Helping your pet avoid the 'Halloween Horrors' - Animals in Need column

Halloween can be a truly terrifying time for both pets and wildlife and Animals In Need (AIN) have offered some tips on how to keep the fear factor to a minimum.

The most important advice is to keep your pet in a secure, safe area.

This may sound obvious, but every Halloween, AIN’s hotline is inundated with calls regarding animals that have been spooked and run away and animals that have been found wandering around lost, which is why keeping pets indoors at this time is crucial.

Fireworks may be illegal but they will inevitably still be going off in most towns, so provide your pet with a safe place where they can hide if they are frightened, keep lights on low and play music or have the TV on in the background to help to mask the noise.

Anton was dumped in a box by the roadside

If your pet is exceptionally frightened by fireworks, there are calming supplements available from your vets, which can help.

It is a scary and dangerous time for wildlife too.

Please always check bonfires for any sheltering animals such as hedgehogs before you light them.

Treats for trick or treaters can also present a hazard for pets, so make sure chocolate and any sweets containing xylitol are kept well out of the reach of inquisitive dogs.

Leftover pumpkins should only be fed to wildlife at high levels, such as on birdfeeders as they are harmful to hedgehogs, giving them diarrhoea.

Sadly, animals can fall victim to pranks or acts of horrific abuse at this time of year, especially black cats, so the smartest thing to do is keep your pet safely in the house until it is all over.

One little black kitten who will be tucked up indoors for the night is Hero, who was found in Letterkenny this week with his head stuck in an ice cream cup.

Hero also has an injured tail but, more worrying, he has subcutaneous emphysema, which is trapped air under the skin throughout his body. 

AIN are finalists in DLDC's Community Recognition Awards 2022

This could have been caused by an injury or from nearly suffocating when he had his head wedged in the ice cream cup.

Apart from this, Hero is in good spirits in his foster home and hopefully his condition will improve with treatment.

In an act of cruel abandonment, an extremely sick white kitten called Anton was dumped in a small cardboard box by the roadside recently.

Luckily, a very kind family found him in the nick of time and rushed him straight to the vets.

Anton is receiving treatment in his AIN foster home. He is still extremely ill but he is getting the best care possible, so fingers crossed for him.

The AIN volunteers are finding that every cat or kitten being rescued lately is sick, sometimes with cat flu or eye infections, but most often they are just so worn out that their bodies cannot cope anymore.

Tutsi, a kitten found dehydrated and lethargic in Glenties and kitten Dimitri, who was found stuck under a pallet at St Catherine’s School in Killybegs, are both hanging on but are not showing much sign of improvement.

Both kittens are receiving subcutaneous fluids and medication in their foster homes.

Unfortunately, cat adoptions have come to a stop whilst more cats continue to flood in, meaning all the foster homes are bursting at the seams.

A lovely white cat called Charlie, who was recently adopted, has unfortunately been returned due to allergies.

Charlie is sad and confused and if you could offer him a forever home, please contact the cat helpline for further information.

Meanwhile, AIN’s dog rescuers continue to collect all the dogs from the Letterkenny Pound who have served their five mandatory days in there without being adopted or reclaimed.

The dog foster homes are currently overwhelmed but they will struggle on to help as many unwanted dogs in Donegal as they possibly can.

Finally, AIN were delighted to be chosen as one of the four finalists in DLDC’s Community Recognition Awards 2022.

Donegal's Road Safety Officer's heartfelt appeal over winter time driving hazards

All road users warned of dangers of darker evenings, as clocks go back and wintertime begins

The overall winner will be announced on the 10th of November. Wishing the best of luck to all the finalists.

To help AIN’s animals, please donate €2 to AIN’s ‘Help Us To Help Them’ fundraising appeal via your phone by texting the word ‘KITTEN’ to 50300. Every last cent goes directly to the rescued animals for their food, bedding, vet bills, worming treatment and vaccinations.

For further information on adoption, fostering, volunteering etc, please contact the main helpline on 087 1356188. For cat/kitten enquiries please call 087 7644420. Animals In Need Donegal is also on Facebook and has a website here