Animals & The 4th of July Holiday

Friday is just around the corner and if your neighborhood is anything like mine, the fireworks have already begun.  And will probably go on all week end.  I wrote a post earlier in the week about keeping your animals safe and comfortable in the heat and noise.  The highlights bear repeating.  To keep your animal friends safe and comfortable this holiday:

• Try to walk your dog in daylight hours before the fireworks start. 

• Keep them indoors with cat/dog  flap or gate shut.  If your dog needs to go out doors, go out with them to help them feel more secure.  Keep  cat litter pan available. 

• Draw the curtains to avoid startling from sudden flashes. 

• Toys are a good distraction and keep your pet occupied.  And TV or music will help to distract and take emphasis off the noise outside. 

• Make safe hiding places, or dens with blankets and bedding to help muffle the noise. 

• If your animals are hiding indoors, don't try to lure them out.  Just leave them be. 

• Try to act normal  if your animal is stressed so as not to reinforce their fear.

• Make sure there is plenty of food and water on hand for your animal, and that your house doesn't get too hot and stuffy indoors.

Most animals recover pretty quickly after the holiday is over.  Our cat Buddy took a full month to recover after the 4th, the first year he came to live with us.  Now, he goes into hiding during the noise, but comes out when it's over.  He's still stressed over it, but he knows he's safe with his family, and we give him his space and don't fuss over him.

Often he slinks from one hiding place to another.  Movement is fine.  If an animal can't calm down, moving around will help them to use up the extra adrenaline.  Eating helps some animals, playing helps others, and some just want to hunker down and sleep if they can.  Let your animal decide for itself how it want to handle this stress.

It's natural to feel for our animal friends and try to "help" them through a stressful time.  The best help you can be is not to focus too much attention on your animal.  Just knowing you're nearby is enough, and the more normal you act, the more relaxed and comfortable they will be.

Here's to a safe & happy 4th of July celebration!