young children may want more physical interaction with your cat or dog than they want.)
- Will you allow visitors to pet your cat or dog?
- Are they friendly and calm with new people? What type of interactions are ok for your cat or dog? If your animal does not like being pet or picked up, let your guests know and enforce that during their visit. It may be that your dog likes to have their ears scratched but gets nervous if their paws are touched.
- Manage loud noises the best you can for your pet.
- There are bound to be a variety of loud noises and new noises with guests in the home. One of the most common noises during a seasonal event are fireworks. Fireworks are loud (even when they are done several blocks away) and startling. Other anticipated loud noises during a guest visit include music and chatter/laughter. We get loud when we are having fun and can sometimes be louder than the music itself! It is normal for cats and dogs to dislike loud noises and to be fearful of them. Remember, the noise is much louder to their ears than ours. Here’s a few things you can do in advance to help your pet manage with loud noises:
- Try a thundershirt that applies a gentle, constant pressure to your dog or cat's torso
- Partially cover crate with blankets to create a sound barrier
- Calming supplements can be effective and work well in unison with a thundershirt or sound barrier
After Their Visit
After your guests have left, try to return your home to its original state as quickly as you can. This includes moving any furniture back to its original spot and moving your cat or dog’s beds and bowl to their normal spaces. There may be different odors in the air your cat and dog are not used to, you can open your windows up for a few hours to air out the house. Most importantly get back to you and your pets routine! This will help them understand the guests have left and everything is back to normal.
Positive reinforcement is a great way to let your pet know they are doing a great job. If your cat or dog is calm and quiet in their crate while guests are over, praise them and reward them with a treat. If your dog welcomes your guests in a calm manner, without jumping or barking, praise them and reward them with a treat. Our pets are working hard to ensure we have a good time too. They deserve something special for their efforts. Green Coast Pet has a
variety of single ingredient pet treats perfect for rewarding your cats and dogs.



