Bonfire Night

[Jugglering]

Given that Bonfire Night is on a Wednesday this year and that will probably mean a whole week of two scared wee thugs, has anyone any advice for me on preventing meltdown in the J household ?

I've bought some Johnson's Calm-eze tablets in advance, just in case and was wondering about getting some tablets from the vets but a week seems a long time to sedate two normally active furry felines....

[ruthann58]

hi i always get mine in before it gets dark once it gets close to november get the curtains drawn and radio or tele on really loud so theycant hear or see them we have a horse as well so we put the outside lights on so the flashes are not so bad he is not to bothered by the bangs as long as they are not to close if they are close i stand outside with him i just pray for a mild few nights i wish they would ban them for public sale, so that there would only be organised displays at least we would all know when they are going on

[Jugglering]

Totally agree there Ruthann - I wish there were only the public displays on the night in question. The number of ghastly accidents that happen when non-trained folk get together with fireworks is just incredible, but it still seems to continue, year after year.

[bensmum]

I would go along with the advice to draw the curtains, keep the lights on, lock the doors and make sure they have somewhere they feel safe to run to if they need to. My old lady is deaf so she is not bothered by noise but having the lights on means she can't see the flashes. The younger cat just grumbles and takes herself off to bed. I make sure I am with them to settle them if necessary. As you say it's the idiots who cause a problem and they seem to go on for weeks these days.

[garner]

I agree with ruthanne I wish they would only have council displays on one night.I have three cats and two dogs and I know we will be in for a right old time.They are all oldies now and one of my dogs has very poor hearing but they are very upset with the bangs, two of my cats go upstairs in hiding and the other one goes behind the settee.I have tried numerous things from my vets but nothing works apart from sedation.Only did that once, said we would never do it again ,it was terrible seeing them [doped up].We put our television on very loud which helps, but the bangers these days sound like a war zone don't they?

[Jugglering]

Last year I cat sat my neighbours cats (she was away on holiday) and I had her two seriously frightened wee thugs snuggled into my lap for quite a few hours... I could feel them trembling, poor little souls, so I just put some music on the hifi (in neighbours house) and sat on the sofa, cuddling the cats... until everything died down. Now, I have two of my own wee darlings to contend with... I am dreading it ! On their behalf of course - should I drug them up/down or just ensure that we all go to a quiet bedroom and snooze the week away ?

[tigerlily11]

I can't understand Guy Fawkes night myself. Only in England would we be celebrating the day we exicuted a loser.
It should be kept to public displays and lets find another reason to do it.
A celebration of life rather than some ones death.
Unfortunatly there isn't much you can do for the poor animals at this time, except hope that it's over quickly.

[garner]

Well with mine being old now I would not risk sedation at all, but it's not nice Jugglering seeing an animal in that state, infact it upset us so much.I would rather put up with the loud telly and cuddles ect. Alot of people say you should ignore them when they get worked up but that is easier said then done.

[Jugglering]

There is no way I can ignore my two thugs if they are in a state... unless I pretend to be dead or not here ! They are my life and joy right now and I don't want them to be upset full stop. (All pet owners will understand what I'm on about, I am sure lol)...

[tigerlily11]

I'm lucky my good old dog Isn't fazed by much. He has never been bothered by thunder or fire works but good grief if I put my coat on to go out the front door he's a nervous wreck.
My mums old dog used to hide under the sofa at the first flash of lightening or the sound of a car back firering and sob like a baby.

[toby99]

Have you tried Feliway? You can buy plug in devices or sprays. I have the plug in and found it fantastic.
I noticed the effect immediately even though it states it may take a week to one month. I brought it because one of my cats was particularly aggressive and stressed. He has now settled, become much happier and he has stopped fighting with the other cats. It may be worth reading up on it to see if it could help in your situation.

[terambulan]

Using my dogs as foot-rests seems to calm them

[Jugglering]

Thanks Toby... I shall do some research into that !

Terambulan... are you kidding ? Ahhhh, just noticed - you said dogs... so one under each foot then ? lol I doubt somehow if my two thugs would be suitable for this use - one is three times the size of the other !

[dot.hawkes]

my vet has given me some phenobarbatol for my oldest dog Bingo

[Jugglering]

Thanks Dot.. As I mentioned, I did wonder about getting a sedative from the vets but was reluctant to give my two thugs a whole raft of sedatives for about a week.... I might well get a few of those in *just in case* the noise gets really loud on Wednesday night though....

[wolf63]

Prior to being adopted by my current master and mistress I had dogs. None of them have been in the least bit scared of fireworks - and I live close to where they have the main city display.

Once you have worked out what to do try and forget about it - your anxieties could make both of your thugs anxious. Get them high on cat nip and tuna and put the TV on.

Last year my two sat at the window and watched the fireworks. Maybe they were stoned on cat nip at the time.

Good luck to mummy J, little J thug and big J thug.

[Jugglering]

Thanks Wolf - I have plenty of catnip for Big Thug to go totally bonkers on.... Wee Thug doesn't really like it that much (she prefers hunting and eating lol) but thanks for the ideas there ! Now, is it ok to keep a cat in la la land for a week lol ?

[originalspa]

I must be really lucky as my two don't mind the fireworks!!

I''ve had them for almost a year and I live in East London so we get fireworks for things like Eid, Diwali and sometimes just ramdomly!!

We live near the park where they have organised fireworks and you always hear them from the back garden as well and believe it or not, they actually like seeing the lights as we often leave the curtains undone, especially in the bedroom where they just sit on the bed looking out the window with us!!

Sad but true!!

[Jugglering]

lol... my two thugs go bonkers when they even have a hint of something strange.. like a fly or a moth.... We've had big fisticuffs these evening because a fly (nasty horrible critter) has been roaming around the lounge and Ruby the Chief Fly Catcher has not yet managed to bring it down... Floss has been looking on at the entertainment, slightly amused of course, but always ready to thump wee Rascal if she can get away with it...