Tips for Helping Your Cat through the Fireworks Season

There will be some cats for whom the first whistle and crack of a firework will send them scuttling under the nearest bed. Here are a few tips to help ensure your cat has a stress-free time during the firework season:

  • Remember that fireworks don’t just happen on November the 5th but can take place both before and after this date, and potentially well into November in some areas. Also consider that many people also use fireworks as part of their New Years Eve celebrations.

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  • Make sure your cat is indoors before dusk with the cat flap locked and windows and doors shut.
  • Draw the curtains and turn on the radio or television to provide background noise and draw your cat’s attention away from what’s going on outside.
  • Create a safe quiet area with a cosy bed that your cat has used previously. This might be a blanket in a box, an old duvet under the bed, or even a heated pet pad. If appropriate, raising the bed off the floor will provide an extra sense of security.  If your cat retreats to this space or any other private area then do not disturb! This is your cat’s chosen coping strategy.
  • Use a Pet Remedy Pet Calming Plug in diffuser to help reduce any anxiety your cat may be experiencing.Katzenworld has actually been testing the Pet Remedy diffuser over the last few months and here is what they’ve got to say about it:

    Katzenworld Team:
    We’ve noticed a significant difference in the behaviour of our two little ones while using this diffuser. They both appear generally more calm and situations that normally would stress them out have a less severe impact and even if they get stressed won’t last as long as normal!

    How it works:
    Pet Remedy works alongside the brain’s natural messengers, neuro transmitters, which work by telling the nerve receiving the message either to calm (via GABA pathway) or get “fired up”. What normally leads to stess or anxiety is the overstimulation of the nerves which essentially leads to the signs of stress in both us and our pets.

    Pet Remedy uses a blend of essential oils that work alongside the pets natural relaxation pathways to help calm the nerves of a stressed and / or anxious pet.

    Our verdict: We love the fact that this is not just easy to use but also that it only contains blends of natural oils (unique formula using low concentration Valerian essential oil, blended with Vetiver, Sweet Basil, and Sage) which help calm down our two cats.

  • If you don’t already, provide a litter tray in a private location in your home that is easily accessible to your cat.
  • Behave as normally as possible to show your cat that there’s nothing to be frightened of.
  • Instead of reassuring your cat if he or she shows fear, try using positive distraction techniques such as play.
  • It goes without saying that you shouldn’t punish your cat for what you believe to be any ‘inappropriate’ reaction to fireworks.
  • Microchipping your cat will ensure a safe return if he or she does escape and get lost trying to escape from the noise.

Clare Hemington DipCAPBT is an accredited Cat Behaviourist offering veterinary referred behaviour consultations in owners’ homes as well as consultations by telephone and Skype. You can find out more information on your cat’s behaviour at her web site: www.catbehaviour.net

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18 thoughts on “Tips for Helping Your Cat through the Fireworks Season

  1. Pingback: Tips for Helping Your Cat through the Fireworks Season — Katzenworld | My Health Selections

  2. simon7banks says:

    Good tips. But there are some cats, particularly once they’ve experienced one firework season, who’ll utterly ignore it – and others who’ll like watching the things from a distance. Just a matter of knowing the cat. I suspect most cats will react similarly to thunder and lightning, to how they react to fireworks. Any examples of the opposite?

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