Is your cat scared of fireworks? The days before, the night itself and the day after

If your cat is scared of fireworks, act in three stages: in the days before, set up a hiding place for them and check their identification; on the night itself, bring them in before dark, close windows and curtains, put on some background noise and let them hide without ever pulling them out. The day after, keep the cat flap shut for as long as firecrackers are still going off.

How can you tell if your cat is scared of fireworks?

A cat who is scared of fireworks doesn’t necessarily tremble. Often the fear is silent: they vanish under the bed or into the back of a wardrobe, where no one can come at them from behind.

Fireworks combine everything a cat finds hard to bear: a violent, unpredictable noise with no visible source, and flashes at the windows. In France, New Year’s Eve and Bastille Day (14 July) add firecrackers on top, before and after the display.

What should you do in the days before to prepare your cat for fireworks?

The days before matter more than the night itself: a hiding place discovered while the bangs are going off is just one more unfamiliar spot. In France, start one to two weeks before 14 July or 31 December.

1. Find where they already hide. Under the bed, in a cupboard, on top of a wardrobe: that’s where they’ll go on fireworks night, so that’s where the hiding place gets set up. If it’s a cupboard, wedge the door open: they must never end up shut in.
2. Put an enclosed shelter in that spot. A bed with a single entrance that protects their back, like the single-entrance capsule bed, or a simple cardboard box lined with a throw: a cardboard box is often more reassuring than a brand-new bed.
3. Tuck in a piece of fabric that carries their scent, their old throw or a piece of clothing you’ve worn.
4. Let them adopt it on their own. A cat who is put into a shelter comes straight back out; a cat who discovers it for themselves keeps going back.

According to Cats Protection, the UK cat welfare charity, a cardboard box or a bed lined with blankets is enough, and some cats prefer to take refuge up high.

Other cats refuse single-entrance shelters: there’s no escape route. For them, a hideaway open at both ends, like the tunnel bed on wooden legs, keeps a way out: set it up in the room where they take refuge, away from the windows, curtains drawn, both ends clear. The enclosed-or-open bed test will help you decide.

If your cat goes outdoors, bring their coming-in time forward a little each day: Cats Protection recommends keeping them in from nightfall. And check their identification. In France, according to the Ministry of Agriculture (in French), it is compulsory before the age of 7 months for cats born after 1 January 2012, and an identified animal has a 40% better chance of being returned to their owner. That still depends on the number registered with I-CAD, France’s national identification database, being the right one. Rules vary from country to country, so check what applies where you live.

A cat adopts a hiding place before fireworks night, never during it.
The Pelux capsule bed has just one entrance and a flannel lining: placed where they already hide, it gives them a protected back. It doesn’t make the fear go away; it gives them a place of their own to get through it. See the capsule bed →

On fireworks night: how do you reassure your cat without forcing them?

On fireworks night, reassuring your cat is mostly about removing what worries them, not imposing your presence. The RSPCA guide, from the British animal welfare charity, boils down to a few simple steps.

• Shut everything before dark: windows, front door, cat flap. A panicking cat will find the gap you forgot.
• Draw the curtains and close the shutters: they muffle the sound a little and block out the flashes.
• Put on some background noise, the radio or TV at its usual volume: according to Cats Protection, it softens the effect of sudden bangs.
• Leave inside doors open: Cats Protection advises against shutting your cat in a single room, as they need to keep access to their usual spots.
• If they aren’t hiding, keep them busy: according to Cats Protection, a new toy can take their mind off the bangs. If they are hiding, leave them be.
• Stay at home if you can, and behave as you normally would.

Should you cuddle them or ignore their fear? Online guides contradict each other; Cats Protection’s answer is simple. Give them space by default, and if they come to you for contact, there’s no harm in giving it. It’s their call.

Two things never to do. Never pull them out of their hiding place, even to check they’re all right: a glance is enough. And never punish them, whether for peeing outside the litter tray or for a swipe of the claws, as the RSPCA points out.

New Year’s Eve or Bastille Day: what changes for your cat?

New Year’s Eve and Bastille Day pose the same noise problem, but not in the same conditions: in winter, the danger comes from the party indoors; in summer, from open windows.

