To calm a dog or cat during fireworks, give them a quiet hiding spot they can choose, close the windows and curtains, turn on some background sound and keep every door shut. If your pet’s fear is strong, talk with your veterinarian now, weeks before New Year’s Eve, rather than on the night.

Noise fears are very common in both cats and dogs, according to a veterinary behaviorist at Ohio State. It isn’t anything you did. Most of what helps is set up before the first bang.

Signs your pet is scared

In dogs, Cornell’s canine health center lists trembling, whining or barking, panting, pacing, drooling, hiding, digging at doors and trying to escape. Cats tend to hide. The RSPCA adds eating or drinking less, pacing or simply looking frightened.

A scared pet can get hurt trying to find somewhere safe. Cornell also warns that a panicking pet may bite someone trying to soothe them, without meaning to.

Before the night

• Set up a hiding spot early. Choose a familiar room with few windows, and fill it with bedding and favorite things. Set it up well ahead, so it already feels safe before the noise starts. A crate works only if your dog already likes it, with the door left open.

• For cats, use wherever they already feel safest. The RSPCA suggests places like under a bed or in a closet, and Battersea suggests a box lined with blankets, up high. Put a litter box nearby.

• Walk your dog earlier, before fireworks are likely, and keep the leash on even in a fenced yard. Bring cats in before dark and keep them in all night.

• Check ID. Make sure tags and microchip details are current. Shelter Animals Count reports that in 2025, January 2, the day after New Year’s Day, was the third-highest day of the year for adult dogs entering US shelters as strays.

• Talk to your veterinarian about medicine, well ahead. Cornell suggests booking the visit at least a week before. If your veterinarian prescribes something, ask about a trial run on a quiet day first, and never give your pet another pet’s medicine or your own.

One caution on medicine: some sedatives can make a dog look calm while the fear stays. A 2023 review of the research on noise fears in dogs advises against one common tranquilizer for this reason, though other veterinary references still list it. Ask your veterinarian whether a medicine eases fear or mainly sedates.

On the night

• Close windows and curtains, and turn the lights on, to soften the bangs and hide the flashes.

• Turn on background sound. The TV, music or white noise may help cover the noise. Not every dog likes it, so watch how yours reacts.

• Keep doors shut. Frightened pets try to run, and a dog or cat can slip out the door while guests come and go. Close cat flaps and pet doors too.

• Let them hide. If your pet goes under the bed, let them stay. Don’t coax them out.

• Comfort them if they come to you. Veterinary behaviorists say comforting a scared pet won’t make the fear worse. Stay calm and steady, though. Ohio State’s behaviorist says repeating “it’s OK, it’s OK” doesn’t help much. With cats, Battersea advises against picking them up while they’re scared, since a frightened cat may lash out.

• Offer a long-lasting chew or a food toy if your dog will take it. If your dog won’t eat even a favorite treat, that’s a sign the fear is too strong for distraction, and worth raising with your veterinarian.

• Stay home if you can, and never take a dog to watch fireworks, even one who seems fine.

Calming wraps and plug-in diffusers

Snug-fitting wraps are popular, but a 2024 systematic review found only weak, limited evidence that they reduce anxiety, though no harm was reported. If you try one, let your dog get used to it on calm days first. Pheromone diffusers have mixed results too, and most of the research is in dogs. A wrap may help a little, and the evidence for diffusers is weaker. Neither replaces a plan with your veterinarian.

The morning after

Walk your yard and pick up any firework debris before your pets go out. The ASPCA says some fireworks are most dangerous after they’ve been used, and that fireworks contain chemicals and heavy metals. Some dogs will eat them, which can cause vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes more serious illness. If you think your pet ate any, call your veterinarian or a pet poison line right away:

• ASPCA Poison Control: (888) 426-4435

• Pet Poison Helpline: (855) 764-7661

Both are open 24 hours a day. The ASPCA says a consultation fee may apply, and Pet Poison Helpline charges a fee for each case.

For cats, the RSPCA suggests a favorite treat, staying close if they come looking for you and getting back to your normal routine.

Helping them for next time

Fear of fireworks tends to get worse with each scary night if nothing changes. The long-term help is gradual training. Play recordings of fireworks very quietly while your pet eats or plays, and turn the volume up only as long as they stay relaxed. Never force it. A veterinarian or a certified behavior professional can guide you, and for cats, Battersea suggests asking for help early. It takes time, as Battersea notes, so this New Year’s Eve can be the start rather than the deadline.

If your pet spends the night under the bed, that’s OK. A safe place to hide is exactly what they need.

This article shares general information from veterinary sources. It isn’t a substitute for advice from your own veterinarian.

Sources

We’re arranging a veterinary review of this article. Until it’s done, here are the sources behind it. Poison line details were checked on each service’s own page on November 10, 2026.

• Cornell Riney Canine Health Center: Fear of fireworks and thunderstorms

• Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine: Fireworks fears? Tips to protect your pets

• The Ohio State University: Fourth of July fireworks and pets: five ways to help animals cope

• Washington State University: Steps to ease a panicked pet on Independence Day

• American Veterinary Medical Association: Winter holiday pet safety

• Merck Veterinary Manual: Behavior Problems of Dogs

• Riemer S. Therapy and Prevention of Noise Fears in Dogs: A Review of the Current Evidence for Practitioners. Animals, 2023

• Mathis et al. A Systematic Review of the Efficacy of Compression Wraps as an Anxiolytic in Domesticated Dogs. Animals, 2024

• ASPCA: Managing Pet Anxiety During Fourth of July Fireworks and Other Festivities

• ASPCA: Four Ways Fourth of July Fireworks Can Harm Our Pets

• ASPCA Poison Control

• Pet Poison Helpline

• Humane World for Animals: Fireworks: An explosion of fear for animals

• Fear Free: How To Communicate Calm To Your Canine

• Fear Free Happy Homes: Boom, Bang, and Other Noises That Freak Out Pets

• RSPCA: Pets and fireworks

• Dogs Trust: Helping your dog cope with fireworks

• Battersea: Cats and fireworks

• Shelter Animals Count: A Closer Look at Post-Holiday Trends in Lost Pets