We humans tend to think that twinkling, blinking and moving holiday lights add a touch of magic to our holiday decorations. Yet some people are very sensitive to flashing lights. This may be the same for dogs and cats.
That’s because the flicker rate (a ‘refresh rate’ like your monitor has) for dogs and cats is faster than for humans. For example, we see a TV program without it flickering because the signal refresh rate is adjusted to the human refresh rate of 60 Hz. Cats and dogs process vision faster (about 70-80 Hz), so they typically see lines across the TV screen, like a show from the 1950’s.
What happens when animals see something that we see as twinkling or blinking, then? They can become sick, confused or hyper-excited.
Gently twinkling lights are not significant, but when animals see the ‘strobing’ effect of fast-blinking lights, it can cause headaches and nausea, and may make it difficult to see well enough in a darkened room to navigate around obstacles. The fast blinking throws off their ability to process visual information properly. So if your pet seems confused or is having trouble walking, stop the lights from blinking, or turn on additional lighting, and see if this helps.
Cats have extremely sensitive eyes. Some cats have had seizures when exposed to fast-blinking lights, so it’s best not to use any extremes in flashing light displays around cats.
What about outdoor flashy Christmas lights extravaganzas? Some pet parents consider it a holiday treat to take their dogs out to see big nighttime light displays. Yet researchers say it can possibly cause anxiety in some dogs, because their primal instinct is to chase prey. They want to get out there and chase the moving lights, so they become upset. Make a note that when your pup gets too excited, it may be time to go home and relax.
While we’re still not completely sure what happens to cats and dogs when they encounter twinkling, blinking and bold laser strobing holiday lights, it’s certain that they would find anything not normally seen in nature to be stressful. When pets are spending evening time in the same room with your holiday displays, keeping the decorative string lights on a softly twinkling or non-blinking status can help everyone, including your furry family members, to enjoy the season together.
Heron’s Crossing provides end-of-life care for pets in the Metro Atlanta area. In-home appointments with compassionate vets are available. If you’d prefer a home-like setting away from your home, our Decatur office is also available by appointment.