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10 tips to protect pets and keep them calm during July 4 fireworks

Fireworks displays often frighten pets and lead to a spike in runaways this time of year. Experts share smart tips to keep your pets safe during the July Fourth holiday.
/ Source: TODAY

As the U.S. prepares to celebrate the Fourth of July, there are some who are less enthusiastic about all the pomp and circumstance: pets.

With each sizzle, pop and boom of a dazzling and people-pleasing fireworks display, your cat or dog may quiver, cower or even run away from the shock and stress of it all.

“The Fourth really can be a scary day for all animals,” certified pet trainer Nicole Ellis tells TODAY.com. “Owners may think their dog will be fine, but it’s best to be prepared.”

The terrified-pet scenario will repeat itself millions of times across the U.S. this weekend. In fact, animal control officials nationwide expect to take in 30% to 60% more pets than normal between July 4 and July 6, according to the online lost-pet finder system PetAmberAlert.com.

“It’s no myth that fireworks startle pets,” Emily Weiss, vice president of research and development at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, told TODAY.com.

A certified applied animal behaviorist, she said the nonprofit’s own extensive research couldn’t confirm such high numbers. However, when analyzing its own shelter statistics, ASPCA found a slight increase in dogs going into shelters during July, but not so for cats.

She added that 1 in 5 lost pets goes missing from being scared by the sound of loud noises.

Pet-loss experts recommend that all animals — in addition to being microchipped — wear collars and tags with a name and phone number. Owners should be prepared with a current frontal photo of the pet to share on fliers and social media in case of loss.

Weiss said ASPCA offers a free mobile pet safety app for lost pets, disaster prep and emergency alerts. You can even build a lost pet digital flyer that can be shared instantly on your social media channels.

A scared-looking dog lies down in his bed, looking out.
Experts are sharing ways to help your pooch keep calm when they're spooked by fireworks.Devon OpdenDries. / Getty Images

For dogs: Be a dogged caretaker

Because canine hearing is sensitive — they hear approximately four times better than humans, and can tune in to a larger range of frequencies — fireworks can be particularly upsetting to dogs. They also use 18 muscles to facilitate “all around” movement of the ears.

“Even in a gated, fenced yard, a scared dog can jump a fence or dig and crawl under it,” Ellis told TODAY.com. “Remember that activities take place all day long, so don’t bring dogs to busy beach barbecues or pool parties. They can get into alcoholic drinks and food on the grill, where they can eat harmful scraps likes bones.”

She recommend these safeguards for canine companions:

1. Stay calm. Dogs notice our body language. Startle at fireworks and your dog will, too.

2. Wear them out. Take your dog for a long walk before festivities begin to tire and calm them. Mental games will mellow them out when fireworks start popping.

3. Distract them. Redirect attention by throwing their favorite ball so he associates noises with something positive like playing.

4: Let them be. If your dog runs and hides, don’t force them to get used to the sounds. You’ll aggravate them or incite aggressive behavior.

5: Try a ThunderShirt. These anxiety vests safely provide a calming, snug fit to relax your canine during storms or fireworks.

6: Close ‘em up: Double-check that doors, windows and backyard gates are secured before fireworks. Close curtains and blinds to block flashing lights.

For cats: Nip anxiety in the bud

“A cat’s sense of hearing is very sharp, and we hear less than one-third of what they do,” Jackson Galaxy, an animal behaviorist and host of Animal Planet’s “My Cat from Hell,” told TODAY.com.

To compensate for the din of fireworks, the “Cat Daddy” suggests taking these steps:

1. Build a base camp: You really already have a “panic room,” like your master bedroom with all your cat’s belongings, including cat condos and things that smell like him — called scent soakers — or smell like the familiar you. Cats transfer their scents to the soakers, like fleece beds or rugs, that feel like “home.”

2. Keep kitty close: You wouldn’t dare let a cat outside during this time, so control the environment and don’t let them roam around the house. Then turn on a low level of “hum,” like TV news or talk radio, to mitigate the overbearing volume outside.

3. Block the entrance: Cats like small spaces, true. They lose confidence, though, when they make themselves smaller to “shrink” into an enclosed space because they’re scared, Galaxy says. Instead, offer alternative places to burrow like cat beds, cocoons or a blanket folded into a doughnut-like shape.

“When you worry because they’re scared, you can still ask them to meet the challenge of going where you want them to go,” he said. “It’s much better for them to step up than for you to let them curl up and pray the noise is going to end.”

4. Stay the course: Take a July Fourth — Why not this one? — and stay home with your cat to help him through the upset. “It’s training that you control that sets ‘a moment’ for the rest of their lives,” Galaxy said. He also recommends his popular Spirit Essences, holistic flower essence remedies developed by a veterinarian that include “Stress Stopper” and “Scaredy Cat” formulas for anxiety and fear.

This article was originally published in 2016.