4th of July and cats

betsygee

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Just a reminder to keep your cats, and other pets, safe and secure over the 4th of July weekend in the U.S. It's always so sad seeing posts for lost pets who have been spooked by fireworks and got out. :(

I know that everyone on this site of cat lovers already knows this. :) Please remind others and post something to your social media pages if you have them.


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betsygee

Just what part of meow don't you understand.
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I don't worry about our cats, they're inside and we don't have much of a problem with fireworks around here--our neighborhood is full of old folks like us. :lol:

But every year after the holiday there are a bunch of listings for animals in other areas around the peninsula that have gotten spooked and escaped. I hate to see it. :ohwell:
 

MoochNNoodles

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Lightning hit one of my trees in the backyard today and I don’t think Mooch flinched. :lol: Fireworks are only legal here at certain times of the year. I expect more people setting them off at home this year since most towns aren’t having them.
 

NY cat man

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For the last week or so, I have been going to bed to the sound of fireworks being shot off. Our cats don't seem to be fazed by the commotion, though, and since they are strictly inside cats, we don't have to worry about them running off.
 

Krienze

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I'd like to add something!

If you have fenced in yards, please watch your animals at ALL times if they are outside! We had a dog once taken from our yard and we thought he escaped due to fireworks, but someone actually broke our fence and stole him specifically to use fireworks as an excuse so we wouldn't think our dog was stolen. We did get him back, but it's a cautionary tale I tell people because evil people are sneaky and will do awful things like manipulate a situation like this to try and throw your off their trail.
 
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betsygee

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I'd like to add something!

If you have fenced in yards, please watch your animals at ALL times if they are outside! We had a dog once taken from our yard and we thought he escaped due to fireworks, but someone actually broke our fence and stole him specifically to use fireworks as an excuse so we wouldn't think our dog was stolen. We did get him back, but it's a cautionary tale I tell people because evil people are sneaky and will do awful things like manipulate a situation like this to try and throw your off their trail.
Oh, that's awful! So glad you got him back. A good reminder to keep an extra close eye on pets over the weekend.
 

Krienze

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Oh, that's awful! So glad you got him back. A good reminder to keep an extra close eye on pets over the weekend.
Yes, we got VERY lucky and the woman took our dog to a vet who knew us quite well. But the fact that she actually used the fireworks to try and trick us into thinking our dog just ran away was awful (she was a scam artist, stole dogs for reward money and if she didn't get it, would sell the dogs)
 

Spookyandsammy

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Spooky is already scared their setting off fireworks here so thank god for sounds I can play loud on my tv I feel so bad
 

DreamerRose

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Fireworks have started going off here, and Mingo is creeping around warily with a scared look in his eyes.
 
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betsygee

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Spooky is already scared their setting off fireworks here so thank god for sounds I can play loud on my tv I feel so bad
Fireworks have started going off here, and Mingo is creeping around warily with a scared look in his eyes.
Poor babies. I hope everyone’s pets do okay over the weekend! :grouphug:
 

Furballsmom

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There are a lot of calming products on the market that could be helpful, including one called Just Relax from Only Natural Pet that is catnip essential oil.
Also, there's this from Mamanyt1953 Mamanyt1953
Buy commercial tea bags from your local grocery store's coffee/tea aisle. These are all GERMAN chamomile, which is medicinally active and safe for cats. The ENGLISH variety, which grows in many gardens, is useless, and TOXIC to cats. Buy plain chamomile, no blends (the boxes are clearly marked). Brew a cup, chill it, and administer 1-3 teaspoonfuls up to 3 times a day via syringe or medicine dropper.
Chamomile tea is gently calming without being sedating, and may do the trick, or at least help.


I'm also reading that sound machines can be of help.
 
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misty8723

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Idiot neighbor shot off some a couple hours ago and scared Austin. No doubt they were just checking to make sure they're working and will be shooting them off when it gets dark. They're so aggravating. One year the next day I had to go around and pick up all the rockets that had landed in my yard. And they're all adults! You think they would have more common sense.

