Chinese New Year is a time to celebrate with friends and family, and of course, along with your pets as well!
Happy Chinese New Year everypawdy! This holiday season, you should always include your family and friends when celebrating Chinese New Year and that means, your precious pets should join in as well! There are many ways to include your fur babies in your Chinese New Year celebration and help them enjoy it as well. In this article, we will discuss seven interesting ways that you could spend time with your pets this coming Chinese New Year:
1. Teach your pets some Chinese words
Did you know that pets can learn up to 200 words in a language? So, simple Chinese words will be simple for them to pick-up with just some practice, consistency, and patience! Throw the vocabulary into daily conversation and they will soon pick it up.
Chinese is an elegant, beautiful language that makes you sound smarter when you speak it (no matter how good your grammar is)!
The pronunciation of words is very important for your pets too. You can teach them some of your favorite words! They would love to listen to you talk so try to teach them by talking to them with the Chinese word you want them to learn to help them pick it up in no time!
You can try teaching them how to say essential words like milk (nai fan) or eat (chiu)! You can also use it as basic commands as well to either greet them ( Gong Hei Fatt Choy), Good Morning, Good Night, etc. You can also use Chinese phrases when having to teach them or discipline them or call them if it's already feeding time. They will soon pick up on the sounds and join in with you when you're having conversations about Chinese New Year celebrations over dinner!
2. Give them new toys and treats as their special Hong bao (red envelope)
As it is a tradition to give Hang Bao (red envelope) during Chinese New Year to you love ones, your fur babies should have one as well! But of course, your pets won't appreciate cash as much as toys and treats right? And did you know that your pet's toys can be easily outdated?
It's important to keep in mind that pets have simple needs and enjoy being treated the same way children do (but not too much though, remember that they are still pets)! So don't be afraid to throw away old pet toys, and even pet clothes (if they have them) which seem dull or worn out. Your fur babies also deserve new toys and clothes, and of course, a full stack of treats! Make sure you have plenty of toys for them to play with and treats to snack when they need to instead of eating the decorations!
If your pet is a dog, there are many toys that can help him/her become more active during this festivity season by playing games like tug of war. If they aren't very food motivated, hide some snacks around the house in order to get them moving around to find it (something like crumbled bread or kibble). Dogs also love playing with interactive toys that will help them exercise and run as well! You can try checking out our Wickedbone - Smart & Interactive Dog Chewing Toy & Wickedball - Interactive Pet Toy. Dogs would also love to play with squeaky sandals or little furry ears just as much as they did when they were younger! The only difference is that now they might be too big for these toys.
For cats, they love chasing things as well so they will surely love interactive toys as well! You can try our latest Cheerble Mini WickedBall Interactive Cat Toy! Don't forget their cat scratcher as well to keep their claws in perfect shape! You can try our newly launched ELSPET Multi- Cat Scratcher Replaceable!
You can also consider buying them a grooming tools or accessories. Some new clothing for cats and dogs will be great as well! Consider buying them some clothing like sweaters or coats that are perfect for today's weather or even get ready for summer by buying them summer themed clothes. These surely comes in various colors and sizes to suit your cat or your dog.
3. Prepare special "lucky" foods for your pets
Pets also love having opportunities to eat something different, so why not cook them up a tasty treat? Preparing special meals for your pet this Chinese new year is also a nice gesture. As it is Chinese New year, you can try giving them some of the Chinese New Year foods that is said to bring good fortune like "Whole fish (Da yu)" which symbolizes prosperity and abundance; “Big meat (Da rou)" which symbolizes strength, peace, and abundance; "Poultry" which symbolizes unity and loyalty; and "Red proteins" which symbolizes happiness, vitality, beauty, and auspiciousness. Here are some of the Chinese New Year foods that bring good fortune that you can try to cook as well but do make sure to choose to feed the ones that are safe for pets in that list.
They can usually have chicken or fish as part of their Chinese New Year feast just like us. But remember to not put condiments for their meals for it is unhealthy for your pets. Better prepare a separate special meal to make sure it's healthy for them instead. Also, be very careful to not give them too much because it could upset their stomachs. Your precious pets would love to join the feast as well and enjoy some delicious foods but do make sure it does make them happy instead of getting sick in a holiday so make sure to do your research as well or even ask your trusted vet what they could eat during this Chinese New Year.
4. Decorate your home with red and gold streamers, lanterns, etc.
Who doesn't like waking up and then seeing pretty things? Pets are no exception to this and they're always excited to see new decorations around the house! You can include your precious pets in the festivities by decorating your home together. Decorate your house using red and gold streamers, lanterns, tassels and other festive items for Chinese New Year. Try decorating the inside of your house with red lanterns or other bright objects, this will make them feel right at home during the festive period! For example, get some streamers and red lanterns to brighten up the house. Another option is to cover their entire collars or harnesses in red satin or silk ribbon so that it matches the festive decoration.
