The Fourth of July weekend is a favorite time for families to travel. I get so busy with my cat sitting duties over the weekend that I get exhausted and, for years now, I have fallen asleep before the city fireworks begin and the sound doesn't even wake me. Unfortunately, the kitties I care for are not so lucky. They are terrified of the pops, whizzes and bangs. My cat, Ticaboo, is beside herself when the celebration starts. She begs to go to the basement (usually off limits to her) where she crawls up between the ceiling tiles and ceiling through a small opening. She stays there until the night quiets down. We make an exception on that night and let her go downstairs to hide.
We can't curb all of our travels for our cat's benefit, but there are a couple of things you can do to give your kitties a greater sense of security. First of all, if they have a favorite hiding place, be sure to give them full access to it. You may even make it more comforting to them. Put a wind up ticking clock in with them. Put extra blankets and cushions to muffle outside sounds in that space. Put water and food nearby so that they can eat and drink without having to go out to the scary places.
I also like to leave the stereo on a nice classical or soft jazz station. Having the background noises smoothes out the lower decibel intrusions. I leave the volume up a little louder than I would for my own enjoyment. It doesn't solve everything, but it helps a little.
One of my clients recently told me that one of her kitties suffers greatly during the noisy time and hides on a shelf in her closet. Her other kitty insists on sitting on the balcony to watch the fireworks. Go figure. I hope you and your kitties have a wonderful Fourth of July.
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