These Danged Thunderstorms!

[stacydc83]

I just posted a few days ago in a thread about cats and thunderstorms and how Lily reacted, well today was a doozie! We had a quick but strong thunderstorm today, and some loud juicy thunder. Normally, Lily freaks out, and will "army crawl" towards the garage at the first little boom and then hide under a car. Today she did that but when a big clap hit, i went to the garage just to tell her its okay, but she was running around in the garage, and actually came to me, and even let me pick her up. I pretty much laid on her, holding her, poor baby was breathing and purring really hard, she was so terrified. I think another storm is starting to brew, she's upstairs under a bed. How can I keep her calm, and let her know that the storm isn't coming to get her? I just really worry, that if she gets this much into a tizzy, could she cause herself a heart attack or stroke? A few years back I was giving her some calming treats, that helped a little, but I think they discontinued this brand awhile back. I have no idea why shes so terrified. If its real strong, Zoe will go under a couch for a few minutes but comes right out, and regular summer storms don't even phase her.

 

[KarenKat]

Oh poor kitty! I know many people have luck with CBD drops for cats. We use some for Gohan’s arthritis and it should have a calming effect.

I know many people use thunder vests on dogs, and I’ve heard people do it for cats. If she wanted to be hugged/contained that seems like a good candidate.

 

[Libby.]

Bach's Pet Rescue Remedy can help over time. You can also call the vet for some meds to help calm her during thunderstorms. My dog Heidi gets anxious when it rains because of the Hurricane last October. She doesn't like thunderstorms either. I started giving her the Rescue Remedy pastilles when it thunderstorms and rains hard. They're starting to have an effect and she's a lot calmer now. But the pastilles are kinda large and chewy for a cat.

I've had good results with the homeopathic remedy gelsemium 30c too. I put the pills in my brother's cats bowls at mealtimes. They came to live with me when he was staying with me for his cancer treatments. He passed away and I got custody of his cats and they do not like my dog at all. The gelsemium has helped them adjust. I buy it from Swanson Vitamins. Ignore the label that says it's for headache and flu. Its traditional homeopathic use is for anxiety. Just give Lily a tablet when she starts to get anxious. You can give her another every 10-15 minutes until she calms down. They're harmless and won't hurt her. I even give them to my daughter when she has a full-blown panic attack.

Hyland's Gelsemium Semp 30X 250 Tabs - Swanson Health Products

 

[stacydc83]

I'm definitely gonna have to look into CBD for her. Thunder jacket, I don't know if she'd tolerate it being put on her, or wearing it. It surprised me today that she even let me hold her and pick her up, I guess she was just that scared. We were on the ground together for about 5 minutes and she was okay with it, it was so weird.

 

[tabbytom]

We had a quick but strong thunderstorm today, and some loud juicy thunder. Normally, Lily freaks out, and will "army crawl" towards the garage at the first little boom and then hide under a car.

It's pretty normal for a cat to behave this way. They can sense a storm is brewing and knows that thunder and lightnings are on the way.

My boy does that too as the storm approach. He'll crouch and crawl under the bed when he hears the thunder.

Here's a thread on :-

how-do-your-cats-react-to-storms.393660

 

[susanm9006]

Just keep her indoors and let her hide. If a cat is frightened they do better just being left to themselves and with you acting like nothing out of the ordinary is going on.