The holidays are a time for gathering with friends and family – and, most importantly, eating your weight in pecan pie. During this time, we are obliged to throw a holiday party or two. And while some of us might be the proud parents of an extraordinarily lazy cat with a lax attitude towards house guests, others might not be in the same boat. In my house, for instance, it is a party tradition to pick up whatever cat is closest to me and parade him around the house for everyone to see, aggressively encouraging everyone to gaze upon his beauty and pay homage to my exquisite house beastie. However, if you have a more skittish kitty who freaks out at the sight of another human being who isn’t you, don’t fret! You can still throw your holiday party while making sure your precious kitty is safe and sound.
Solitude, My Dude
If you have a cat who isn’t a fan of people, that can unfortunately mean that he or she had a very negative experience with humans early on in life that left an impact on them. It could also simply mean that they didn’t receive enough exposure to human interaction when they were a kitten, or that they simply don’t care for a lot of loud noises and new people in their space. We can all appreciate that, right?
The best way to keep your little nugget happy during an event with a large gathering of folks is to create an escape route for when things get too rowdy for them. That means you should have a designated space in your home where no one else has access to – a spare bedroom, a basement, or studio where none of the guests will need to go. Keeping your holiday party in a single common area is the best way to lessen the stress for your kitty.
Alert Your Guests
If you know your cat is inevitably going to get spooked by all the rabble-rousing going on throughout the night, giving your pals a heads up is a solid way to reduce friction between your baby and your guests. Just a simple “hey, so, Chairman Meow is actually not super okay with a lot of noise, so, if we could keep this party lowkey, that’d be greeeat” is a quick and easy way to keep your party people in the loop about your house rules. If your cat maintains her presence throughout the holiday party and decides not to dart for the escape pod, keep your eye on her (and your guests) every once in a while throughout the party to make sure everything stays copasetic.
Over The Counter Pheromones
Another great way to reduce stress for your kitty is by investing in some pheromone spray. What’s pheromone spray, you ask? It’s a product that releases chemicals into the air that are meant to soothe your cat’s anxiety. It’s literally “good vibe” spray – for your cat. Cats use pheromones a lot to communicate with each other, and with us. When they’re happy, they leave “happy” kitty pheromones wherever they go by rubbing their faces on ALL the things. When they’re stressed, they can often engage in more destructive behavior such as spraying. What these products do is calm the mood for your kitty by filling up their space with the “happy” pheromones meant to ease your cat into a feeling of security. The scent is not detectable by humans or other animals, and is safe to use anywhere in the house. Pretty neat, eh?
Create A Safe Space
If you know for sure that your cat is going to have a bad time, you can pre-game your party by preemptively sequestering him in your designated No Humans Allowed room. Set up a room complete with fresh food and water, cat box, familiar toys, blankets, and beds, and spritz some of those sweet kitty pheromones all up in that joint. Keep him in a room that is as far away from the noise as possible, and of course, leave the lights on for him! You don’t want your precious kitty to freak out over your holiday party shenanigans, but you also don’t want him to feel neglected or abandoned.
With all the excitement of the holidays, making sure your cat is your top priority will make all the difference in her little world. After the party’s over and everyone goes home, try brightening the mood a bit for her by giving her a nice big helping of treats. You know, so she doesn’t feel like she missed all the fun!
