Cats and Fireworks: How to Keep Your Cat Calm

You hear a boom. Outside your window, the sky lights up with dazzling colors. As you move to take a closer look, your cat darts across the room, disappearing under the couch. You wonder: Do cats hate fireworks? Is your cat afraid of fireworks, or is this a standard case of the zoomies?

If your cat doesn't like change, anything unexpected or unfamiliar can prompt fear. And while fear of fireworks is more common in dogs, some reports suggest up to 30% of cats are afraid of fireworks. Here's what to know about cats and fireworks, including tips for keeping your kitty calm.

Why Are Cats Scared of Fireworks?

With each experience, cats learn what to expect in the future. To feel safe and confident, they need to have positive experiences repeatedly across similar situations. Since fireworks occur infrequently, you may not think about preparing your cat to feel safe ahead of their arrival. But why do fireworks bother cats, anyway?

Bursts of Light

Cats pay closer attention to movement than static images. So, light streaking across the sky in bursts of sparkles can draw their attention. While this can serve as pure entertainment for many cats, others may quickly learn to associate the flashes of light with the loud, sometimes startling noises that accompany them.

Startling Noises

Cats have sensitive hearing, detecting sounds as high as 64,000 Hz. Falling into the ultrasonic range, cats can pick up sounds far out of the range of human hearing, including distant sounds your ears don't register. Fireworks snap, crackle, pop and boom, sometimes without warning. Some fireworks make rattling or whooshing sounds similar to windstorms. All this auditory commotion can overwhelm sensitive cats.

Unfamiliar Smells

Nearby fireworks may increase associated smells of burning, gunpowder or other incendiary materials that can smell scary (i.e., unfamiliar) to your cat. Cats' sense of smell is more refined than humans', too. Since cats identify friends and safe environments by their familiar scents, anything that smells different can put your kitty's tail in a twist.

Fear of the (Un)known

If your cat's never heard or seen fireworks, they may automatically categorize this unknown as potentially dangerous and scary. Cats traumatized by fireworks — meaning they've had negative experiences during fireworks or similar events, like thunderstorms — may be especially wary. The good news is it works both ways: Associating fireworks with positive experiences can eventually help cats overcome the instinctive fear response to the unknown.

Copycat Behavior

Cats learn from other cats (or dogs) and may copy their behavior. They may even become more fearful if you react to fireworks with fear.

Genetic Influences

Any cat can potentially become scared of fireworks, but sometimes there's a genetic component to fearful behavior.

Do Fireworks Hurt Cats' Ears?

While you shouldn't worry too much about your cat's ears from inside the home, repeated or prolonged exposure to loud noises can cause damage, including temporary or permanent hearing loss. According to hearing expert George M. Strain, your cat has built-in hearing protection deep inside the ear structure, decreasing sensitivity with noise-dampening "hairs."

Cats' brains also trigger two muscles inside the inner ear in a reflexive response to loud sounds, which protects the inner ear from noise damage. However, this mechanism isn't fast enough to protect your cat's ears from percussive sounds like fireworks.