One thing I've heard you can do is that you be calm and just talk calmly to them and pet them. It worked with Austin, but I don't know if they start shooting off a bunch of them.
 

Caspers Human

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Casper is okay about small fireworks like bottle rockets and firecrackers but he doesn't like mortars and M-80s.

He'll startle when he hears the first couple of reports but, after a minute, he just settles down to a "moderately annoyed" state. He gets a look like he's saying, "Aw, GEEZ! Not THIS crap again?!" Then he'll go find a spot and settle down until it's over.

When the big ones go off Casper dives under the bed. We're happy to let him hide there until the fireworks are over.

I don't think that Casper is afraid of the fireworks as much as he is annoyed by them. If he was afraid, he'd hide even from the small ones. I think it's more about the fact that cats' ears are more sensitive.

When it rains, outside, humans hear the pitter-pat of the raindrops and think it sounds okay. To a cat, that pleasant pitter-pat probably sounds like a million marbles cascading into a giant frying pan. I don't think that the sound of fireworks from a distance would be painful to a cat but more like the level of annoyance a person feels when they are trying to have a conversation when a jet flies overhead. (Close up, the sound of fireworks probably is somewhat painful to a cat's ears, depending upon circumstances.)

I do know that when it comes to things like this, our pets DO mirror our emotional reactions. If we get upset about things, the cat or dog will get upset, too. Pets see their humans as leaders. They take their cues from us.

My mother has a Brittany Spaniel (hunting dog) that lives indoors with the family. Whenever there are fireworks, Mom gets all worked up and upset because she thinks that the dog is afraid of them.

Every year, I tell her, "Mom! He's a HUNTING DOG! Hunting dogs are used to GUNFIRE! Fireworks are nothing compared to that!"
Every time, she replies, "But...But...But..."
I tell her, "The only reason the dog acts afraid is because of YOU!"

A few years ago, on the day after our family July Fourth picnic, I was outside, cleaning things up when I found a few unexploded firecrackers so I lit them off just to get rid of them. The dog was outside at that time, just sniffing around and doing "dog things." He was probably fifty yards away from me. When he heard the first firecracker, he turned toward me to see what the sound was but, once he realized what it was, he went back to "dogging around" like he was, before.

I think this is a perfect example of the way dogs and cats mirror the reactions of their humans.

When it comes to Casper, we humans act like, "Oh, crap!" and that's, pretty much how he acts.

My advice to others goes along the same lines: Just stay calm and let your cat do what it wants. If YOU act upset, the cat will act upset but, if you act calm the cat will probably be calm, too.

Just make sure that the cat has a place to hide out if it wants to. Mainly, this is because it gives the cat a place where the noise won't bother its sensitive ears so much.

If your cat gets really, really bothered by fireworks, you might want to call your vet and ask if they can give you some tranquilizers for the cat.

If it's like an emergency and your cat is totally freaking out, despite the fact that you are modeling calm behavior, you can use Benadryl in a pinch. Benadryl does have sedative effects like tranquilizers. However, best practice is to call your vet and get advice first before you give your cat ANYTHING.

Best advice for the Fourth of July: Stay calm and enjoy your cookout. :)🌭🍔🍺🇺🇸:thumbsup:
 

MoonstoneWolf

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My feral cats all took off today. Between the heat, the fireworks and the upcoming lunar eclipse they may be gone for months if they even return at all. I’m so sad. Fireworks scare me too. Almost caught our house on fire last year. So I’ll be packing up their stuff tomorrow to donate. 😢
 
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vince

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Fortunately, my cats deal pretty well with the fireworks. If there's a particularly loud one, they'll sometimes look at me to see what I do. I never flinch, so they remain calm. They do come and stay with me during the noise, so it must affect them to a degree. Normally, they'd be out and about the house until the wee hours of the morning.
 
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