by Jessi Wohlwend
Are your pets afraid of thunderstorms or fireworks? It’s fairly common for dogs to be nervous or anxious during storms, but I was surprised to find out that our cats are afraid of thunder too!
So that brings us perfectly to this month’s Caturday post: a simple solution for nervous or anxious pets who are afraid of thunderstorms.
Our cats aren’t as scared as some of the dogs I’ve known, but they are definitely pretty disconcerted whenever it starts storming outside. And we noticed it on the 4th of July too this year, what with all the fireworks.
They get antsy and jumpy, and skitter about at the slightest provocation. So we built them a little hidey-hole out of a blanket and our coffee table!
They absolutely love it! Can you see Finnegan’s little face poking out of the “entryway” there? I just threw an old blanket over our coffee table and hitched up one corner to make a space they could walk in and out through.
I think it’s pretty much true of all animals that they like to have a safe spot to call their own. Dogs may not like to be in their crate during the day because they think that you might be doing fun things without them (*gasp!*), but they will run right back into the crate as soon as they are startled by a loud noise. It’s a safe spot that is theirs and theirs alone.
Cats are the same way; they like to have a space that is theirs. And it’s even better if that space is small, dark, and fairly private.
So if you have nervous or anxious animals, grab a blanket and throw it over a small table. They will be thrilled to have a place to hide!
Or find a box, put a towel in it, and stick it in a closet. Or let them in your room to hide under the bed. Or move some chairs into a corner to create a little cave among the legs.
Just give them a “safe spot” and they’ll make it through the storm just fine 🙂
We actually leave the blanket fort up for a couple of days sometimes (usually until I get tired of how ugly it is right smack dab in the middle of the room!) and the cats love to hang out in there. It’s dark and quiet, and they are protected from the rest of the world while they’re inside.
Do your pets get nervous during thunderstorms? Where is their favorite place to hide?
Want to see the rest of the Caturday posts? Here they are!
Jen says
Nice! My cat hides out in his litterbox…
My future MIL got one of those thunderjackets for her dog because he hates storms too, and it seems to work pretty well. Doubt that would work on a cat, though!
Jessi says
I hear those jackets work really well for a lot of dogs! But yeah, probably couldn’t get on of those jackets on a cat without serious injury 🙂
Kelley says
Ahhh.. what cuties! My dogs freak OUT during thunderstorms. I wonder if they will go under a blanket fort? hmmm 🙂
The Quiet Mom says
We do not have a pet yet, but I think this is a wonderful idea!
Hopping by and following your lovely blog (FB, Twitter, G+ and Pinterest).
The Quiet Mom blogging @ How to Cook Fresh Artichoke Recipe
Charlene@APinchofJoy says
Our cat wants to be on a human when scared — maybe this would be an acceptable (to her) alternative. Great idea! Thanks so much for sharing on Busy Monday!
Caren says
This is such a smart idea. We have been having lots of storms and our cat runs under the bed. I think he would like this much better!
Thanks for linking up at The Prudent Pantry!
Betsy @ Romance on a Dime says
Haha – this is a great idea! Thanks for sharing at Romance on a dime!
Alison Marie says
Your kitties are too cute. 🙂 My mini schnauzer hates thunderstorms and gets so anxious that he gets the shakes. He likes to snuggle under a throw or hide under my sewing desk until it passes. My saint bernard seems oblivous to what’s happening and doesn’t fret.
Lauren @The Well Crafted Home says
So cute! I love the little kitty face peeking out 🙂 my pup LOVES his crate! He will go in there and sleep with the door open haha
Christine says
Jessi, this is soooo true and what a great idea!
Thanks so much for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer.. From Dream To Reality!
Katie says
Jayne doesn’t like loud noises of any kind (we sort of suspect he was raised to be a hunting dog and then turned out to be gunshy, because he freaks out when Hyphen brings out his gun). But thunderstorms mostly happen at night and apparently the safest place he can find is smack dab in the middle of the bed between us. Which is better than pacing back and forth and panting really loudly, at least. ^_^
Jayne just wants to be with his humans, but other dogs I’ve had would have loved the blanket fort idea! One of my mom’s dogs was terrified of the garbage truck, but his crate wasn’t quite safe enough because the room it was in was tiled and I think everything echoed too much. He would’ve liked a blanket fort, I bet.