October can be a pretty noisy month. Halloween is coming up, and in many places, that means fireworks and firecrackers are going off all throughout the month – with October 31 being the loudest day of all! 

There are things you can do to help your pets cope with loud noises, at Halloween or any time of year. In fact, if you have a pet, there are three things you should know. Learn how to help your pet adjust to loud noises, create a calm space and be prepared if your pet does get scared and try to run away.

One more Halloween tip: Leave the costumes to the humans! Putting clothing on animals makes them uncomfortable. It also makes it difficult for them to move properly and communicate with each other, which is frustrating and can even be dangerous.

You can learn even more about keeping pets safe, and other important animal issues, on our Animal Issues for Kids page.

The fall issue of Bark! magazine is hot off the press and will be delivered to BC SPCA Kids Club members next week! So, what can you expect?

• Humans aren't the only ones to use tools to make life easier! Discover the amazing ways animals across the globe use tools to survive.
• October is Farm Animal Month. Learn about how dairy cattle are raised in Canada – is it how you imagine?
• Give your gerbils’ habitat a makeover! Get a step-by-step guide to making a “roomy rodent retreat.”

Not a Kids Club member yet? Join today to start receiving Bark! four times a year. When you sign up, you’ll also receive four back issues FREE in your Kids Club kit, along with a collector button, membership card and animal poster.

On August 31, I went to your Surrey branch and adopted a cat named Jefferson.             

Thank you so much for him. He is so sweet and hasn’t hissed or clawed or bitten anyone yet. He meows when he’s about to jump on tables, and he meowed a lot on the car ride home. I am so excited, because my Grandmother adopted him and I get to see him again on Sunday. Thank you again. He loves the scratching posts that are flat on the ground with the little bags of catnip to sprinkle on. You can give him belly rubs and carry him and he doesn’t mind. He is also very curious. He wanted to jump into the bathtub with me while I was taking a bath!

Thank you so much! We love him and he is amazing!

October’s Furry Friends of the Month are Oreo and Cookie, a pair of bonded rabbits.

Oreo and Cookie are sisters who do everything together! They like to groom each other, munch on their veggies at the same time and hop around the room in unison. These two sweeties have spent their whole lives together and need to find a forever home where they can grow old together. Right now they're available for adoption at the Kamloops SPCA.

Please note: Oreo and Cookie were available for adoption at the time this article was written, and may have found their forever home since then. Visit the BC SPCA website to discover more furry friends currently looking for homes.