Ah, the Fourth of July. Most of us associate the holiday with patriotism, barbecues and a day off.
For your cat, however, the Fourth might be one of the most dreaded days of the year. If your cat runs for cover at the first sound of fireworks, she’s not alone – fireworks can be stressful events for cats and dogs.
Thankfully there are some things we can do to ease or remedy the situation for our little pals. Cats have been living with humans for thousands of years, so it’s easy to forget they retain many of their wild instincts – and that includes hyperawareness of their surroundings, including extreme sensitivity to sound.
Keeping calm
Here are a few ways to help ease your pet’s stress on the Fourth of July:
- Depending on how far you live from your nearest annual fireworks show, you may be able to significantly muffle the sound or deemphasize it with something less disturbing to your furball. Consider flipping on the air conditioning or white noise generators if you have them, and close all windows and doors. Put on some music, preferably something you know can calm your cat. You may also want to draw the shades or black out windows so your cat isn’t disturbed by the accompanying flashes.
- Make your cat comfortable. If she retreats to a certain spot or her carrier during stressful times, consider tossing in a t-shirt with your scent on it and leaving a few treats in kitty’s hideaway. Food your pet loves can help “countercondition and distract,” a veterinary behaviorist tells Scientific American.
- Help your cat through it. If your little one is particularly disturbed by the sounds of fireworks – or you live close to a school or field where an annual fireworks show is staged – consider staying home with your cat(s). Sure, that’ll mean skipping the show, but once you’ve seen one fireworks show you’ve pretty much seen them all. If you elect to stay with your cat, do the same things you’d normally do to keep him calm. Grab kitty’s favorite wand toy or set up his cat tunnel to to distract him. Alternately, if your cat is the affectionate type, offer some lap time.
- Mind your demeanor. Both cats and dogs look to us, their humans, for what’s called social reassurance. Children do it too. When confronted with something strange and potentially scary, they look to us and gauge our reactions. If we’re freaked out, that won’t help the situation. But if we’re calm and our demeanor doesn’t change, that’s a signal to kitty that she can relax and has nothing to fear from the echoing booms that are shaking the house.
If your cat really can’t handle the boom and crackle of fireworks shows, consider taking him for a ride or visiting a friend. This option should be reserved for cats on the more extreme end of fireworks-induced anxiety, since removing a cat from its territory is almost always a source of stress, and many cats don’t exactly associate their carriers with positive experiences. Still, if your local town’s fireworks show is a block from your home and you know the town likes to put on 40-minute fireworks extravaganzas, taking a brief trip might be the better option.
Keep your feline friend indoors
If your cat has access to the outdoors or even your backyard, make sure you secure all cat flaps leading outside. It’s possible a terrified cat might try to escape out during a fireworks show, not realizing the source of the sound is outside. Cats are often anything but rational when fear overtakes them, which makes it difficult or impossible to anticipate what they’ll do when they’re frightened. You don’t want to be one of those heartbroken owners canvassing your neighborhood and posting Craigslist ads for the recovery of your feline. Many cats (and dogs) are terrified of fireworks, but they don’t have to be miserable. With a little help from us, their human caretakers, our pets can ride out the storm and even have some fun.
