How to Keep Pets Calm During New Year's Fireworks

Keep dogs and cats indoors in an interior, escape-proof room with windows, curtains, and doors closed during New Year's fireworks. Add a snug den, steady background noise, daytime play, and a calm owner presence to help them settle. Panicked pets may bolt, hide, or injure themselves at sudden booms and flashes.

A little preparation before New Year's Eve lowers that risk and helps the night pass more quietly.

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Make a quiet indoor retreat

Choose an interior room with few windows and secure doors. Close windows, curtains, and doors to muffle noise and block flashes. The American Veterinary Medical Association advises this setup because frightened pets may run and hurt themselves, as explained in AVMA tips for keeping pets safe during fireworks.

Build a snug den or hiding place before New Year's Eve. Add blankets, a favorite bed, toys, water, and a litter box for cats. Reward calm use so the pet treats the spot as a safe retreat.

Let the pet hide voluntarily once fireworks start. Never drag it out of a closet, crate, or under-bed spot. Forced contact can raise fear instead of easing it.

Mask the booms with steady sound

Play TV, radio, calming music, a fan, or layered white noise. Steady sound helps cover sharp cracks and keeps pets from fixating on each blast. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine recommends background noise for this purpose in its guidance on masking firework sounds.

Start the sound before fireworks begin. Keep volume even and pleasant, not loud enough to startle. Close curtains at the same time to reduce light flashes.

Check on the pet between peaks in noise. Speak softly and move slowly. Keep exits shut when you enter or leave the room.

Use daytime play and start training early

Exercise dogs with play earlier in the day. Extra activity burns energy, limits later anxiety, and helps them rest at home. Cats also benefit from an extra play session.

For long-term fear, consider sound desensitisation. This means playing low-volume firework recordings over days or weeks while the dog stays relaxed and gets treats. The RSPCA describes this gradual method in its advice on reducing noise fear in pets.

Raise volume only while the pet remains calm. Pause if ears flatten, panting starts, pacing begins, or appetite drops. This approach needs weeks or months, so start well before next New Year's Eve.

• Play fetch, tug, or a long sniff walk for dogs.
• Offer wand toys or chase games for cats.
• Feed dinner and offer water before fireworks peak.
• Keep leashes, carriers, and waste bags near the door.

Ask your vet about calming support

Talk with a veterinarian well in advance about pheromone diffusers, calming supplements, or prescription anti-anxiety medication. Cornell advises giving prescribed medication early enough that it prevents fear rather than trying to reverse panic. The right choice depends on health, age, weight, and past fear responses.

Share what has helped or failed before. Note pacing, trembling, drooling, hiding, barking, or house-soiling. Ask when to start each product, how to dose it, and what side effects to watch for.

Do not share human sleep aids or sedatives with pets. Do not start a new product on New Year's Eve without vet direction. Early planning leaves time to adjust the plan.

Secure exits and stay calm together

Secure doors, windows, gates, and fences before dark. Verify microchip registration plus collar ID tags. More pets enter shelters around major fireworks holidays, so current ID speeds reunion if one slips out.

Stay calm and act normally during the noise. You may gently comfort a pet that seeks reassurance. Pet slowly, speak in a low voice, and let the animal choose closeness or distance.

Never punish fear. Raised voices, crate confinement as correction, or startling the pet cannot remove sound sensitivity. Calm company, a safe den, and a quiet room help more.