Dogs and Cats

Dogs and cats are obviously what people think of when it comes to protecting your pets from firework frights. Not all animals’ exhibit signs of fear but sadly this doesn’t mean that they are not anxious or stressed. For dogs things such as excessive panting or yawning could be indicators of tension in your pet.

Here we’ve put together a quick list of dos and don’ts to make sure that you’ve done everything you can.

DO
* Keep your animals inside in a quiet room where the curtains, windows and doors have been closed.
* Block off cat flaps so that startled animals cannot escape.
* Put on music, the TV or radio as a distractive and comforting noise for your animals. Not too loud but enough to mask some of the quieter sounds.
* Make sure that your animals are wearing identification or have been micro chipped so that if they do escape they have a better chance of getting home again.
* Set up a hiding space for your animals. Somewhere warm and comfortable, filled with blankets they can hide under and an unwashed item of your clothing so they can smell you.

* Make sure this is set up weeks in advance of bonfire night so that they have time to grow accustomed to it.
* Reward calm behaviour and ignore frightened behaviour.
* Stay with your animals and stay calm, that way they’ll realise that nothing out of the ordinary is going to happen.
* Make sure you’re pets have gone out to the toilet before ‘locking’ them in: provide a litter tray for cats.

DON’T
* Walk your dog during prime firework time. Walk them early instead
* Take your dog to firework display, whether they seem to be fine or not.
* Don’t take your dog to the shops with you or tie them up outside a shop front while there’s a risk of fireworks
* Similarly don’t leave them in the car.
* If your pet displays anxious, destructive or agitated behaviour do not shout at it as this will only confirm that something bad may potentially happen. Reward good behaviour.
* Leave your pets unattended for long periods of time on firework evenings.