I'd say to just take the bedding out, wash it if you want to, then just let everything air out for a while.
Cats can be fickle about where they sleep and hang out. They might love to hang out in one place for a while but will suddenly move to a new favorite place for no apparent reason. After sleeping in different places, they might, eventually, come back to sleeping in the crates.
Cats just seem to have a cycle.
As far as thunderstorm remedies, I usually don't bother.
Cats take their cues from other cats and people around them. If one or more individuals show signs of fear or anxiety, the others will pick up on it. It happens very subtly.
If you, the human, who are "chief" of the house, show anxiety due to thunder, the cats will pick up on it and think that THEY should be afraid, too. If you are calm, they cats will be, too. Pheromone sprays might increase the calming effect in extreme circumstances but the main effect comes from your behavior, not the spray.
Our cat, Casper, has never really been afraid of storms. He doesn't like them but he doesn't get scared. More like annoyed.
I can't blame him. Cats have sensitive ears. What sounds like a gentle "pitter-pat" of rain on the roof to a human might sound like a million golf balls to a cat! I certainly expect Casper to be irritated by that! But, no, it doesn't scare him.
Recently, there was a big storm where I live. It was a good "window rattler!"
Casper's Girl-Human got worried and ran around, shutting all the windows, pulling all the curtains shut and fussing about the house like a mad woman because she was afraid that Casper would be upset. Right on cue! Casper got afraid and started acting all hinky.
I said, "Honey, Casper's never been afraid of storms until today!" I tried to explain that SHE was upsetting the cat more than the storm.
It took me a half-hour to get her calmed down then another half-hour to quiet the cat!
A couple days later we had another storm, not quite as loud as the first. I told Casper's Girl-Human to JUST shut the bottom halves of the windows and leave the tops down by six inches. That way we can get the nice, cool air but the rain won't blow in.
She did that then we turned on the TV and chilled out. So did the cat! He has this place where he likes to "pseudo-hide," under the end table next to the sofa. His main "hidey hole" is under the bed. He goes under the table when he wants to be out of the way but not full-blown hiding. Cats often hang out in partially hidden places, anyhow. Right?
So, yeah! Casper hung out with us until the rain was over just like nothing was ever wrong.
It's pretty clear that Casper took his cues from his humans.
I bet, if you do the same, your cats will be a lot calmer during storms, too.
Cats can be fickle about where they sleep and hang out. They might love to hang out in one place for a while but will suddenly move to a new favorite place for no apparent reason. After sleeping in different places, they might, eventually, come back to sleeping in the crates.
Cats just seem to have a cycle.
As far as thunderstorm remedies, I usually don't bother.
Cats take their cues from other cats and people around them. If one or more individuals show signs of fear or anxiety, the others will pick up on it. It happens very subtly.
If you, the human, who are "chief" of the house, show anxiety due to thunder, the cats will pick up on it and think that THEY should be afraid, too. If you are calm, they cats will be, too. Pheromone sprays might increase the calming effect in extreme circumstances but the main effect comes from your behavior, not the spray.
Our cat, Casper, has never really been afraid of storms. He doesn't like them but he doesn't get scared. More like annoyed.
I can't blame him. Cats have sensitive ears. What sounds like a gentle "pitter-pat" of rain on the roof to a human might sound like a million golf balls to a cat! I certainly expect Casper to be irritated by that! But, no, it doesn't scare him.
Recently, there was a big storm where I live. It was a good "window rattler!"
Casper's Girl-Human got worried and ran around, shutting all the windows, pulling all the curtains shut and fussing about the house like a mad woman because she was afraid that Casper would be upset. Right on cue! Casper got afraid and started acting all hinky.
I said, "Honey, Casper's never been afraid of storms until today!" I tried to explain that SHE was upsetting the cat more than the storm.
It took me a half-hour to get her calmed down then another half-hour to quiet the cat!
A couple days later we had another storm, not quite as loud as the first. I told Casper's Girl-Human to JUST shut the bottom halves of the windows and leave the tops down by six inches. That way we can get the nice, cool air but the rain won't blow in.
She did that then we turned on the TV and chilled out. So did the cat! He has this place where he likes to "pseudo-hide," under the end table next to the sofa. His main "hidey hole" is under the bed. He goes under the table when he wants to be out of the way but not full-blown hiding. Cats often hang out in partially hidden places, anyhow. Right?
So, yeah! Casper hung out with us until the rain was over just like nothing was ever wrong.
It's pretty clear that Casper took his cues from his humans.
I bet, if you do the same, your cats will be a lot calmer during storms, too.
