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Are you on Instagram? Want to help Prevent Pet Suffocation this #GivingTuesday?

Please consider hosting a personal Fundraiser on Instagram to support Prevent Pet Suffocation for #GivingTuesday, which is December 2, 2025! It’s super easy and a perfect way to give back for #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving! You can start one now! Here’s how:⁣

⁣1️⃣ Tap the “+” at the top-right corner of your Instagram profile and click “Fundraiser”.⁣

⁣2️⃣ Next, search for Prevent Pet Suffocation inside the search bar.⁣

⁣3️⃣ Then, fill out your fundraiser details and add a cover photo, description, donation goal, and any collaborators.⁣

⁣4️⃣ Finally, click “Share Fundraiser”, and your fundraiser will be added to your profile and shared to your feed.⁣

⁣Tips – Kick off the Fundraiser with your own donation and share the Fundraiser on your Story! Thank you for supporting us and #GivingTuesday! We so appreciate all who take the time to help us raise donations so we can continue spreading awareness about pet suffocation!

As the holidays near, it’s important to be extra vigilant in the coming weeks regarding suffocation risks our pets could face. With more house guests and entertaining, it’s easy to get distracted and not notice our pets may be getting into a troublesome situation. Pet suffocation can be prevented by being aware of some simple, but important, safety tips. ⁣

Here are a few things you can do to keep your pets safe and continue to help us save pet lives.⁣

⁣🐶 Cut up all chip bags, snack bags, pet food bags, and other food bags before disposing of them. ⁣Serve snacks in bowls.

⁣🐱 Keep all trash can lids tightly closed, locked, or behind a cabinet.⁣

⁣🐶 Educate your friends, family, pet sitters, and baby sitters about the risks of pet suffocation. ⁣

⁣🐱 Crush all cans and keep lids tightly closed on containers before disposing of.

🐶 Share our website and our social media accounts including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn to help spread awareness. ⁣

⁣Make it a point to always go through these action steps to make sure you’re doing all that you can to keep your pets from falling victim to suffocation! ❤️

(Infographic Courtesy of Center for Pet Safety @Center For Pet Safety)

It’s National Cat Day! 🐱 Today, we celebrate CATS and help bring awareness to adoption from shelters. Over 4 million cats enter shelters each year, so it’s vital we bring awareness to homeless cats who would love a furever home. ⁣

⁣Are you going to make today a special day for your furry feline family member? Here are some ideas:⁣

⁣⁣🐱 Buy your cat a new toy with catnip, a scratching post, or a snuggly bed. ⁣⁣

⁣⁣🐱 Venture outside with your cat as long as he/she is on a leash and under supervision. ⁣⁣

⁣⁣🐱 Prepare your cat a fresh snack or treat.⁣

⁣⁣🐱 Visit your local animal shelter to add a rescue kitty as a companion to your cat.⁣

⁣🐱 Make a donation to your local animal shelter. ⁣

🐱 Cut up all food bags and dispose of them properly.⁣

⁣🐱 Keep all containers tightly closed and safely out of reach of your pets.⁣

⁣⁣Give your cat an extra hug today! ❤️

🦌 Did you know our trash is a serious problem for our pets and wildlife?

Not only can food bags and containers travel into yards, beaches, forests, and more, putting dogs, cats, bears, deer, foxes, squirrels, birds, raccoons, and other animals at risk, but wildlife and fish can also get tangled in, caught in, and suffocate in all types of trash – just like this 5 year old abandoned Bulldog whose head got stuck in a plastic container, most likely an automatic pet feeder, last spring. He was unable to eat or drink for an extended period. Luckily, a report came in to the Houston SPCA, and their veterinary team was able to safely remove the container.

Not every story of injured domestic pets or wildlife ends so well.

So, what can you do?

✔️ Cut up your food bags before you dispose of them ⁣

⁣✔️ Never leave trash outside, no matter where you are ⁣

⁣✔️ Pack any food you take outside of the home in plastic containers rather than plastic bags⁣

✔️ Cut up all string, rope, netting, fishing line, and plastic drink holders before disposing of them

✔️ Crush all drink cans and food cans

✔️ Screw lids tightly on jars and containers

✔️ If you see an animal, bird, fish, or pet in distress, please try to help them or call for help

Little changes can save the lives of many animals! ❤️

(Photos from Houston SPCA @houstonspca)

🎃 Fall is in the air, and that means Halloween is just around the corner! Now is a great time to review some safety tips for your pets!⁣

⁣⁣⁣As much as we love Halloween, it brings certain risks to our favorite cats and dogs. ⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣Some tips to remember:⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣👻 Costumes – Though it’s fun to dress our pets up in costumes, make sure your pet is comfortable in the costume before Halloween. Ensure there are no choking or chewing hazards on the costume your pet may ingest and that their hearing or vision is not inhibited by the costume. ⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣🍭 Candy – Yum! Just make sure your pet has no access to the candy and treats, especially if they include xylitol, chocolate, nuts, or raisins, which are very toxic to animals.⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣🎃 Decorations – Festive decorations like pumpkins, gourds, fake spider webs, burning candles, glow sticks, and loud scary noise makers can also tempt or scare your pet. Always keep an eye on them! ⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣🍬 Candy Bags and Treat Bags – To prevent pet suffocation, keep all candy bags and food bags safely out of reach of your pets. Cut them up and safely discard them. Pets can suffocate within minutes once they put their head in a bag. Make sure your children are aware of these dangers, too, and that their Halloween loot is safely stored away from your furry family members. ⁣⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣Visit our website to learn more about how you can keep your pets safe at all times! 🐶🐱

www.preventpetsuffocation.com

🦌 Did you know our trash is a serious problem not only for our pets and wildlife, but our livestock, as well?

