Cats and Summer Noises

Fireworks and thunderstoms don't just scare the dogs!  Cats too are often afraid of common loud noises in the summertime.  One of my own cats, Gravie is her name, is terrified of thunderstorms and fireworks.  When she senses a storm approaching she hides halfway down the basement stairs and sits there immoble too afraid to go up or down.  Her hair bristles, she howls, and has a terrified look in her eyes.  Whenever we find her like this we put her into one of our dogs' cages.  She feels safe and secure there and regains a normal sense of herself.  Fireworks in the neighborhood are more challenging.  When we're away we have found that she will be most content in the cage and sometimes does better with a little antianxiety medication.  Cats are more subtle in expressing their anxiety.  Familiarity with your pet helps however, and we learn something all the time when paying attention to their behavior.  They don't like noisey surprises!