‘Tis the season to be jolly - but spare a thought for your pet, as Christmas can often spell danger for cats and dogs as owners forget to extend their seasonal goodwill to protecting their furry friends.

To combat this we have come up with top tips to protect your pets:

1. Christmas decorations - such as baubles and tinsel - are new and exciting objects for pets, be aware that they may try to eat them!

2. Ensure fragile glass decorations are placed towards the top of your Christmas tree to avoid your pets breaking them and stepping on the fragments.

3. Only give your pets turkey when you are sure there are no small bones contained within the meat - pets can choke on these small bones.

4. Remember - chocolate is poisonous to dogs, so no Quality Street for your furry friend!

5. Beware cats (especially kittens) chewing through fairy lights and risking electrocution.

6. When pulling crackers, try to ensure your pets are in another room as the loud noise may scare them.

7. Don’t leave pets ‘home alone’ when visiting friends and relatives, enlist the help of a responsible (and sober!) neighbour to feed and care for your pet during this time.

8. Alternatively, if going away for Christmas, make sure you make arrangements well in advance for boarding kennels (vaccines need to be up-to-date to meet kennel requirements).

9. If you are having a party, ensure your pet is kept in a quiet room and is checked regularly. Also, be aware that, with lots of noise and guests arriving, doors may be left open and pets may slip out unnoticed.

10. If they do manage to run away, make sure dogs and cats are identifiable.

An excellent method of ensuring that your pet will be safely returned, is to insert a Tracer micro chip into your pet - ask your vet for details.

11. When buying a Christmas gift for your beloved pet, consider making a small donation to an animal charity to help those animals less fortunate at Christmas-time.

12. And finally, remember, dogs (and cats!) are for life, not just for Christmas.