Holidays and Pets!
| The current animal communication and intelligence research shows that animals of all species recognize the changing seasons. And, animals that live with humans can relate these seasonal cues to holiday parties and rituals (like the Christmas Tree goes up after it starts snowing), just like all of us do. Enrichment is an academic term for keeping your pets interested in homelife. Especially indoor-only animals that need new experiences to keep them growing mentally, emotionally, and physically fit. Current animal emotion research shows that pets bond very deeply with their human families. You are their family. They are adopted in as your children, your brothers, your sisters, your cousins, etcetera. You are their only family. And like all members of a family, they adore the ritual of the seasons changing, and the holidays that go along with them. And, like young babies that at first do not really understand what is happening with holidays, after a few years of being immersed into the festivities, they anticipate the same things that us humans do. None of us learn holiday traditions immediately, it takes a few years of having the same thing happen to really engrain us with the things that go on. Take my kitten, Apache, as an example. The first year I had him hang out with me while I carved a pumpkin, then watch me light the jack o'lantern, he was interested in the newness of it. By the third year of doing this, he sits waiting each night the pumpkins are out to have them lit, happy as can be. Excited as can be, leaps and bounds of happy, when I bring the pumpkins home. We have a whole "pumpkin carving" routine now. Um, well yes, cats do not have hands, so you do have to adapt your rituals to meet their abilities. But, it's simple, and the pleasure of sharing the holiday with your pets will increase the joy in your house that much more! |
Easter Egg Hunt for Cats (and Dogs): With Brianna and Apache
Visit Team Kitten Chaos: Annual Birthday Bash, 2011
Get Halloween costume + trick-or-treating tips for your pets!
Visit our Family Pet ((Halloween)) Fashion Show page.
Valentines for Pets is Love!
See how to include your furry-family members xo!
coming soon: more holiday ideas for your pets
coming soon: pet safety for each holiday
Cats, a dwarf hamster, and Mom: Carving a Jack-o-lantern together!
Current research on pet emotions, intelligence, and communication:
The Alex Foundation (Dr. Irene Pepperberg)
Secret Language of Dolphins (National Geographic)
Next of Kin: My Conversations With Chimpanzees (Dr. Roger Fouts)
When Elephants Weep
and more books about the emotional lives of animals (Jeffery Masson)
Jeffery Masson's blog
Friends of Washoe
Animal Communication at Merovence
Animals Talk (Penelope Smith)
The Meanings Behind the Meow (PetCentric)
Koko.org - The Gorilla Foundation
Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home by Rupert Sheldrake
Fauna Foundation Sanctuary
PS. We all use family words now.
Adopted, not Owner. Mom and Dad.
Furbabies. Kids.
Home to Merovence
Surf Macintosh