As the festival season comes with a bang, here is what pet parents and caretakers of strays can do to help their four-legged friends through the trauma of noise
Turn corners and under-furniture areas into hiding spaces for your pets where they can seek shelter from the noise
Avoid the bow-ows
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The high-decibel and sudden bursts of firecrackers startle animals causing confusion and triggering anxiety and stress levels to rise. Tulika Kapur, a certified canine trainer and founder of Doo The Woof, lists signs of stress to watch out for in canines which include excessive panting, yawning without being tired, change in water intake, sniffing at the ground at nothing, and refusal to eat favourite foods. Well-trained dogs could urinate or excrete in the house due to stress. An unsettled dog could mean an activated flight mode.
Calm before the storm
. As a precautionary measure, walk and play with your dog to tire them out so that they’re less reactive to loud noises.
. Prepare activities in advance to keep your dog busy; this includes things to chew, bite, lick, paper to shred as distractions.
. Make hiding spots accessible at home.
. Caretakers of strays can feed them earlier, before the fireworks begin.
. Take a census in case cats or dogs run away and cannot be located. You can also add a tag or collar with the location that the stray belongs to.
Combat the noise
. Shut the curtains to remove visual cues, and close the windows to keep the smoke out.
. Play calming music meant for cats and dogs in the foreground to drown the bursts in the background.
. Don’t react to the crackers or over-protect your pet. We don’t want the dog to feed off your nervous energy.
. Use anti-anxiety ear muffs for your pet, if possible.
No meows
Amanda Tong, founder of The Animal Behaviour Academy, who holds an MSc in Clinical Animal Behaviour, notes that a cat’s hearing is adapted to high-pitched sounds which makes smaller rockets that start with a whistle and end with a bang alarming. The triggered response to loud noises for a cat is running and hiding as they create confusion and can be perceived as a threat to their life. Make sure you create hiding spots with suitcases, boxes, corners, or under furniture. Keep food, water, and boxes to hide in before firecrackers are lit so that cats know they have a safe space to run to when scared. Tong advises against prying into this space to pet, talk to or touch the cat. Be patient and allow the cat to calm down.
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