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Safe home and enrichment30 minLevel: BeginnerUpdated on August 20, 2026

Keeping the home safe for pets during the holidays

Decorations, sweets, ornamental plants and open doors: how to get through the festive days without a dash to the vet, using simple, repeatable checks.

Audience
Pet owners
Species
Dog, Cat, All species
Scope
Valid everywhere, Italy, European Union

What you need before you start

  • Sapere quali stanze frequenta di più l'animale quando la casa è piena di ospiti
  • Il numero della tua clinica veterinaria e di un servizio di emergenza notturno
  • Un posto tranquillo dove l'animale possa ritirarsi lontano dal caos

The holidays are the time of year when veterinary emergency rooms are busiest, and not by chance: a few days concentrate risks that are rare the rest of the year. There are new foods left within nose reach, glittering decorations that look like toys, toxic ornamental plants, and a house full of guests who open doors and drop scraps without a thought. You do not need to give up the celebration: you need to prepare the home the way you prepare the table, with a few things thought through in advance. This guide walks through the four fronts that matter (decorations, food, plants and people) and ends with a simple plan for the busiest moments, when supervision drops just as the risk rises. It applies to dogs and cats, with a few notes for smaller, curious animals.

Decorations that look like toys

To an animal, a dangling ornament is identical to a toy: it gets bitten, pulled, swallowed. The problem is not only the object itself but what it hides, such as a metal hook or a button battery. Before you think about food, look at the house at nose and paw height: almost every decorative risk is down there.

  • Fairy light wires and decoration cables kept out of reach: chewing them risks shocks and burns.
  • Fragile baubles and ornaments hung high, where a swipe cannot knock them down and shatter them.
  • Thin threads, ribbons and bows kept shut away: if swallowed they can twist inside the gut.
  • Candles never left burning unsupervised, especially if reachable with a jump.
  • Button batteries in lights and remotes out of reach: if swallowed they are a serious emergency.

The foods to keep away from the nose

The festive table is full of foods that are normal for us and toxic or dangerous for the animal. The risk rises because food sits within reach for longer and because guests tend to offer scraps without knowing what is harmful. Knowing the list helps, but the real defence is never leaving food unattended.

Typical festive foods to keep out of reach. If any is eaten, even on suspicion, contact the vet straight away with what and how much.
FoodWhy it is a riskNote
ChocolateToxic to dogs and catsThe darker it is, the more dangerous
Raisins and grapesCan damage the kidneysPresent in festive cakes and puddings
Cooked bonesSplinter and perforateNever from roast or cooking leftovers
Xylitol sweetenerDangerous drops in blood sugarHidden in sweets and sugar free products
Very fatty foodsRisk of serious digestive illnessSkin, sauces and fried food stay out of the bowl

Ornamental plants and centrepieces

Many plants that appear at home only during the holidays are toxic if nibbled, and their very novelty makes them interesting to a curious animal. You do not need to know their scientific names: the cautious rule is to keep every ornamental plant out of reach and to treat anything you do not know for certain as toxic.

  • Poinsettia, mistletoe, holly and amaryllis are among the most common festive plants and all are irritant or toxic if eaten.
  • The water in saucers and centrepieces can hold residues and preservatives: keep it covered or inaccessible.
  • Bulbs and cut flowers left on the table are within a cat's jump: move them high up or into a closed room.
  • If you do not recognise a plant received as a gift, treat it as potentially toxic until you have confirmation.

Guests, open doors and a quiet refuge

The most underrated holiday risk is not an object: it is people. A house full of guests means doors opening, bags left on the floor with medicines or chocolate inside, and children offering scraps for fun. At the same time the chaos stresses the animal, which is more unpredictable when agitated. The defence is to give guests rules and the animal a refuge.

  1. Set up a quiet room

    Prepare in advance a space away from the noise with water, a bed and something familiar. It is the place the animal can retreat to when the party gets too much.

  2. Give guests one single rule

    Ask everyone not to feed from the table and not to leave outside doors open. One simple, repeated rule works better than ten recommendations.

  3. Secure bags and coats

    Gather guests' bags into a closed room: they often hold medicines, sugar free gum or chocolates, all within nose reach if left on the floor.

  4. Check the microchip and tag

    With so many doors opening, an escape is possible. Before the holidays, confirm the registry details and the tag are up to date, so a lost animal comes home fast.

  5. Agree who keeps an eye on the animal

    During the busiest moments assign one person to supervise. Shared responsibility, in practice, is nobody's responsibility.

Frequently asked questions

My dog stole a piece of festive cake: should I worry?
It depends on what it contained and how much it ate. The problem with many festive cakes is the raisins, which can damage the kidneys even in small amounts, and in some cases chocolate. Do not wait for symptoms to appear: call the vet straight away and tell them the animal's weight, what it ate and how much, if you know. Often nothing happens, but that is a judgement for the vet to make, not a risk to take at home alone.
How do I keep the cat away from the tree?
The cat is drawn to the tree because it combines height, movement and dangling objects. Reduce the appeal by removing the lowest ornaments, fixing the base firmly so it cannot topple, and avoiding hanging threads and ribbons that invite play. Offering alternatives, such as a high spot of its own to climb, helps redirect the instinct. If it still insists despite everything, consider limiting access to the room when you cannot supervise.
Guests want to give the animal something: how do I handle it?
Anticipate the request rather than simply banning it. Prepare a small stash of suitable treats and put it by the door or in the kitchen: anyone who wants to spoil the animal uses those, not table scraps. That way you please the guests, avoid dangerous foods and keep the amounts in check. It is far more effective than a ban, which someone invariably forgets over the course of the evening.

What to do next

Look at the house at nose height and remove threads, ribbons, button batteries and low ornaments. Keep chocolate, raisins, cooked bones and the post meal rubbish out of reach, and treat any unfamiliar ornamental plant as toxic. Give guests a single rule, set up a quiet room as a refuge, and prepare the clinic and out of hours numbers before you need them.

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Keeping the home safe for pets during the holidays · Animiyo