Halfway Home Pet Rescue of Caribou will plan to close for adoptions from Saturday, Dec. 21 at 3 pm, 2013 until January 2, 2014. We don’t have any problem adopting near the holiday or shortly after the holiday but the rescue’s concern is for the safety and well being of the new kitten or cat.

People need to realize that all that family excitement with extra visitors in a new home is very confusing for the pet. Christmas decorations, ribbons, and candy can cause desperate health issues. Many veterinarians see more pets over the holiday season with blockage and digestive problems than at any other time of the year. The ribbon might look beautiful on the present, and funny to watch the cat play with, but the ribbon if swallowed can cause a serious blockage and the dye in the ribbon can make for a very sick cat or dog before the holiday is over.

I believe that a new mob of strange people pawing over the new pet can be so stressful that the over abundance of loving attention can cause illness, or nervous bites or scratches that would not have happened if the cat had had just a few days to calmly explore his/her new environment and become acquainted with his new owners.

HHPR encourages people to consider a new pet at Christmas, but to adopt it several days before the holiday so it can become used to its new surroundings and people. Keep decorations high and consider forgetting about tinsel and ribbons for this year for the new pet’s safety and always keep candy (especially chocolate) in covered dishes. Do not feed the new pet from the table. Keep it strictly on its regular food so his tummy and bowels do not get upset. If you have company on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, plan to put the new pet is a quiet bedroom with food, water and litter box. The new family can visit occasionally to give some loving reassurance, but keep the party at the other part of the house. If you cannot follow these precautions, it would be better to wait for the holiday season to be over and the company returned to their own homes before you bring home the new pet.

If a person chooses to adopt a kitten or a cat at HHPR, the rescue will be pleased keep the cat for you until after the holidays at no charge. Special appointments to view our cats can be made this week until Saturday by calling Mary at 999-1075.