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Thunderstorms can be extremely stressful for cats. While cats may not show their fear in rather the exact same method as dogs (in serious situations of thunderstorm anxiety, panicking dogs have been understood to ruin furniture, jump with windows or otherwise damage themselves during storms,) they may still ended up being extremely anxious.
Behaviorists are not sure which part of the storm frightens pets the most – the lightning flashes as well as thunder, the winds blowing around the home or the noise of rain hitting the roof. Some pets even show indications of stress and anxiety an hour or more before a storm hits, leading to the theory that they are reacting to modifications in barometric pressure.
Cats will usually hide from the disturbance under beds or in dark, peaceful corners. Unlike dogs, they tend to not development to the phobic stage – they just wait out the storm in their risk-free location as well as come out of hiding when the storm has passed. however there are some things you can do to assist your feline feel risk-free during storms.
Provide risk-free hiding places
If your feline usually hunkers down under the bed or in a closet, you may want to provide some extra comfortable hiding spaces.“Igloo style” feline beds can be a fantastic option. If you keep these kinds of beds in areas where you as well as your cats spend a great deal of time, they may utilize them to hide from the storm rather than cowering under the bed.
Natural calming remedies
Remedies such as storm Soother or Rescue Remedy, provided before a storm moves in, can assist keep kitties calm. Pheromone plug-ins such as comfort zone with Feliway can likewise assist – utilize in the area where your feline has a tendency to hide during storms.
Remain calm
Our cats pick up on our emotions, as well as if we’re anxious, they’ll be anxious as well. Reassure your cat, however don’t overdo it. However, don’t believe the myth that trying to comfort your feline during a storm is going to strengthen her fear or make it worse. As long as you stay calm as well as interact the exact same method you normally would with your cat, it will reassure her that whatever is okay.
Anxiety wraps
The Thundershirt stress and anxiety wrap, a pressure wrap that is meant to provide a calming effect, works for some cats. provided that extremely few cats enjoy being swaddled or held close, I’m not sure I’m offered on the concept. If you choose to try it for your cats, you will requirement to get your feline utilized to it before a storm.
Desensitization
If you online in an area where thunderstorms are a routine occurrence for long periods of time, you may think about desensitization. This approach slowly retrains your feline by subjecting her to gentle reminders of a thunderstorm such as a recording of far-off thunder, as well as rewarding her for staying calm. The concept is that over time, the response to the stimulus decreases.
Medication
For serious situations of thunderstorm anxiety, a go to to your veterinarian is in order. Your veterinarian can prescribe anti-anxiety or anti-depressant medication to assist keep your feline calm during storms.
Are your cats afraid of thunderstorms? What do you do to assist them?
This publish was very first published in 2014 as well as has been updated.
* *The mindful feline is a participant in the Amazon services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate marketing program designed to provide a means for us to make charges by linking to Amazon.com as well as affiliated sites. This means that if you choose to purchase with any type of of our links, we get a little commission. We only spread the word about products and services we’ve either utilized or would utilize ourselves.
Ingrid King
Table of Contents
Provide risk-free hiding places
Natural calming remedies
Remain calm
Anxiety wraps
Desensitization
Medication
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21 comments on exactly how to assist Your feline cope with Thunderstorms
Janine says:
July 13, 2020 at 7:28 am
My cats aren’t as scared of storms as they are when we have twister warnings. When I put their carriers in the bathroom (our shelter from tornadoes), they concern about having to be put in them. We never understand exactly how long the threat will last. even when we hear the monthly siren testing, they all run believing it’s time to get in the carriers. They understand what the noise is for.
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SupremeCheezitKing says:
April 29, 2017 at 5:33 am
This assists a lot… however my cats only get buggy eyed during an thunderstorm as well as it doesn’t frighten them however my cats outside
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Tonya says:
September 11, 2019 at 3:41 pm
My woman comes up behind the couch as well as crawls inside the blanket that I have over the couch as well as she stays there till she is no longer afraid. asnullnull