New Year's Eve with pets

Dogs and cats are particularly frightened by loud bangs, as they have much more sensitive hearing than humans. If the noise is too strong, it can even lead to permanent hearing damage and behavioral problems such as noise anxiety. At the same time, the sudden, bright lights in the dark at night startle them. The unfamiliar smell also affects them. These components can also lead to panic and stress in small animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs, but also in birds and horses. Even fish react negatively to loud noises. In addition to our pets , this problem naturally also affects wild animals. They are torn from their night or even winter rest by the fireworks. Due to the increased stress and panic, there is a particularly high risk of injury and even death for them. They also use up valuable energy reserves, which they urgently need to survive in the cold season.

Many animals change their normal behavior. Deer, stags and other wild animals are startled. Wild birds fly up, sometimes in large numbers, and can lose their bearings due to fear and stress, fly into obstacles and become seriously injured or even die. This is also problematic for other animal species: panicked animals react differently than usual and are even less able to assess dangers. Cats, for example, may flee into untraceable hiding places or dogs may run in front of moving cars. At the turn of the year 2022/23, our partner animal shelters therefore reported 212 dead and 17 injured animals, including both wild animals and numerous pets.

Appropriate preparation is important for a relaxed New Year's Eve. Start several weeks before the New Year by creating retreats for your dog or cat that are away from the street and particularly protected. This will allow your four-legged friends to get used to it before things get serious. Speaking of getting used to things: you can also try to desensitize your pet. To do this, contact a vet who specializes in behaviour. The expert will give you tips on how to slowly build up the training. However, there is no guarantee of success for desensitization.

Medication should always be the last step you take. This is because they can lead to your pet still feeling the fear but not being able to show appropriate behavior. In this case, your pet may appear calm on the outside, but will still experience stress - and in the worst case scenario, this can exacerbate the fear of fireworks. Whether and which medication is at all suitable for your pet must always be discussed individually with the vet. It is worth discussing the problem with them at an early stage. For particularly frightened animals, it can also help to seek the advice of a behavioral trainer. It is essential that you do not give your pet eggnog or other alcohol.

Leaving your cat at home alone during the fireworks is not recommended - at least if it is afraid. For most animals, the presence of their caregiver helps them to relax. If your cat has no problem with fireworks and sleeps through the New Year, you can of course celebrate New Year's Eve away from home. Perhaps set up a small pet camera to check how your velvet paw is doing - that way you can react more quickly in case of doubt.