Animal ecologist Dr Joy Tripovic (pictured, below) from the University of New South Wales says while a fear of storms is natural for many animals, there’s good reason to support our pets as much as possible during these events.
“Long-term stress can be dangerous for our pets,” she says.
“It can lead to conditions such as skin infections, stomach upsets, and can ultimately shorten an animal’s life.”
Here are 5 handy tips for helping reduce your pet’s anxiety about thunderstorms:
1. Give them a safe space
Everyone knows dogs have a tendency to RUN when there’s a storm. Of course, your pet should be collared and microchipped so that they can be easily returned to you if they do get out.
However, your top priority should be ensuring they can’t escape in the first place.
Key to this is giving them a safe space at home, which can go a long way to reducing pet anxiety about thunderstorms – as well as other frightening noises like fireworks, sirens, or low aircraft.
“Providing a safe space for your pet is very important,” says Dr Tripovich.
“This can either be a room or a crate that you’ve trained them in.”
My dog loves to hide in the small foot hole under my desk. Closing curtains and playing soothing music can also help distract animals from a storm.
2. Provide a calm example
Stay relaxed and let your furry friend know there’s nothing to worry about. As we all know, pets are very attuned to human emotions.
“Animals will cue in on our behaviour,” says Dr Tripovich.
“We can help alleviate their stress by not responding to the loud noises in a fearful manner ourselves.”
3. Tire them out beforehand
If pet anxiety about thunderstorms is a given in your home and rumbles are on the forecast, it can be a good strategy to take your dog on a long walk so that they’re nice and tired when the bad weather arrives.
For cats, the trick may be to play with them or give them a stimulatory toy.
“Exercise can help your pet expend their energy before the storm comes,” says Dr Tripovich.
“Tiring a dog out mentally and physically could lead to a calmer dog.”
4. Train them early; work on desensitising
You can cut off pet anxiety about thunderstorms from a young age, by training them as a puppy or kitten to acclimatise to storms.
The jury’s still out on why some animals are terrified of storms, while others happily snooze right through. One theory is early exposure.
“Early exposure with no negative association is good training for our pets,” says Dr Tripovich.
“The first 16 weeks of a puppy’s life is the most important time to get them learning about these things. For kittens, it’s even earlier – around seven to eight weeks.”
5. Chronic fear means seek veterinary advice
If you’ve tried all the above and your pet is still a blithering mess, it could be time to ask your vet about more interventionist strategies.
Anti-anxiety medication and “thunder jackets” can be effective in helping everybody weather the storm.
