If you’re spending the 4th of July with cats, good for you – and your kitties! This holiday is one of the more stressful ones for our kitties, so it’s important that we help alleviate the anxiety of all the big booms. We used to go out with friends and celebrate – until we realized how scared our cats were at home. Now we celebrate with our cats.
Cats aren’t fans of sudden, loud noises. Their keen ears will hear the fireworks from miles away and this increases their cortisol (stress hormones). If you’ve ever spent the 4th of July with your cats, you’ve probably noticed how they run and hide at these noises. Each cat reacts differently to stress, so here are some tips about how to help keep your cat calm for Independence Day.
Tips For The 4th Of July With Cats
- Keep your cats inside. If you have indoor/outdoor kitties, it’s important to bring them in before the fireworks start – sometimes this is days before the holiday! This will keep them safe and allow you control over helping their stress.
- Play calming music. We always have calm music playing in our home, but for the holiday we crank the music up a little. This will help relieve both you and your cat’s stress as well as drown out some of the noises.
- Make new safe spaces for them. Give your cat vertical spaces, boxes and other places to retreat to safely when they get spooked by the sounds.
- Exercise your cat. Guys, exercise is one of the best natural ways to reduce stress. Before the fireworks begin, spend 20-30 minutes engaging in serious playtime with your kitties. This will help reduce anxiety, release toxins and hopefully tire them out a bit as well. They may even be able to sleep through the chaos!
- Use natural calming formulas. This is a big one – and a life saver for us each year. Adding a calming formula to the food can really help take the edge off your cats. Stay away from the chemical meds… go natural.
- Stay calm. It’s scientifically proven that cats carry the stress of their owner, so it is important that you don’t let the holiday freak you out either!
Some of our friends think we’re missing out by staying in on this holiday – but appreciating our cats perspective and being here with them is now our favorite way to celebrate!
Natural Calming Formula for Cats
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