Reminder for pet lovers: Fireworks!

[Caspers Human]

It sounds like Mocha weathered the storm pretty well.

Here's hoping that, with you there to comfort her and let her know that everything's going to be all right, she'll learn to be less afraid, next time.

(Not to say that either you or your kitty will be any less annoyed... )

 

[maggie101]

It can be awful in some places. Especialy if you have neighbours with access to the full sized fireworks. My friend ended up with shells and shrapnel in her swimming pool from the big things the neighbour set off at 2 am a few years ago.

They also disturb roosting birds and set off car alarms. When people have them on july 1st I always hear at least one poor destressed robin or bluejay scolding them. Can't imagine how upsetting it is for those with nestlings.

Probably why my cat coco,outside for 2 yrs,is now afraid of the outdoors. So glad her mom didn't give birth that night!

 

[Kwik]

One thing about animals and fireworks is that they behave according to the way their humans respond to fireworks.

The sound of fireworks is annoying to cats and dogs because their hearing is so sensitive. Even the sound of heavy rain can hurt a cat's ears. To a human, rain sounds like a gentle pitter-patter on the roof. To a cat, it probably sounds like a million marbles being dropped into a frying pan. I don't blame a cat for shying a way from loud sounds like that. They certainly should seek shelter, trying to get away from sounds they don't like. If it's the sound of fireworks, I certainly encourage people to look after their cats in order to protect their ears and keep them from getting upset.

However, when I was a kid, my father used to train hunting dogs and one of the things he did was to acclimate the dogs to the sound of gunfire. A hunting dog that shies at the sound of gunfire won't be a good hunter. Will it?

My father's method of "gun-breaking" a dog was to use a starter's pistol. (A small handgun that fires blanks.) He would start by standing ten or twenty feet away from the dog and firing the pistol, up in the air, when the dog wasn't looking. When the dog reacted, he would give it lots of reassurance and petting until it calmed down. He would repeat the process at closer and closer distances until the dog got used to the sound of the gun. Eventually, after several trials, the dog would learn to stay "steady to wing and shot."

On the other hand, we had a Miniature Schnauzer as our family pet and he would always shy away from the sound of guns or fireworks. First, the dog was never gun-broke like the other dogs were. (Progressive exposure.) More importantly, my mother used to freak out when she heard fireworks, thinking the sound would scare the dog. As it turned out, the dog reacted more to my mother's anxiety than to the loud sounds but she just assumed that the dog was solely scared of the fireworks.

I tested that theory, one time, when I was outside with the dog and I lit off a firecracker when he wasn't looking. I was a good fifty feet away, or more. It was only a regular "lady finger" style of firecracker and I only lit one, just to test the dog's reaction. The dog did flinch at the sound and he turned to look in my direction but, once he figured out what was going on, he went back about his business like nothing happened. On the other hand, whenever my mother was around, she'd yell, "Don't shoot fireworks! You'll scare the dog!" Whenever that happened, the dog would shiver and whimper then he'd run to my mother and cower.

It was very clear that the dog wasn't actually afraid of fireworks or other loud sounds. I'm not saying that loud sounds didn't bother his ears or startle him. That's patently obvious. It was also clear that the lion's share of the problem came from my mother. Whenever she was around, the dog cowered. When she wasn't around, the dog startled but didn't cower.

I've seen the same thing happen with our cat, Casper. His Girl-Human doesn't like the loud sound of fireworks any more than the cat. One of the first times when there were fireworks in the neighborhood, she freaked out and started getting worried about the cat. The cat, predictably, ran and hid under the bed and didn't come out for the rest of the night. Another time, when there were fireworks but Casper's Girl-Human wasn't around, I simply made sure that the bedroom door was part way open so that the cat could go hide out if he wanted. He went in the bedroom, hopped up on the bed and laid down until the fireworks were over. Afterward, he came out and acted normally for the rest of the night.

I am NOT saying that cats or dogs shouldn't be afraid of fireworks! They are loud and probably hurt the animal's ears! The cat or dog has the right to try and get away from loud sounds like fireworks! It's only natural!

I am saying that our pets often take their cues from their humans and that, if humans react negatively, the animal will react negatively, too.

I think it's important to give our cats a good place to hide out and feel safe from loud sounds like fireworks but it's also important for humans to remain calm so that we don't make a bad situation worse.

Bottom line: Stay calm and don't freak your cat out.

Couldn't agree more

Funny you should mention your Dad and the hunting dogs- I'm a big gun enthusiast myself and also archery-when I was young I was part of a Horse Association that performed alot as a group and we often pleasure rode together ,some were hunters themselves and most of us enjoyed shooting so we loved to set up targets and practiced mounted... lots of dogs,lots of horses and all conditioned to not react to the sounds,not difficult at all and yet there'd be non participating riders around and their mounts would spook- it proves your points about animals reacting to human behavior
I've got 5cats at home who were all out on the patio when the fireworks started,you heard the cat flap Thump 5 times as each one ran inside ,gathered in front of me to see if it was something to fear,or not..... even my newest guy Timmy followed the crowd

Shortly after a few " It's okay" and pets 3 of them went back outside to further investigate- Graycie & Timmy stayed near Mom.....I'm very proud of my brave little troop but they do hear alot of gunfire and explosions on TV becausd I do enjoy action movies,lol

Great advice,always remain calm and reassure petsNervous people usually have nervous pets.Of course a once a year unexpected & sudden barrage of explosives can frighten anyone,poor babies.....thank goodness it doesn't last very long

 

[Caspers Human]

We used to take the dogs to field trials where people rode horses to watch the dogs and their owners hunt.

Gosh! That was when I was, like, ten years old!

One of the main things that they judged the dogs on was whether they stayed still, after the sound of the guns, until the human said to go. Legend has it that the reason why many hunting dogs have floppy ears is to help protect them from the sound of gunfire. It sounds plausible even if it's not entirely true. Doesn't it?

Regardless whether it's a cat, dog or other animal that is sensitive to loud sounds like fireworks, it's the human's responsibility to teach them how to remain calm. It takes a lot of patience and reassurance but I'm certain it can be done. If a dog can learn, so can a cat. Cats are at least as smart as dogs. (Remember, it's hard to compare the intelligence of different animals on the same playing field because each different animal evolved under different circumstances.)

Bottom line: Keep calm and give your cat lots of love, reassurance and help them feel safe. They will eventually learn if you are patient.