New Year, Healthy Pets: Keeping Your Furry Friends Safe and Happy Into 2026

A brand-new year offers the perfect opportunity to refresh routines, prioritise wellbeing, and set positive habits for you and your pets. After a busy festive season, many animals can feel unsettled, overtired, or off their usual schedule. Whether you share your home with dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, birds, or other small animals, here’s how to make 2026 your pet’s healthiest, happiest year yet.

1. Protect Pets From Firework Anxiety

New Year’s Eve celebrations often involve fireworks long after midnight, and the loud bangs and flashing lights can frighten many animals.

Ways to help all types of pets stay calm:

• Close curtains or blinds to block out sudden flashes.

• Play calming music or TV background noise to muffle outside sounds.

• Offer safe hiding spots: Cats may prefer high perches or cupboards; rabbits and small mammals need hideaways; birds may benefit from partial cage covers.

• Stay calm yourself — pets often take emotional cues from their owners.

• Use vet-approved calming aids (diffusers, supplements, wraps) if anxiety is severe.

• For outdoor pets (rabbits/guinea pigs in hutches): add extra bedding, cover hutches securely on three sides, and ensure they’re protected from noise and cold.

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2. Re-Establish Routine Quickly

After the excitement of Christmas, pets thrive when normal patterns return. Routine supports emotional stability for animals of all kinds.

Focus on:

• Regular feeding times to maintain digestive health.

• Consistent walks or exercise sessions for dogs and outdoor-safe cats.

• Scheduled play and enrichment: Laser play for cats, chew toys for rabbits, foraging for small mammals, or climbing time for birds.

• Normal sleep patterns — create a quiet, predictable evening routine.

A steady routine helps reduce anxiety, rebuilds confidence, and improves behaviour following the festive chaos.

3. Focus on Fitness and Weight Management

With shorter days and colder weather, many pets get less activity in winter. The New Year is a great moment to reset exercise habits and keep pets at a healthy weight.

Ways to boost winter fitness:

• Dogs: Add in daily walks, indoor games like tug or scent work, or dog-safe agility exercises.

• Cats: Encourage movement with wand toys, climbing shelves, or timed feeding puzzles.

• Rabbits & guinea pigs: Provide safe indoor roaming, tunnels, and interactive toys.

• Small pets: Rotate enrichment items and offer scatter feeding to promote natural foraging.

• Birds: Allow supervised out-of-cage time, climbing activities, and flight (if appropriate).

Maintaining a healthy weight reduces strain on joints, improves energy levels, and supports long-term wellbeing.

4. Plan for Cold Weather Safety

January often brings frost, freezing winds, and damp conditions — all of which can affect your pets.

Cold-weather care tips:

• Check paws after outdoor walks for dogs and outdoor cats, watching for ice, grit, and irritation.

• Ensure fresh water is always available — bowls can freeze quickly for outdoor pets.

• Provide warm, draught-free sleeping spots: Thick bedding for rabbits, insulated enclosures for guinea pigs, and comfortable beds away from cold floors for cats and dogs.

• Monitor coat and skin condition: Winter dryness can lead to flakiness, so regular grooming helps.

• Avoid sudden temperature changes: Keep birds and small mammals away from direct heaters or breezy areas.

5. Schedule Health Check-Ups and Set Yearly Wellness Goals

The start of the year is an ideal time to ensure your pets’ health needs are up to date.

Consider:

• Routine vet check-ups to catch early signs of health issues.

• Vaccination boosters for dogs, cats, and small mammals where applicable.

• Flea, tick, and worm treatments, especially if routines lapsed over Christmas.

• Dental checks — dental issues are common in dogs, cats, and rabbits.

• Claw and beak trims where needed for small pets and birds.

• Setting yearly wellbeing goals: such as improving diet, adding enrichment, or planning regular grooming.

Prevention is always better (and cheaper) than cure.

Conclusion

A new year is a fresh start for both you and your pets. By reintroducing routine, managing anxiety, supporting winter safety, and prioritising health, you can ensure your pets step into 2026 feeling calm, comfortable, and cared for.

If you need help with walking, pop-in visits, feeding, or daily care as you settle into your New Year routine, Elliotts Pet Care Services is here to support you with dependable, friendly pet care every day of the year.