Protecting your cat during firework season

10th July 2019

Around Halloween, Bonfire Night and New Year’s Eve you should take extra precautions to ensure your cat stays safe from fireworks. Cats can find fireworks frightening and the loud noises they make can lead to stress.

Take a look at our top tips to ensure your cat stays safe and secure.

Keep your cat indoors

Leading up to firework season, keep your cat indoors at night by locking the cat flap before sunset and give your cat access to a litter tray. Do this a few days in advance in case your neighbours decide to celebrate early and keep them inside for a few days after as well. If you have a Microchip Cat Flap or Pet Door Connect then you can set the door to automatically lock before sunset using the curfew mode, or lock the door remotely if you are unexpectedly late home.

Feed them earlier

Feeding them earlier than usual should tempt your cat home before it gets dark. 

Close the blinds

While it’s usually the sound of fireworks that scare cats, they might be unnerved by the sudden glow of them too. Close all curtains and blinds so your cat can’t see out.

Distract your cat

Your cat should always have access to scratching posts and their favourite toys, but if the fireworks are disturbing them, play with your cat to distract him. You could also play music or put the television on to drown out the noise outside.

Don’t restrict your cat

If your cat is used to having free access to your whole house, don’t confine them to certain areas of the home. Making too many changes to their routine will only add to their stress. Make sure they can access their favourite sleeping spots or hiding place whenever they choose.

Access to resources

Whilst confined to the indoors, make sure your cat can access their food, water and bed with ease. If you have multiple cats, be sure to provide multiple resources to avoid conflict.

Use a pheromone diffuser

If your cat gets particularly stressed by fireworks, plug in a pheromone diffuser to keep them calm.

Having a party?

Make your party a cat friendly party. Leave the loud fireworks in the shop and opt for silent fireworks and sparklers. Give your cat access to plenty of hiding spots in your home so they can hide if they’re frightened of lots of people coming in and out of the house. Make sure everyone at your party knows your cat needs to stay inside and to watch out for him trying to slip out when the back door is open. Better still, make your home a no-go zone for your party guests.