You may love to watch your children jumping all around and acting in character when they dress up in their Halloween costumes but your cat may have a completely different reaction. Some cats may be frightened when seeing someone walk or run into the room wearing a costume. Depending on the costume, your child may act out the part as they move and talk like their character. Swords may be swished from side to side, scary monsters may scream or growl and mask-wearing children may try to get up close to the family pet in a playful attempt to scare.

A normally timid cat seeing his family members reacting in loud and frightening ways may create fear. What your children may view as good-natured fun may cause anxiety for the unsuspecting cat.

Instruct your children not to try to scare the cat. If family pets are timid or easily frightened, place them in other room during the costume display so everyone can have a good time.

And speaking of Halloween costumes, don’t dress your cat up in a Halloween costume. It’s uncomfortable for him and there’s no reason to cause stress to the cat just for the sake of getting a few pictures.

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Pam Johnson-Bennett is the star of Psycho Kitty airing on Discovery UK. She is author of seven best-selling books on cat behavior including Think Like a Cat: how to raise a well-adjusted cat – not a sour puss. Think Like a Cat has become known as the cat bible. Pam is considered a pioneer in the field of cat behavior consulting. In addition to her television series and public speaking engagements, Pam owns Cat Behavior Associates, a private veterinarian-referred behavior company in Nashville, TN. Cat Behavior Associates offers private cat behavior appointments on a limited basis. Pam Johnson-Bennett is a Certified Cat Behavior Consultant.