No Fret Festivities: Protecting Your Pet's Emotional Wellbeing During the Holidays
The festive season can be surprisingly demanding for dogs and cats. Visitors, disrupted routines, less uninterrupted sleep, children, travel and unfamiliar environments can all add pressure. Helping your pet cope often starts with simple things: protect their rest, maintain familiar routines where possible, watch their body language and give them the choice to participate or walk away.
Why can the festive season be stressful for pets?
There is something really wonderful about this time of year in South Africa. We gear up for the festive season, family braais become more common, we start to look forward to children going on school holidays, we get excited about visiting relatives and our planned trips to the coast and the excitement of spending time with the people we love. We look forward to our homes being filled with laughter, conversation, music and activity as we celebrate the end of another year.
With all our final planning and pushing for the end of the year, have you ever stopped to consider what the upcoming festive season might feel like from your pet’s perspective? For us, these changes often represent relaxation, excitement and celebration. For our dogs and cats, however, the same experiences can bring a surprising amount of uncertainty, disruption and emotional pressure.
The usually quiet home suddenly becomes a hive of activity. Familiar routines disappear, resting spaces are interrupted and unfamiliar people come and go. Dogs may be expected to enthusiastically greet every visitor, while cats might find themselves retreating from noisy children or hiding from the commotion.
Amidst all the festivities, the subtle signs that our animals are struggling can easily go unnoticed.
When the holidays turn their world upside down
Predictability plays an important role in helping our pets navigate their environment. Knowing when to expect food, opportunities for activity, rest and social interaction can contribute to a sense of security.
Now imagine your dog’s experience when the familiar morning walk is replaced by a house full of visitors, meals happen at different times and there is little opportunity for uninterrupted sleep. Or consider your cat, whose favourite afternoon sleeping spot is suddenly occupied by visiting relatives, while unfamiliar children excitedly search the house for the family cat. None of these changes necessarily seems significant on its own. Some animals might even enjoy aspects of the extra activity. However, when several changes occur together, the cumulative demands can become difficult to manage.
I often encourage pet guardians to think about their animals’ emotional capacity to cope. Just as we might become irritable or exhausted after several busy days without adequate rest, our pets can also become overwhelmed when environmental and social demands exceed their individual coping abilities.
A dog who happily greeted visitors on Christmas Eve might be less tolerant of interaction the following afternoon. A cat who initially seemed curious about houseguests might start spending increasingly long periods hiding.
These changes are not necessarily signs of a difficult or antisocial pet. They may be indications that the animal needs some space, predictability and an opportunity to recover.
Just because they're friendly doesn't mean they're always available
One of the biggest misconceptions about sociable pets is that they should enjoy interacting with everyone, all the time. We often hear things like, “Oh, don’t worry, he loves people!” or “She’s so friendly, she won’t mind the children playing with her.”
However, being friendly doesn’t mean a dog or cat wants to be touched, hugged, picked up or approached whenever someone feels like interacting. Our pets have individual preferences, emotional states and boundaries, just as we do. A dog who approaches a visitor may enjoy a brief interaction before choosing to walk away. A cat might feel comfortable observing guests from a distance without wanting physical contact.
That should be perfectly acceptable.
Rather than encouraging every visitor to greet our pets, we can teach people to allow our pet to initiate interactions. If your dog moves away, let them. If your cat chooses to remain under the bed, resist the temptation to bring them out so everyone can say hello.
The same principle applies to visiting dogs. Just because two dogs are generally sociable does not mean they will automatically enjoy sharing their space, toys, resting areas or other resources.
Social interaction should be an opportunity, not an obligation.
Little people, big emotions and important boundaries
The festive season often brings children and pets together, sometimes in environments where both are excited, tired or overstimulated. Children may genuinely adore animals, but they are still learning to recognise and respect the more subtle ways in which dogs and cats communicate.
A dog turning their head away, licking their lips, moving away or becoming unusually still is communicating discomfort long before growling or snapping occurs. Cats might flatten their ears, swish their tails, retreat or become tense when interactions become overwhelming. These early signals are easy to miss, particularly when adults are busy entertaining guests.
This is why responsible adult supervision and proactive management are so important. Children should be taught to allow animals to approach voluntarily, avoid disturbing them while eating or sleeping, and respect their need for personal space. Young children and dogs should never be left together without active adult supervision, regardless of how familiar or friendly the dog may be.
Most importantly, every pet should have access to a protected resting area where children and visitors cannot follow them, they need a safe haven, a sanctuary that is respected. Something like a baby gate, a closed door or designated quiet room can be an incredibly valuable welfare tool.
Listen to the whispers before they become shouts
Our pets are constantly communicating through their behaviour, but their earliest signs of discomfort are often subtle.
