5 ways to keep your pet dog and cat safe this Holi
News Desk | Mar 12, 2025, 16:08 IST
( Image credit : TimesPets Bureau )
Holi celebrations can be stressful and dangerous for pets due to loud noises, harmful colors, and toxic sweets. This guide shares five essential tips to keep your dog or cat safe, including keeping them indoors, avoiding toxic colors, ensuring proper hydration, and giving them extra care. Celebrate responsibly while keeping your furry friends happy and protected this Holi!
The festival of colours, Holi, is just around the corner. It is a time of joy, celebration, and togetherness. But, while humans enjoy with their friends and family by playing with vibrant colours with them, our furry friends may feel stressed during such festivities. The loud noises and too many people can make our pet dogs and cats feel anxious; the harmful colours can also cause health issues for them. And so, here we list some simple ways to ensure our pets feel safe during Holi:
1. Keep your pets safe indoors
Keeping your pets indoors is one of the best ways to protect them during Holi, when some people can get rowdy on the streets. Create a cosy space at home where your pet can feel safe and secure. Play soft, calming music to comfort your pet; however, the best one could do is to stay with their pet to comfort them in stressful situations. And if you really have to take your pet outside, do so either early in the morning or late in the evening as the festivities are over by then.
2. Protect them from harmful colours
Holi colours contain harmful chemicals and they can be toxic to your pets, even if they are labelled as organic. So, do not apply colours to your pets. If your pet accidentally gets colour on their fur, quickly wipe it with a damp cloth or give them a gentle bath using pet-safe shampoo. Remember, colours can cause irritation to pets which may include itching or rash. And if your pet consumes colours by mistake, then do take them to the vet immediately as this can cause poisoning or stomach issues in them.
3. Do not feed them Holi sweets and snacks
Apart from the loud music and colours, Holi is also known for delicious snacks like gujiyas, chakris, laddoos, and other sweets. But do not feed them to your pets as it contains sugar or artificial sweeteners, and are very oily-- all of this is highly toxic to dogs and cats.
4. Keep them hydrated and cool
Holi is also the time when summer begins officially. Running around in the sun, combined with stress, can cause dehydration and heat exhaustion in pets. So, ensure that they have fresh, clean water at all times which will keep them well hydrated. If your pet shows signs of heatstroke, offer them cool water and seek veterinary help.
5. Give them some tender love and care
Holi celebrations can disrupt a pet’s daily routine, making them feel anxious or left out. The best way to comfort them is by giving some extra love, care, and attention.
Here's wishing you and your pets a lovely Holi!
1. Keep your pets safe indoors
Keeping your pets indoors is one of the best ways to protect them during Holi, when some people can get rowdy on the streets. Create a cosy space at home where your pet can feel safe and secure. Play soft, calming music to comfort your pet; however, the best one could do is to stay with their pet to comfort them in stressful situations. And if you really have to take your pet outside, do so either early in the morning or late in the evening as the festivities are over by then.
2. Protect them from harmful colours
Holi colours contain harmful chemicals and they can be toxic to your pets, even if they are labelled as organic. So, do not apply colours to your pets. If your pet accidentally gets colour on their fur, quickly wipe it with a damp cloth or give them a gentle bath using pet-safe shampoo. Remember, colours can cause irritation to pets which may include itching or rash. And if your pet consumes colours by mistake, then do take them to the vet immediately as this can cause poisoning or stomach issues in them.
Holi
3. Do not feed them Holi sweets and snacks
Apart from the loud music and colours, Holi is also known for delicious snacks like gujiyas, chakris, laddoos, and other sweets. But do not feed them to your pets as it contains sugar or artificial sweeteners, and are very oily-- all of this is highly toxic to dogs and cats.
4. Keep them hydrated and cool
Holi is also the time when summer begins officially. Running around in the sun, combined with stress, can cause dehydration and heat exhaustion in pets. So, ensure that they have fresh, clean water at all times which will keep them well hydrated. If your pet shows signs of heatstroke, offer them cool water and seek veterinary help.
5. Give them some tender love and care
Holi celebrations can disrupt a pet’s daily routine, making them feel anxious or left out. The best way to comfort them is by giving some extra love, care, and attention.
Here's wishing you and your pets a lovely Holi!