DS Forums

 
 

Fireworks and your cat or dog


Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 31-10-2015, 17:36
blueblade
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Southern East Anglia
Posts: 75,202

Do they get frightened? Are you keeping your cat in?

My cat was let out earlier and I must admit, I wasn't thinking of fireworks at that point, but now they've started and she's not yet come back.
blueblade is offline   Reply With Quote
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
Old 31-10-2015, 17:57
Dangermoose
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Shall I be the cat? =^..^=
Posts: 31,726
I try to make sure mine are in but with one it's no easy feat.

They have never appeared to be phased by them though. They love to sit on the window sills and watch them. A couple were scared when they were kittens until they saw that I wasn't bothered with them. One of them will even run to the door begging to go out

Yours has probably taken shelter until the worst has passed. Keep calling her so she can hear your voice. Hope she's back safely soon.

It is a nightmare these days as we've gone from one night of them to bloody weeks
Dangermoose is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-10-2015, 18:25
molliepops
Forum Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: woking
Posts: 21,655
Our current two are ignoring it all, I have had dogs that have gone mad with them before though so I know how that feels. Best thing we ever found was build a den with blankets under the dining table and let them hide in there with a pile of cushions and blankets. It kept even the worst of them reasonably calm.
molliepops is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-10-2015, 18:41
blueblade
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Southern East Anglia
Posts: 75,202
I try to make sure mine are in but with one it's no easy feat.

They have never appeared to be phased by them though. They love to sit on the window sills and watch them. A couple were scared when they were kittens until they saw that I wasn't bothered with them. One of them will even run to the door begging to go out

Yours has probably taken shelter until the worst has passed. Keep calling her so she can hear your voice. Hope she's back safely soon.

It is a nightmare these days as we've gone from one night of them to bloody weeks
She's back thanks - caught her in the kitchen eating, so closed and locked the back door before she could go back out.

She doesn't seem at all bothered by them, mind.
blueblade is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-10-2015, 19:10
jediknight2k1
Inactive Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Ban Hammer Club.
Posts: 6,757
The cats don't seem bothered but our youngest is only 17 weeks old. We have a dog who gets stressed a lot and cowers on bonfire night.
jediknight2k1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-10-2015, 19:25
Shrike
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Nottingham
Posts: 11,472
Luckily mine isn't bothered by fireworks - I've seen her watching them and thunderstorms too. Our old family cat was petrified by them though - good job it was more restricted to the 5th back then.
Shrike is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-10-2015, 20:26
stud u like
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: The Sunny Side Of The Street
Posts: 40,099
I have had 3 cats and only one was scared of fireworks.
stud u like is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31-10-2015, 23:59
CollieWobbles
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Another time, another place..
Posts: 24,629
My dog hates fireworks, she goes and hides in the pantry at the first sound of them. I'm also worried about my chinchilla getting stressed with them as they can go into shock like rabbits. I hate fireworks and would ban them if I could, apart from upsetting people's pets, sick depraved scum use them on helpless animals.
CollieWobbles is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-11-2015, 12:07
midsummernight
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 76
Not plugging it but there are products out there that helps to keep house pets calm. They come as diffuser or tablets form and I think even injections for the more extremely stressed pet. Some sort of pheromones that the mothers produce I think. Else, like other FMs have mentioned, try not to show stress yourself and the pets will hopefully think it's all a-ok. Or giving them a quiet, dark and safe place helps too.

I'd made the mistake, as a kid, of reinforcing my first dog's fear of thunderstorms by comforting him and saying good boy .... Remember he moved the sofa across the room trying to bury himself under it.
midsummernight is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-11-2015, 14:20
Pencil
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 4,251
My cat hides behind the sofa from 4pm until around 10pm because of the fireworks. We pulled the sofa out yesterday to make sure he was alright and he was visibly trembling.

Wish there was something we could do. We close all the windows, pull the curtains and we've been playing classical music to calm him down. He looks run down at the moment and was sick a few times yesterday.