For dogs, these might include turning away, avoiding eye contact, changes in facial tension, repeated lip licking, pacing, moving away from people or becoming unusually watchful. Cats may retreat, become less socially engaged, change their grooming behaviour, adopt tense or crouched postures, or avoid areas of the house they would normally use.
These behaviours need to be interpreted in context, rather than assuming any single action automatically indicates stress. It’s also important to recognise that a quiet pet isn’t necessarily a comfortable one. Some pets respond to overwhelming situations by becoming unusually still or withdrawn.
When we recognise these small changes early, we have an opportunity to respond compassionately by reducing the demands placed on them, increasing distance or providing a quieter environment.
Waiting until a dog growls, snaps or a cat lashes out means we have already overlooked several earlier opportunities to help. If a dog growls, or a cat hisses it is vital that we do not punish this behaviour or try to “shut it down”. This means our cat or dog isn’t coping and it is our responsibility to provide them with emotional safety.
What about holiday travel and boarding?
For many South African families, the summer holidays also mean travelling, visiting relatives or arranging holiday accommodation for their pets. Whether your pet joins you on holiday or stays at a boarding facility, preparation can make an important difference.
If travelling together, consider how your pet will cope with the journey, an unfamiliar environment, different sleeping arrangements and possibly other animals. For pets staying behind, choose care arrangements that suit their individual needs rather than assuming that a busy boarding facility will be enjoyable for every dog, or that every cat will adapt easily to unfamiliar surroundings.
Where possible, introduce carriers, travel routines or boarding environments gradually and positively. Maintain familiar feeding routines, provide appropriate enrichment and ensure that caregivers understand your animal’s behavioural needs. If your pet has significant travel-related anxiety, separation-related distress or noise fears, consult your veterinarian or suitably qualified behaviour professional well before the holiday begins.
And don’t forget about New Year’s celebrations. Fireworks and seasonal thunderstorms can add another layer of distress for noise-sensitive animals, making advance planning especially important.
Perhaps the greatest gift we can give is choice
Some of us spend time thinking about how to incorporate our pets into the festivities, but one of the most meaningful gifts we can offer them costs absolutely nothing.
Choice.
The choice to approach or move away. The choice to rest without interruption. The choice to observe visitors from a comfortable distance, rather than being expected to participate. We can make the festive season more manageable by maintaining familiar feeding and activity routines where possible, protecting quiet resting periods and providing opportunities for activities our pets genuinely enjoy.
For dogs, this might mean a peaceful sniffing walk before the guests arrive, a food puzzle away from the festivities or simply an afternoon resting undisturbed. For cats, it might mean access to familiar hiding places, elevated resting areas, quiet feeding locations and opportunities for play away from busy social spaces. And for both species, it means ensuring that their basic needs and access to important resources are not disrupted by our celebrations.
These aren’t complicated interventions. They’re small, thoughtful adjustments that recognise our pets as individuals with their own emotional experiences.
A celebration that includes everyone
The festive season is about connection, kindness and spending meaningful time with those we love. Surely our animals deserve to experience that same kindness? Protecting their emotional wellbeing doesn’t mean excluding them from our celebrations. It simply means recognising that participation should happen on their terms and that their needs don’t disappear just because our routines change. Our pets should not have to sacrifice their emotional wellbeing for us to enjoy the holidays.
So, as you prepare for the braais, family visits, Christmas lunches and summer adventures, spare a thought for the quieter members of your household. Watch their body language. Respect their boundaries. Protect their rest. Give them opportunities to make choices. And remember, sometimes the kindest way to include your pet in the festivities is to give them permission not to participate.
Wishing You a No Fret Festive Season
As we all tackle the final push towards the end of the year and finish up our holiday preparations, I wish you the very best of luck. With a little foresight and understanding, you can ensure a peaceful, stress-free, and truly No Fret celebration for both you and your beloved pets.
DISCLAIMER: This article provides general behavioural and welfare information. Behaviour should always be considered in context. If your pet shows significant anxiety, distress, sudden behavioural changes or behaviour that concerns you, consult your veterinarian or a suitably qualified behaviour professional.
Ilse Fourie (CBCC-KA, DipCAB, CertCAB, MA)
Ilse Fourie is a qualified and an internationally credentialed animal behaviour consultant and the founder of No Fret Vet and Pet Care Consulting in South Africa. As a Fear Free Elite Certified Professional, Ilse has dedicated her career to bridging the gap between clinical science and the lives of real pets. Her work focuses on a “whole-animal” approach, integrating stress physiology, gut health, and environmental factors to alleviate fear and anxiety. Whether she’s coaching veterinary teams or helping pet parents at home, Ilse’s mission is simple: to help animals feel safe and to empower their humans with the science-informed tools to keep them that way.