It's getting to that time of year again, the clocks have gone back, there's no escaping Winter now and in a couple of days it will be Halloween, or Oíche Shamhna as it is in Irish. Halloweens roots stretch back long and far in Irish culture, Samhain (which is where Oíche Shamhna comes from) was a festival celebrated by the Celts before the Christianity took hold. It was a festival to mark the end of Summer, the saving of the harvest. It was believed to be a time also when the dead revisited the world of the living and large bonfires were lit to ward off evil spirits.
It is still a very big celebration here today, as it is in many places around the world. Children dressing up and going out trick-or-treating, bonfires and fireworks have all become common place (if not always legal!).
It has also become a time to worry about our pets, especially cats and dogs. Every year I hear horrific stories about cats that have been thrown in to bonfires, dogs with fireworks tied to their tails and other things too horrible to even imagine. I remember seeing an Irish animal rescue programme on TV early this year, where rescue workers were called out to deal with a little terrier who had chased after a firework and grabbed it in his mouth to bring it back. When the firework went off it totally destroyed the poor dogs lower jaw. All that could be done was put the suffering creature to sleep for good.
Stories like these distress me no end, but I think it is very important that pet owners be aware of how cruel and horrible things can happen, especially at this time of year. I think it is advisable to keep animals in around Halloween, particularly on the night itself. For more safety tips check out this site http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?&acatid=207&aid=1152.
An other thing to take in to consideration is the loud noise from bangers and fireworks, fortunately I live in an area where not many fireworks etc are set off and if they are it's at a distance so Oliver and Poppy are not that put out by them! As they are indoor cats anyway they are safe.
Of course Halloween is a time to have fun too and I'm sure poppy will have lots of fun tearing down any decorations I put up! Neither of my two are that receptive to wearing any type of costumes, plus I don't think I could put them through the indignation even if they were! If anyone would like to share pics of their cats in costume, please feel free though :)
Hope you all have a Happy (and safe) Halloween!
1 comment:
Cats in costume? I'm afraid my collection of moggies already have their outfits and they will look extremely like the ones they were born with.
On a serious note, from tomorrow evening, no cat will be allowed out of the house and will have double rations to tide her over until the morning after Halloween. We shall also have a bucket or two of water on standby in case of stray (or not so stray) fireworks that might land in the direction of the younger two cats' shed, while the elder cat shall have a fine view of the bonfire from the comfort of the front bedroom window.
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