How to Keep Your Pets Calm During Fireworks

 

By: Wei Kang Z.

 

Since you are reading this, you probably have problems with your neighbours or yourself, causing a stir and scaring your pet. Well, here are some tips that you can use to keep your pets calmer when there are celebrations and fireworks outside.

 

Safe Space

The first tip I’m going to give you is to create a safe spot for your pet. Making a safe spot for your pet is an excellent idea because it gives them somewhere to go when it gets frightened. Ensure that your safehouse for your pet has ample amounts of toys or ways to distract itself while the fireworks are happening. Be careful while making a safe spot, though, because you don’t want to make the safe spot too confining. They might get over-stressed, thinking that there might not be a way to escape, and end up hurting themselves looking for an exit. Also, make sure that the safe spot that you make is as far away from the fireworks as possible.

 

Block It Out

Since pets are sensitive to sounds in their surroundings, you should reduce the sound from the fireworks, so make sure that all of the windows are closed. Another way to reduce the sounds of the fireworks is to play your own music so that your pet hears that over the fireworks. Make sure that your pet can’t escape your house. Allowing them to run free is a bad idea since the sounds will be coming from outside, so keeping them inside is safer for your pets.

 

Comfort

It would help if you also comforted your pet by acting normal around them. You don’t want to approach your pet with a worried expression because it might end up thinking something dangerous is about to happen. Make sure not to pick up your pet. The last thing it needs is physical contact with you because they are already on edge, so picking them up might spook them even if you are a known friend to them. Petting them is alright, but picking them up will have a negative effect.

 

Treats!

Could you give them treats to calm them down? Yes! If you think something is wrong with the way your pet is behaving, you can give it a treat every so often to calm it down. Treats are usually a great way to help reduce stress because food is a great way to calm them down.

 

Help Them Adapt

You can also help them get over their fears by playing firework sounds around them to show no threat. However, you should be careful and start exposing them to the sounds gradually. If you begin too suddenly, you may just be scaring them without helping them at all.

 

Conclusion

These are just some tips to help keep your pets calm during fireworks. These tips are not guaranteed because every pet has a different personality, so some might not be as effective as others. If these tips don’t help you with your problems, you should keep looking for something you can do to calm them down. It would make life easier for both of you.

 

Links:

https://www.battersea.org.uk/pet-advice/cat-care-advice/cats-and-fireworks

https://www.wikihow.com/Keep-a-Cat-Calm-During-Fireworks

https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/general/fireworks

https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/04/health/pets-fireworks-tips-wellness/index.html