Guy Fawkes is here again

[Toddy]

Well, the kids seem to think so, the number of fireworks going off is increasing and my cat and the neighbourhood dogs are terrified again. Right now my cat is cooried down in the bottom drawer of my desk under my jumper

I tried tablets from the vet for the neighbours dogs when my sons had fireworks, but the pills knocked them out so successfully the dogs had to be carried out for their late night
piddle and barely woke up for lunch

Any ideas on how to calm down a moggie who's going spare ? and there's still nearly a week to go

cheers,
Toddy

[alpha_centaur]

Rescue Remedy

[British Red]

Have you tried conditioning?

The gamekeepers dogs here fall asleep on bonfire night and don't cock an ear (all four of them).

But then they are used to shooting and loud bangs as gun dogs should be. I was out in the shed a while ago gathering a bottle or three and the barn cat cocked a sleepy eye and curled up again on his pile of old sheepskins.

I guess if they never hear a bang for one year to the next its freakier than animals that live around bangs and tractors andclanging combines.

Red

[Sniper]

My wee yorkie is the same Toddy, she's a complete nervous wreck at this time of year, she does'nt even want to go out for her needs and starts leaving little messages on the carpet she's so scared, the poor wee mite. I've even tried doggy tranquilisers but it just folds her up with the same result and I don't like doping her to be honest. I'm at my wit's end and no idea what to do for the best.

[Toddy]

Last year I sat with her on my lap and played AC/DC really loud for hours.............well it got her through Guy Fawkes night but the fireworks go on for weeks nowadays, and even I have my limits on the heavy rock.

How does this Rescue Remedy stuff work ?

cheers,
Toddy

[snoop Ex member]

1st & foremost...pets feed of our own anxieties*.... if u relax & dont respond they wont...95 % of time... next as has been said get them used to it...when noise happens dont jump or make anything of it...same when it thunders just ignore them...it's only because you have made such a fuss about it that they behave that way...


REMEMBER dogs live for today...they have no history...so u react to something they will...u be calm they will be

[hammock monkey]

really annoys me that fireworks are even legal for the average person off the street - i say go and buy some from the local dodgy corner shop and let them off outside, scaring the customers away....every bloody night until they stop selling em...

kids around here let them off up the street, gets my blood up that parents effectively let their kids play with explosives like that....crazy.

In a health and safety mad place like the UK how the hell they can justify fireworks i just dont know...

[Toddy]

1st & foremost...pets feed of our own anxieties*.... if u relax & dont respond they wont...95 % of time... next as has been said get them used to it...when noise happens dont jump or make anything of it...same when it thunders just ignore them...it's only because you have made such a fuss about it that they behave that way...


REMEMBER dogs live for today...they have no history...so u react to something they will...u be calm they will be

I'm not a fuss pot of a female, a crying child will be picked up, cuddled, checked over, cleaned up and put back.........a terrified moggy given somewhere to hide in peace, except my rather standoffish cat came to me, and wanted to hide on my lap, last year and it looks like this one will be the same.

I do take your point BR, but there aren't normally explosives going off at all hours in Central Scotland, we're quite peaceful, honest , and other than a daily dose of fireworks the best I could come up with was loud music.
From the comments and my pm box it seems I'm not the only one with a frightened pet...........and I like fireworks Makes you wonder what it does to traumatise the small wild life though.........the birds roosting in trees and the like.

cheers,
Toddy

[sapper1]

Toddy, do you think playing AC/DC really loud for hours might have had the same effect on your neighbours that fireworks have on your cat?I'm an AC/DC afficionado but my neighbours are'nt.

[Toddy]

Welll......it was cold and the windows and doors were closed, hopefully that contained the noise........I did wish I could just plug the cat into my ipod at one point though

What's the bit of classical music with the cannon firing sort of theme ? That might do as a conditioning

cheers,
Toddy

[sapper1]

Try the 1812 0verture or mars the bringer of war by Holst lots of well spaced and different volumes of bang in these two. And if I were you I'd get another post in quick to change that post count ,it looks a bit scary to me.

