Also, I honestly don't know much about dogs but I think most of this applies to them, too? I do know that more pets go missing in the U.S. on the 4th of July holiday than any other time of year, so please just be extra mindful of all the babbys.
Fireworks suck! Here are some tips from cat behaviorist Mikel Delgado for keeping your cats safe and happy this 4th of July. www.instagram.com/p/C87GFSBpgyk/
1. Make sure your cats are inside. Even if they normally go out, the 4th is not a good day for them to roam. (con't)
Yes! Thanks for putting this together.
And keep an extra eye on the pups if they are outside at all. May not think they can get over that tall fence. Might not have ever seen em do it. But a scared dog can get over a fence pretty quick. Even a small dog can.
Best to keep them inside.
Yep, a lot of that applies to dogs too! Plus very secure leash/harness (extra helpful if you can attach to yourself, I have one that can go around my waist) even dogs who don’t normally pull can bolt when scared. Of course try to walk/potty break earlier before fireworks start if possible though.
I really don't understand people who let their cats roam. On top of it being illegal in a lot of cities, cats kept indoors don't get eaten by coyotes, injured or killed by dogs, or possibly run over by cars or trains.
I don't either but I've sworn off arguing with anyone about it. I've found that debate sadly doesn't change people's minds about this, they only come around after experiencing tragedy firsthand. 😢
My MIL frankly scares me. One of her cats (she lets them roam, don't get me started) went missing for several *weeks* and I never heard of or saw her cry or even seem upset. I was so frankly appalled I wanted to tell her to take the remaining one straight back to the shelter.
The missing one turned up and again she seemed entirely unbothered. Like, what? My husband insists that it's because she lived on a farm and a lot of animals die on a farm but I don't buy it. There's something wrong with someone who doesn't even miss a pet when it goes missing.
Yeah, my mom was raised on a dairy farm and she freaks out if she can't find one of their (indoor) cats after looking for more than 10 minutes. I was raised less than a mile from that same farm and spent most of my childhood hanging out there, and I'm an indoor advocate.
I’m navigating living with my mom and her indoor/outdoor cats and my indoor only cats. Her youngest (14) spent the last two nights outside, keeping mom up until 3. I snagged the offending cat and have knocked the cat out with gabapentain so she’ll sleep through the 4th. Inside. So we can all sleep
way more dogs! my cat tries to catch the pretty sparkles on the window, my dad's dobermann is only just after... 3 years? 4 years? not shaking and crying and needing to be held the whole way through storms or firework displays...
Very true. These 2 were litter-brothers: Xander (white and black) couldn't care less about noises in the sky while Luke was a mess for almost all of them (hated thunder and fireworks but was strangely fascinated by helicopters)
Luke didn't seem to think he could catch them, just liked to watch them flying by though the other one (Xander) did once jump up to catch a pigeon taking off (then promptly spat it out, lol)
biggles - my most brainless cat - once caught a shrew and ran around panicking because a) it wasn't in jelly b) it was moving...
it squeaked, he dropped it, i saved it...
oh totally... and after i posted i wondered "if a cat has lived inside its whole life being protectes is it less likely to understand the concept of loud noise equals danger"
as opposed to loud noise equals i knocked something over and need to be on the other side of the house to establish an alibi
Unless, as in my case, the cat in question is skittish enough that a flushed toilet will send him hiding under my bed.
After dinner I'll be starting my yearly tradition of laying out his favorite pad in a shallow box, on top of the washing machine, where the loud noises outside are most muffled.
I stopped going to the fireworks when I ended up with 90 pounds of terrified German Shepherd in my lap because her owner had no brain & whatever was in his head thought she’d be scareder at home.
The only time I charge holiday pay for dogsitting is the week of 7/4.
In Canada, idiots start setting off fireworks a few days before July 1 & continue after it passes. Dogs also go missing as they run off terrified. My dog is now deaf so she doesn't care but prior to this year, she was terrified. Some donkeys in my neighbourhood were setting them off last night 🤦♀️
Same here- fireworks have been going on for days and aside from my own migraines and anxiety, my poor dog has been unable to settle, alternating between crying and barking at the noise.
Yes! My dog is on drugs. Because she is already high strung and it's the fourth. It takes so long to take effect we just dose her early (if we wait, it's too late)
A lot of this likely applies to dogs too, so I'll mention something a bit more specific. Fireworks prevent disabled people from going about their day to day because they scare assistance dogs.
Going to work, shopping and other necessary tasks become very difficult/impossible during these times.
I've had three animals in my life so far, and every time i've always prepared for such scared Floofs, First cat turned out to be deaf, second cat just didn't care, and dog didn't care. 🙃I mean I'm glad so tried 😅 but yeah protect the babies!
It was extremely noisy here last night, so it's fortunate that my dog is deaf and my cat has never given a rat's about fireworks or thunder. This has not been the case with other animals I've had in my life.
Thanks for posting this! My pup has been beside himself since last night. I love fireworks but I think they have a time and place. People randomly shooting them off at all hours on whatever day doesn’t help the pets. We can keep them distracted for a couple hours but more than that is just cruel
My cat always runs for cover away from windows when she hears fireworks. She was caught in Camden as a 3 year old street cat so I assume it’s instinct or learned behavior.