Not only can food bags and containers travel into yards, beaches, forests, and more, putting bears, deer, foxes, squirrels, birds, raccoons, fish, and domestic animals at risk, but livestock can also get tangled in, caught in, and suffocate in all types of trash – just like this sheep whose head got stuck in a pet food bag.

Luckily, the owner was close by and able to remove the bag from the poor sheep’s head. However, not every story of an animal who gets stuck in a food bag or container ends so well.

So, what can you do?

✔️ Cut up your food bags before you dispose of them ⁣

⁣✔️ Never leave trash outside, no matter where you are ⁣

⁣✔️ Pack any food you take outside of the home in plastic containers rather than plastic bags⁣

✔️ Cut up all string, rope, netting, fishing line, and plastic drink holders before disposing of them

✔️ Crush all drink cans and food cans

✔️ Screw lids tightly on jars and containers

✔️ If you see an animal, bird, fish, or pet in distress, please try to help them or call for help

Little changes can save the lives of many wild animals! ❤️

(Photo from Tawnya Reber.)

Sadly, this beautiful kitten suffocated in an IRIS USA Dog Food Storage Container in July. Ace was only 7 months old. Jess Hoyt writes, “My 19 year old son, Jordan, and his girlfriend, Valentina, just lost their kitten this way …they will definitely have PTSD from this. This is beyond traumatizing. No words.”

Prevent Pet Suffocation has received several reports from pet owners who have lost their cats to suffocation in plastic bins for food or cat litter. In alliance with Prevent Pet Suffocation, Center for Pet Safety examined 5 styles of containers marketed for pet food storage (these containers can also be used to store pet litter). The report details the container style that can significantly reduce the chance of container-related suffocation events. The link for the report: www.centerforpetsafety.org/preventing-pet-suffocation-pet-food-container-evaluation/

Cats love to get into tight enclosed places. We remind everyone to keep all containers, appliance doors, pantry doors, and closet doors tightly closed. Keep food bags and containers off high shelves and appliances that cats can easily reach by jumping. Please share in memory of sweet Ace. Thank you.

🐱 It was a happy ending for this couple and their cute cat, Timber, after he got his head stuck in a plastic Friskies pet treat container. Timber knocked the plastic container off the counter in the kitchen, and the lid came off. Timber then put his head in the container and got his head stuck.

When the husband, Bob, heard a thrashing noise and went to check it out, he saw Timber struggling to get his head out of the container. As Timber was trying to breathe, the sides of the container would suck in. As Bob held him, his wife took scissors and tried to cut off the base of the container. This was very difficult as the plastic is hard to cut through. Timber’s face was buried in the kibble. Bob then got side cutters to cut the rest of the container off of Timber’s neck and freed him.

Kimber’s story is why we urge everyone to keep all food bags and jars and containers safely away from pets. In addition to food bags, all types of containers can pose pet suffocation risks. We urge all pet owners to be vigilant about anything in your home, vehicle, or yard that can be a safety hazard to your pets. Cut up all food bags, crush containers, and keep the lids tightly screwed on. This also protects stray dogs, feral cats, and all types of wildlife who can easily access trash in landfills, parks, beaches, forests, lakes, etc. Visit our website to learn more on how to prevent pet suffocation at home and outside.

Little changes can save the lives of many pets and wild animals! Please share!❤️

Photos courtesy of Happy Valley Maine Coons. 🐱

🔥 It’s National Fire Pup Day! A special day to honor all the various dogs who have been volunteer firepups over the years. Canine firefighters, usually Dalmatians, have long been members of fire departments across the country. ⁣⁣

⁣With more fires each year, especially out west and in Canada and Europe, the stress on firefighters has increased dramatically. Several firehouses have adopted and trained pups as full-time therapy dogs to help with the firefighters’ anxiety and post-traumatic stress syndrome. These pups offer emotional support and help boost morale which is invaluable. ⁣

⁣⁣While Dalmatians are still recognized as firehouse mascots and are used to educate the public about fire safety while honoring the heroism of former fire pups, many other breeds, including rescue pups, are also playing a vital role in supporting our brave firefighters. ⁣⁣

⁣⁣National Fire Pup Day is also an excellent time to review your home fire safety plan to include your pets. Things to do:⁣⁣

⁣⁣👉🏼 Check on your smoke alarms and replace any batteries.⁣

⁣⁣👉🏼 Consider installing monitored fire protection.⁣⁣

⁣⁣👉🏼 Keep a fire extinguisher within reach. ⁣⁣

⁣⁣👉🏼 Have a set plan on how to remove your pets in case of an emergency, especially if they are crated. ⁣⁣

⁣⁣👉🏼 Teach your children about your Fire Safety Plan and how to call 911.⁣⁣

⁣⁣And, give your sweet pups some extra hugs and playtime to celebrate this important tribute to the extraordinary fire dogs! 🐶

If you have time to only do ONE thing daily to ensure your pet’s safety, cut up all food bags and crush containers to prevent pet suffocation! Visit our website and follow us on all social media to learn more on how you can protect your pets from suffocation risks!