Only another week or so to go.
Pencil is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-11-2015, 14:24
DigitalSpyUser
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 1,206
I have dog who is six months now. First time he experienced them last night, and didn't seem that bothered by the. In the past we had two dogs who would race outside when fireworks were going off and bark madly at them.
DigitalSpyUser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-11-2015, 16:04
mrsgrumpy49
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 6,365
Not plugging it but there are products out there that helps to keep house pets calm. .
They don't work for all pets.. My dog isn't afraid of fireworks but when I tried one of those scents then a thundershirt to calm her down on car journeys, they had no effect. whatsoever.
mrsgrumpy49 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-11-2015, 16:45
molliepops
Forum Member
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: woking
Posts: 21,655
They don't work for all pets.. My dog isn't afraid of fireworks but when I tried one of those scents then a thundershirt to calm her down on car journeys, they had no effect. whatsoever.
I agree they have worked on a couple of mine but then we have had others who they had no effect at all on. But it's worth a try.
molliepops is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-11-2015, 12:54
mimicole
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 38,217
I try my hardest to get my cat in when fireworks are going off. He was in the other night and he seemed unphased by it. He doesn't like thunder though.
mimicole is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-11-2015, 16:33
CBFreak
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 22,062
My cats aren't bothered. I would suggest keeping your cat in once it starts to get dark
CBFreak is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-11-2015, 18:24
damianswife
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 415
Our dog, Bob, is terrified of fireworks so we got him a Thundershirt. Only problem is, he is scared of the noise that the Velcro makes....he can be a bit of a Jessie.
He now hides in the bathroom and we put cushions down so he can get comfy.
I bloody hate fireworks.
damianswife is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-11-2015, 19:23
misha06
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Cambridge
Posts: 3,180
The Beast is always out during the fireworks season; it always seems to span nearly a week around our way, depending on when the 5th falls.

Early on I would try to keep him in on the 5th, but he would make a fuss, so would go out. Then come back in, mainly if it was cold out, and he didn't fancy it.

He's the same with stupidly heavy rain, thunderstorms and lightning, I will make an effort to call him, but he never appears until he is wet, and therefore angry

About the only thing that keeps him in is snow, he really, really, really hates snow; doesn't like walking in it or especially it falling on him. When he has to go out for business during snow, he won't use his flap, but gives a pained looked and we have to open the door. He is back super quick, so I suspect he doesn't even bother to cover it.

But he laughs in the face of fireworks.
misha06 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-11-2015, 01:44
gamzattiwoo
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 1,285
My 2 year old Doberman girl is terrified and during firework fest she has to forgo her evening walk as she tries to hide in peoples gardens etc. and cowers and pulls on the lead.
She is our 4th dobe and none of the others were like this just finding out what other people go through.
gamzattiwoo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-11-2015, 19:31
potpourri
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 265
Anyone with dogs that get distressed during the fireworks should try this Youtube channel- Relaxmydog.

Our dog gets really scared during fireworks, but within 10 minutes of playing a song she was half asleep and totally relaxed. Nothing worked before this, we tried many things.

There are noises in the music that distract the dogs.

Relaxing music for dogs during fireworks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAy6pp2Wh1M
potpourri is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-11-2015, 22:32
jabegy
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: North Hampshire
Posts: 5,362
My cat Penny couldn't care less, she doesn't give any indication that she even hears them.
jabegy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-11-2015, 08:44
fredster
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 23,463
My cat Penny couldn't care less, she doesn't give any indication that she even hears them.
My two siamese kittens are terrified of thunder, goodness knows what they will be like with fireworks.
fredster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-11-2015, 18:59
Shrike
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Nottingham
Posts: 11,472
Luckily mine isn't bothered by fireworks - I've seen her watching them and thunderstorms too. Our old family cat was petrified by them though - good job it was more restricted to the 5th back then.

My cat just came running in and is hiding under the bed after a particularly long barrage close by. Hope this doesn't make her permenantly jumpy.
Shrike is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-11-2015, 19:40
JeffG1
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Newbury
Posts: 6,746
My cat really doesn't like the loud bangs, but has still gone out a short while ago during a lull.

I just wish they would restrict fireworks to organised displays.
JeffG1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-11-2015, 19:54
Brigon
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Wales
Posts: 2,482
My cat is desperate to go out. He loves being out at night. The fireworks have gone quiet now and i'm tempted to let him out.
Brigon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-11-2015, 20:18
Nick2008
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: South Wales
Posts: 424
Our cat doesn't seemed particularly fussed but our poor dog gets terrified. We try not to make a fuss when we hear them, we just create a little quiet space for her to retreat to when she needs to.

It doesn't make is any easier on our part though. It's heartbreaking seeing her panting and shivering and I can't help giving her a little cwtch now and then.

Really need to think about sedatives or some other methods. She gets through each episode ok but it can't be nice for her when they're going off.
Nick2008 is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply




 
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 10:07.