Festive Fireworks and Why Your Cat Hates Them

Festive Fireworks and Why Your Cat Hates Them

Tis the season for fireworks and festive displays. Sparkly, colourful and exciting. But for your cat… it can be downright terrifying.

The good news is, that with a bit of preparation and understanding of your feline friend, you can make fireworks season a lot less stressful for them.

🎆Why Fireworks Scare Cats

Cats’ senses are much more sensitive than ours.

They hear higher frequencies such as ultrasonic sounds like a mouse or insect from a far and have 30 different muscles in their ear so that they can pinpoint the sound and detect tiny differences in frequency. Us humans have a meek, 6, ear muscles and listen to a much smaller frequency range.

So, imagine if a cat can hear a fly farting, what something like the vacuum cleaner or fireworks sounds like?

The loud bangs and sudden flashes of light can be very confusing for cats because they don’t understand what’s happening. They just hear loud, unpredictable noises, bright flashes, maybe smell something weird, and fear a potential threat.

😿Signs Your Cat Might Be Scared

You might notice your cat doing one or multiple of the following:

Hiding behind or on top of furniture, in the wardrobe or into the abyss (that place only

they know exists and no matter how hard you try to find them, you can’t. And then they just randomly are back in the middle of the room and you’re scratching your head thinking “Where the heck were you!?”.

Trying to escape or run away, not clearly knowing where they are going but they are in ‘flight’ mode because no one wants to ‘fight’ a firework.

Going to the toilet but not in the toilet – stress urination or defecation can be common for some cats during extremely stressful situations, and it’s not nice for us who must clean it up either.

Refusing to eat – many cats will not eat in stressful situations such as being in hospital, a new home, or in this case, surrounded by a scary firework show.

All of these are normal fear responses, so the last thing we should be doing is dragging them from their hiding place, trying to make them eat, or getting upset because they pooped on the shaggy rug. We need to understand them and help them be more comfortable during such times.

🛠️Preparing for Fireworks Season

When this season comes around, we generally know when to expect fireworks. If not, you can easily look up when they are on and where at www.worksafe.wa.gov.au, to see if you need to ‘panic-proof’ your home. Think of this as getting your home ready for a nervous furry guest.

Check your cat’s microchip details are up to date – just in case they bolt in panic and end up hiding in a bush somewhere.

Find out when local fireworks displays are planned so you can be prepared.

Have curtains or blinds over the windows ready to block out the flashes of fireworks.

🧘‍♂️How to Keep Your Cat Calm on Fireworks Nights

Your mission: Help your cat survive the Terrifying Big Sky Booms!

🌙Create a Safe Vibe

Close the curtains or blinds and turn on lights to mask the flashing of fireworks.

Create a cozy den – a dark, comfy hidey-hole for them to hide in during the scariest parts. It can be somewhere they frequently go, just make it cosier and darker so they feel safe.

Add a litter tray nearby – especially important if they normally toilet outdoors. Each cat needs their own tray (plus a spare as always).

🎶Set the Mood

Play some background noise such as some calming music like lo-fi, with some kind of chill bass or even cat music. You can find cat music on YouTube quite easily.
It is a good idea to introduce music a few weeks earlier if you don’t already regularly play music, so that it is not a sudden change during this stressful time.

😺Cool, Calm and Collected

Diffusers or sprays such as Feliway or Feliway Friends can help your cat feel more secure. Plug them in a few weeks before firework season begins and keep them running throughout. If using a spray, be sure to spray items away from them so they don’t feel threatened and let it air for 10mins before putting it in their hidey-hole.

Consider calming supplements or herbal remedies

Supplements such as Zylkene can be used to take the ‘edge’ off such events. Be sure to start using this at least a day or two prior to have the full effect. It can also be used long term.
- Feliway Happy Snacks are also a great way to keep your kitty occupied whilst also giving a calming effect. With Alpha-Casozepine, which is scientifically proven to help comfort, calm and relax cats, 86% of cats will respond to this ingredient.
- Cat nip can also be great if your cat vibes with it to ‘chill them out’. Some cats will dive into it and roll around, others will sit there looking like they are in another world, and some just do not care for it one bit.

💛Emotional Support

Stick to your normal routine – it is enough having the fireworks, let’s not mess with their tiny brains by changing our routine too!

Cats + routine = content 🐱

Offer comfort, but on their terms (obviously!). If they come asking for cuddles, give them cuddles. If they want some alone time, respect it, but don’t go disappearing on them.

Don’t confine them to a room or area. It might seem ideal to you, but for them, it could make them feel trapped and stress them out even more. Give them free range like usual, being sure to block off any unsafe areas or places you don’t wish them to hide.

Unsafe areas can include outside – if your cat has access outdoors, they can spook very easily, so it could be ideal to start bringing them inside earlier leading up to fireworks time. This could include making their dinner time (or snack time) a little earlier to get a routine going.

If you have other pets, monitor their interactions. A stressed-out cat can get angry and/or defensive. We could interpret this as aggression. They are just terrified and defending themselves from the overwhelming situation at hand.

Don’t punish them if they react in fear, even if they poop on the carpet. It is a fear reaction and punishing them or freaking out yourself, will stress them out even more.

If your cat remains extremely anxious despite all these steps, talk to your vet well before fireworks season – medication may help in severe cases.

🔊Desensitising your cat (Training them not to freak out)

You CAN teach your cat that fireworks aren’t terrifying, it just takes patience.

Play firework sounds very quietly through a speaker
Watch calmly for signs of stress (wide pupils, whale-eyeing (seeing the white parts of the eye), skulking around, airplane ears, “I’m out of here” moments).
If they react, STOP. Try again tomorrow, even quieter.
If they stay chill and calm, keep the session short.
Repeat for several days. Only increase the volume when they’re totally unbothered.

💡Remember: This takes weeks or even months – don’t rush it. Go back a step if they start showing signs of stress.

🍗Make Fireworks = Treat Time

Once they’re unfazed:

Turn on firework sound – Give treat – Turn sound off.
Eventually your cat will hear firework booms and think:💡“Oh good, snacks!”

💊 Can My Vet Prescribe Something?

Yes! If your cat is genuinely terrified and nothing else helps, your vet may prescribe short-term meds to help them relax.
Plan ahead – firework season sneaks up fast.

💡Final Thoughts

Fireworks season doesn’t have to be a nightmare for cats. With a bit of knowledge and preparation at home, you can make your cat much more comfortable.

Watch out for those subtle signs of anxiety and fright, take things ever so slowly, and if you need extra help, speak with your vet 😊

Your cat will thank you. Probably by emerging from under the bed just that little bit sooner and not pooping on your shaggy rug.