Now that temps have dropped and some leaves are starting to change we can relax and know that summer has bid us adieu.  Having a respite from the heat is nice, but we should keep in mind our furry friends.  Though they have coats on all the time, they still need consideration in colder weather.

Pets who like to nap on cool surfaces in the summer may not enjoy it so much now.  Make sure there is bedding available for your buddy to snuggle on when he’s tired.  Make sure that if he gets wet, he is dried quickly.  He will still need plenty of water to drink.  Just because it’s not hot, it doesn’t mean he’s not thirsty!

Antifreeze is a big danger this time of year.  Dogs and cats both think it’s a tasty treat, but it is extremely toxic.  Keep an eye on your pet when outdoors, and make sure she doesn’t drink anything from the ground that looks suspicious.  Antifreeze is a bright green color and pools where cars have parked and leaked it from their engines.  Symptoms of ethylene glycol poisoning include nausea or vomiting, increased thirst, tremors or twitching, and wobbly or uncoordinated movement.  Portable heaters are also a hazard – never leave a pet unsupervised in a room with a space heater, and keep an eye on them around fireplaces too.

When the holidays come around, there is a whole new list of things to worry about!  Alcohol and chocolate are abundant, but make sure they’re all accounted for so that your best four-legged friend doesn’t regret overindulging.  Many plants are poisonous.  Poinsettias are rumored to be toxic, but aren’t as bad as they’ve been made out.  They won’t kill your plant-chewing cat, but they can cause an upset stomach.  The best rule is to keep all vegetation out of reach, so that even if they’re not poisonous you’re not cleaning up half-digested plant bits from all corners of the house.  Even when not fatal many greens cause vomiting and diarrhea, and that’s never fun for any of us.  For cats who like grass, there is cat grass and catnip which are both fine for them to nibble in moderation.  These can both be found in pet stores.

Decorations can be hazardous too.  Electric cords, candles, and glass trinkets or ornaments all bring out the mischievous side of our pets.  Tinsel can be especially bad for cats who like strings.  If eaten, it can become tangled in the stomach or intestine and require surgery to be safely removed.  Tree-climbing cats should be kept away from Christmas trees, or there could be a very large mess to clean up!

Fall and winter are great seasons.  Just keep a few things in mind, and your and your pets can enjoy them with fewer troubles.

Having a baby changes the dynamics of any household, whether it’s the first baby or the tenth.  When a family has a pet, that pet may have to learn to play second fiddle to this new, bald, loud, smelly pet.

An unfortunate fact is that pets tend to be neglected once there’s a human addition at home.  Newborns demand so much time from, and permit so little sleep for, their parents that it’s no small wonder.  Even if you and your pets run on a strict schedule, with feedings, walks, and sometimes medications, you’ll come to find that a newborn cannot be adapted to your schedule.  You just have to adapt to theirs.  But after a few months it really does get better, and pets can have attention lavished on them again.  They won’t hold it against you.

A recent study by Flexcin International has shown that families with new babies are the ones whose pets are becoming obese.  While pets will certainly remind you if you’ve forgotten to feed them, they may not demand as much play time, or you may not have the time or energy to give in to such demands.  After my first baby, I would frequently forget to eat lunch, much less worry about my cats’ level of exercise.  This goes hand in hand with the treats that rain down from high chairs while baby learns to feed herself.  It’s just so much easier to let the four-legged vacuum take care of that mess.

Behavior problems are another concern.  Many new parents are worried that Fido or Fluffy are going to react badly to a baby.  Some even resort to getting rid of their pets.  Shelters are already overrun, and it’s so sad to see an old family member kicked out to make room for a new one.  There is a program called Dogs and Storks that is geared specifically towards expecting families who have dogs, and helps prepare the household for a new life with baby and dog.  While safety should be a top concern, it doesn’t mean that there can’t be room at home for both.

I believe that children who grow up with pets are better for it.  If taught correctly they will learn to respect and love animals.  My 3-year-old knows that if she’s not gentle with our cats she’ll get a warning, and if she doesn’t let up they will give her a nip.  Since I taught them to be gentle with her when she was born, they’ve never hurt her.  But it also teaches her that she needs to respect all creatures and their personal space.

A new study published in the journal Clinical & Experimental Allergy suggests that being exposed to dogs and cats as an infant does not increase your chances of developing allergies to these pets.  In fact, its results show that a child is about 50% less likely to develop an allergy if they live in the same house with a cat or dog before the age of one.  Yet another reason to keep your pet around when baby arrives!

What has been your experience with pets and babies?  Have you had aggression problems (from either the pet or the child) that couldn’t be solved?

Photo credit: Jacobim Mugatu