[Toddy]

I see what you mean

Hadn't thought of Holst............and I've got that somewhere in the stacks Tchaikovsky was the one I was thinking of........ought to have it somewhere too did they not record that one recently complete with cannons ?

cheers,
Toddy

[sapper1]

Yes the 1812 overture is the one with live canons another good one is Firestarter by the Prodigy also Born slippy by Nuxx.

[Andyre]

How does this Rescue Remedy stuff work ?
Toddy

Its a herbal mixture, you can get it from good chemists.
Up until Aug we had an old dog who suffered from canine alzheimer's we used to spray rescue remedy in his mouth as he started to have a panic attack and it would normally calm him down in a few minutes, just keep in mind its not cheap

[BorderReiver]

DAP

This stuff is the latest thing in cat and dog stress relief. It uses the pheromones given off by nursing cats/dogs.

Music doesn't have to be loud as long as there is a regular drum beat.

Had my dog at the vet for his boosters this morning and I was reading the posters in the waiting room.

[jojo]

When she was alive, our lurcher Gypsy was terrified of the fireworks an she never was cured of it, the poor dog. The damn things go off for weeks here, we get sick and tired of it, it's a pain in the rear end.

[British Red]

I was wondering if you could fabricate a soundproof cat basket Toddy? Our feral barn has a nest of old skins he crawls into and likes (although thats probably for warmth). Still he's not averse to being in a "nest". A soundproofed one should cure the problem?

Red

[Rhoda]

Rescue Remedy is great, you can get it from Boots or any chemist now I think. Gave it to my cat when he was ill and had to make several long car journeys to the vet hospital. He is terrified of being in the car. My neighbour recommended rescue remedy and a few drops behind his ear or on his nose so he licked it made him drop off to sleep - totally chilled out.
The great thing is that it works for humans too so whenever you are stressed or upset a few drops will make it all seem much easier to deal with!

[gregorach]

Its a herbal mixture, you can get it from good chemists.
Up until Aug we had an old dog who suffered from canine alzheimer's we used to spray rescue remedy in his mouth as he started to have a panic attack and it would normally calm him down in a few minutes, just keep in mind its not cheap

It's a herbal mixture - in brandy.

[Andyre]

It's a herbal mixture - in brandy.

Ahh that explains why the wife kept buying it.
Good job i am at work and she cant see this.

[Andyre]

Just found this may be of use.

http://www.dogclub.co.uk/advice/fireworks.php

[xylaria]

Valerian root has a a very profound effect on cats, they become very chilled out and purry. It grows like weed in my garden and if leave a piece of root on the ground after weeding I get the local feral cat population coming over for what after three hours off rolling on the root turns into an orgy. A useful spell to be able to herd cats.

My cat isn't bothered by fireworks, but then he has had such bad ears since he was rescued he maybe deaf he is also too stupid to be scared of loud bangs. Getting animals used to them works very well , as british red said gun dogs have to be habitualized to bangs.

[WolfCub]

Our lab/collie cross has had problems with it for the last four years, he's now 9. He's grown up going out with me with the 12 bore and .22. Also regular visits to in-laws farm where a local g/smith and clay pigeon instructor has regular 'tests' and sessions. Oh and we live very close to an RAF training base who have their firing range !

Was never a problem till b/fire 'season' 4 or 5 years ago ? Suddenly all quivery and tail tucked , folowing me everywhere !

Talking to the person I buy fireworks off he said around that time an importer had brought in some 'over the top' goods and some had reached our area before they were picked up on. (?)
Also some local teens were letting a lot off round our streets, all within about 100m of our house. I managed to have a friendly (honest !) word with a couple of them. They didn't stop but did move further away from the houses.

I'm guesing that around that time the volume, pitch or closenes unsettled the dog and unfortunately he hasn't realy got over it ?

What seems to help him the most is putting his sleeping pad under the bed directly below where I sleep, this is where we generally find him if he's unhappy or unwell. (Ofcourse we then have to convince him afterwards that this is not a permanant arrangement !! )