On 31 December, warn your guests: the door gets shut behind every one of them, and nobody goes to fetch the cat to show everyone. Cats Protection advises against shutting them in; if the party makes it unavoidable, choose the room where they already take refuge, with water and a litter tray. On 14 July, air the place thoroughly during the day, while the neighbourhood is quiet, and close up before dark.

The day after the fireworks: a cat in hiding or a cat on the loose?

The day after the fireworks, a cat who stayed hidden all night comes out in their own time. Let them: food and water close by, litter tray within reach, the usual routine. The RSPCA advises offering their favourite food once things have calmed down.

Don’t reopen the cat flap straight away. On 1 January, as on 15 July, stray firecrackers still go off, and a cat on edge who hears one outside doesn’t come home: they run. Wait for one or two quiet evenings. If yours doesn’t lock, the 4-way locking cat flap can be set to entry only: they can come in, but not go back out.

If your cat has got out, search very close to home first. A frightened cat crouches silently under a car or in a hedge and won’t answer to their name: the steps for finding a frightened cat apply here. At the same time:

1. Report them missing on the I-CAD database (in France), then found once they’re back, as the Ministry of Agriculture reminds owners.
2. Let local vet practices know, along with your town hall, which runs the pound in France.
3. Search early in the morning or at dusk, when the neighbourhood is quiet, and put up a clear photo in the nearby streets.

When should you see a vet about a cat scared of fireworks?

On fireworks night or the day after, call your vet or the out-of-hours vet straight away if your cat is panting or breathing with their mouth open, if they’ve hurt themselves, or if they strain in the litter tray without passing urine.

According to the PDSA, the British veterinary charity, a cat who pants or breathes through their mouth is either extremely stressed or struggling to breathe: either way, you call. The Cornell Feline Health Center regards urinary blockage as a true emergency, one that can kill in less than 24 to 48 hours.

If they haven’t eaten anything at all for 24 hours, call as well: according to the Cornell Feline Health Center, going 24 hours without food can be enough to seriously harm an adult cat’s health.

Book an appointment well before the fireworks if your cat has had a bad time with previous ones: an injury while fleeing, a whole night in hiding without eating or drinking, accidents around the house in the days that followed. Cats Protection advises talking to your vet as early as possible; in practice, from November for New Year’s Eve and from June for Bastille Day.

An honest caveat: no bed makes the fear of fireworks disappear; it simply gives the cat a familiar place to get through it. A cat whose fear gets worse from one year to the next needs a vet’s opinion, not one more hiding place.

Frequently asked questions

Can you get a cat used to the sound of fireworks?

Yes, but not the week before. According to the PDSA, you play recordings of bangs at a very low volume, stop at the slightest reaction and only turn the sound up in small steps: allow several weeks, even several months. Go too fast and the sound may make the fear worse. After a first panic, this work should be done with your vet or a behaviourist.

Can you leave your cat alone on New Year’s Eve?

Best avoided: the RSPCA recommends not leaving a cat alone during fireworks whenever possible. If you have to go out, get everything ready beforehand: cat indoors, windows and cat flap shut, curtains drawn, radio on, water and litter tray within reach, hiding place clear.

Should you give your cat something to calm them on fireworks night?

Don’t give them anything on your own initiative, whether a product meant for humans or one intended for dogs. If you think they need help, talk to your vet several weeks before the date: only your vet can judge whether a solution suits your cat, and when to start it.

My cat has never been scared of fireworks: should I still close the windows?

Yes. A cat who was unbothered in previous years can startle at a bang closer than the others, and an open window is then all it takes to lose them. Closing the exits at nightfall costs nothing.

Key takeaways

• A cat scared of fireworks needs a hiding place they have adopted one to two weeks beforehand, set up where they already hide.
• On fireworks night, shut windows, doors and the cat flap before dark, draw the curtains, put on background noise, never pull the cat out of their hiding place and, as the RSPCA says, never punish them.
• On the night itself and the day after, call the vet straight away if your cat pants with their mouth open or strains in the litter tray without passing urine, and once they have gone 24 hours without eating.
• The day after, the cat flap stays shut for as long as firecrackers are going off, and a cat who has got out is reported missing on the I-CAD database (in France).