The most common sign of stress in cats is that they hide meaning that their stress is not always easily recognised.

If firework related stress isn't identified and dealt with, cats can become scared of any other loud noises including thunder and car door slamming. It is imperative that we act quickly to make sure that we avoid our cats being effected negatively by the fireworks season.

There are two ways to prevent stress in cats due to fireworks. Beforehand we can help to change the feelings that our pets have to fireworks to prevent them from being stressed and on the night we can help by providing them with a den and muffling the sound of the fireworks.

It is highly recommended to keep your cat in at night when fireworks are going off. A cat flap such as the Pet Porte Microchip Cat Flap can help to keep your cat inside at night because it automatically locks when it gets dark and unlocks again when it gets light in the morning.

You can help to muffle the sound of fireworks by closing the windows and curtains and putting some soothing music on. Personally I find that my cats love classical music and jazz!

Don't fuss over your pets if they show signs of stress and don't tell them off either. Keep calm and remain quiet. If you fuss your pet it serves to reinforce the behaviour and makes the situation worse.

In the run-up to fireworks season you can use sound desensitisation techniques to alter your cat's reaction to the stressful noises.

The most common method involves playing a CD of firework noises whilst your cat is doing something enjoyable such as playing. Start off by playing the CD at low volumes for short amount of time and build up to louder volumes for longer amounts of time as your cat gets used to the sounds.