If you have any plants in your house, put some fresh flowers in there for them to enjoy too and you can also place some ribbon around their pots for an added touch of color but do make sure that these plants are safe for your fur babies as well. They may end up getting sick instead of enjoying the plants and flowers decoration.
5. Clean the house, bathe yourself, and your pets to attract luck
It is great to start everything fresh, especially with a clean house, this Chinese New Year! But do take note that Chinese people believe that cleaning on the day of Chinese New Year will bring bad luck during its first 48 hours because sweeping and throwing out or taking away something out of the house will remove the good luck that is in your house. So be sure to clean your house before Chinese New Year itself!
This is also the same with you bathing yourself and your pets as well! Be sure to bathe before the Chinese New Year as well to keep all the good luck in your house. Besides, isn't it great to feel clean and fresh before greeting any guests like friends and family before you all celebrate Chinese New Year? Get all the luck that you can get by cleaning you, your pets, and your house but make sure you do it in the right way. Better not risk all the good fortune that's already there, right?
Dogs who love spending time with their humans know that their lives are so much happier when they've got a best friend there for them at all times. Make sure your dog is always getting some extra bonding time with you every day, whether it's playing fetch, taking him on a walk around the neighborhood, or making sure he gets his favorite treats after dinner. Even as simple as watching TV with your dog is something they would love as long as they're doing it with you! It's important that my dogs feel like they've got someone there for them whenever they need it most.
6. Get your pets groomed and dress up for the season
Las but not the least, spend time with your pet doing something you both enjoy! It might be difficult for some pets to understand what exactly is going on during Chinese New Year but spending quality time with them can help ease stress and anxiety if they are feeling nervous about all of the changes happening around them. Pets can feel scared and out of place during this time due to a lot of things that's going on during holiday season, so it's important to spend time with them! Make sure to make your pets feel comfortable by giving them your time and attention as much as you can!
You can even ask your friends and relatives if you happen to have them come around your house every Chinese New Year and come play with your pets but do brief them about how your pets would love to play or they may end up not feeling stressed in the end. If you're staying in, why not cuddle up on the couch together and watch some TV? Or you could tell them all about their fun memories from this past year. While your pet may not understand the concept of Chinese New Year or that they are supposed to be celebrating it with you, spending quality time with them will help to ease any stress or anxiety they might be feeling because of all the changes around them.
7. Spend some quality time with your pets
Don't we all love dressing up for the holidays? Why not dress your fur babies as well? This is the time of year to dig your sharpest outfits out of your closet. There are some colors that you can consider wearing this Chinese New Year that are in for the season and even has their own meaning. Red is also the color of the season, since the Chinese associate it with happiness and good fortune. (It’s also supposed to scare evil spirits and bad luck away.) Gold is another favorite. But whatever you do, steer clear of black, which is said to symbolize bad luck and death.
As you are also starting a new season of your life (and your pets as well), why not get a new look for yourself and even for your fur babies? Start fresh and clean to get rid of last year's bad spirits this Chinese New Year by grooming your precious pets to their best look ever! You can even give them a full body grooming and spa experience and bring to one of the best pet grooming salons you know. You can also buy them some new clothing based on the Chinese New Year colors above. This will surely bring holiday vibes to you and your pets!
Conclusion
We would surely want our precious pets to enjoy celebrating this Chinese New Year with us instead of getting stressed and having anxiety because of everything that's going on during the holidays, right? So whatever you do, make sure to spend quality time with your pets! Make them feel loved and special instead of getting frightened during this holiday season!
If you liked this blog article, here are some recommendations that you might like to read as well:
- 7 Best New Year Resolutions for Pet Owners This 2022 & How to Keep Them Throughout the Year
- Top 5 of our Best "Smartpaw Features" Last 2021
- 5 Holiday Hazzards/Toxins Your Pets Should Avoid
- Top 5 Best Pet Halloween Costumes in Singapore (2021)
- 4 Pet Gadgets That Will Help You Groom Your Pet Much Easier
- 5 Best Vet-Approved Homemade Recipes You Can Make for Your Cats
- 5 Best Vet-Approved Homemade Recipes You Can Make for Your Dogs
- 9 Affordable Ways You Can Spoil Your Cats
- 4 Interactive Toys Your Pet is Wishing For
- What are the Best Interactive Toys for your Pet?
Share this with your fellow pet owners and you can also leave a comment down below about how you celebrate Chinese New Year with your pets as well, we would also love to read them!
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Rose Hazel San Diego
Hazel loves pets & she has owned cats, dogs, & even hedgehogs! She also fosters cats & dogs in need around her area. With her social media & copywriting background, she gladly shares her knowledge of pets through these articles!
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