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A brown tabby American Shorthair cat sits beside a glass bowl of wrapped candy near an open front door at sunset. 18 / 21

A Brown Tabby Sits Guard Beside the Bowl of Halloween Candy

AI imageamerican shorthairhalloween candyfront door

By the front door, in a golden shaft of sunset, a brown tabby sits with her paws together and her eyes on a glass bowl of shiny wrapped candy. The wrappers glint in orange and gold, and a little jack-o'-lantern waits outside on the step. The door stands open, a pair of boots rests against the wall, and a folded umbrella leans in the corner.

Her stripes are dark and neat, her whiskers fan out like a delicate fringe, and her gaze is calm and a little suspicious. We'll call her Maple. She is the bowl's self-appointed bodyguard, and no trick-or-treater is getting past her without a fair evaluation.

American Shorthairs are sturdy, easygoing cats, valued for their good health and friendly nature. They usually get along well with families and other pets, and they like a good game of chase. Halloween candy is a serious concern for pets: chocolate is toxic to cats and dogs, and some sugar-free candies contain sweeteners that can be dangerous, while wrappers and small hard candies can cause choking or blockages. Keep the bowl up high and out of reach, and tell visitors not to feed pets. If your cat does eat candy or a wrapper, call your vet right away. It's also wise to keep her indoors and away from the front door on busy trick-or-treat nights so she cannot slip outside.

Maple keeps her post, stately and calm, a very good guard for a bowl she's not going to eat from.

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