This 4th of July, I am going to ask you to consider staying home with your cat. And to consider creating a safe place of refuge from the noises of the holiday.
I know there are a lot of festivities and plenty of fun things to do but can you do these things during the day and then plan on being back inside safe and secure with your cat in your habitat when the sun goes down?
The reason that I ask you is that we cats are afraid of super loud noises. You know we don’t like thunderstorms but fireworks and firecrackers can be even more spooky. I can’t hardly stand to think about it now! ~shiver~
Noise is measured in units called decibels. The decibel range is from 0 to 140, the higher the number, the louder the noise. When humans are exposed to noise levels of 110 decibels or more for more than one minute, hearing loss can occur. Noise levels of 130 decibels or over will be painful and is likely to cause immediate hearing damage. In fact, no more than 15 minutes of unprotected exposure to 100 decibels is recommended.
Here is a list of common noises and their decibel level.
- Aircraft at take off- 180
- Fireworks-140
- Lawn mower- 90
- Vacuum cleaner- 80
- Refrigerator running- 40
- Leaves rustling-10
I don’t mean to offend you but we cats have superior hearing to humans. It is true. Our hearing range is 45-64,000 hertz as compared to 64-23,000 in humans. This means we cats can hear sounds that humans can not hear on both ends of the spectrum, and especially the higher end. And we cats don’t get to wear earplugs! 
A cat’s ear is designed to draw sound into the ear canal. This enables us to hear sounds like a can opening from 30 feet away, or a mouse running around the house, or a house fly buzzing in the next room or the pfffftttt from the whipped cream can from behind closed doors, with the garbage disposal running and the television on.
Because of our unique ear design, our hearing is more sensitive to the higher amplitude of sound. We discussed that human hearing can be damaged by repeated exposure to loud noises, so think how we cats feel. Loud noises also make us more susceptible to hearing damage and they are super spooky too.
This is why we don’t like loud noises.
When the 4th of July approaches and the neighborhood hooligans start setting off firecrackers, Lazy Leopard and I make sure that Bossy Backyard Blue Jay has flown deep into the forest away from the noise. (You can imagine how spooky it is for our bird friends when fireworks explodes in the night sky with flashes of light and those horrible booms).
Then, my parents prepare a safe place for me to hide from the noise. They place one of my thinking circles in the master bedroom, along with chow for chomping and my favorite toys. I have quick access to my Smart Cat Box in case I get too nervous. They pull all the shades and dim the lights in the room and then they leave the door open just a crack so that if I get scared, I have a safe place to run and hide.
And the best part is, they stay home with me! Because they know the best way to keep me from being too scared is to stay home and pamper me, I mean keep me company. Just knowing they are home with me makes me feel better.
I am curious, is your Cat afraid of loud noises too? And if you say yes, do you think you would consider staying home this year?
Thank you for listening, even if you can’t hear as well as me. hahahaha. Friends, I am sorry, I shouldn’t tease you about your limitations.
Happy 4th of July!
Great post! Allegra doesn’t like loud noises and will probably hide out in her safe space in the downstairs bathroom behind the shower curtain. Ruby, on the other hand, will be sitting by the window, hoping to get a good view! Either way, I’ll be home with my girls. And Allegra will get Stress Stopper from Spirit Essences – it’s really helped with her fear of storms.
I love welcoming in the New Year, but not with loud noises. My husband Gus and I will be home well in time to celebrate with our kitties. Sparkling apple juice for me and plenty of kitty treats to go around 🙂
Thank you , Gracey, for your good ideas. I prefer to stay home with my kitty, Jaxy, because I don’t like those loud noises either. We hide out together – she is very good company – with treats for her and watermelon for me!
We aren’t having fireworks here this year but there will be the people that do light off firecrackers. We will be going out during the day but will be home in the evening. Bromi doesn’t like loud noises and usually runs and hides under the bed or in the closet.
I’m so glad you mentioned that cats (and dogs) hear much better than humans. Our town isn’t going to have a fireworks display this year, but there will be some fools with firecrackers. Fireworks can be beautiful, but we must keep our fur kids safe. Thanks for this post.
You’re so darn sweet, Gracey!
I try to stay around with my kitties…this year we’ll be home for sure on the 4th, and I can already hear them firecrackers starting tonight…you’re right, you kitties don’t like loud noises. Even the vacuum cleaner and hair dryer are enough to drive my Ashes under the couch pillows! It’s kinda funny and cute, but I do feel very bad for him…but we need these things…and it’s funny how some cats can deal with it and others don’t like it at all.
Stay safe and enjoy your holiday sweetie!
I never thought about the poor birds and how frightening it must be for them.
We bbq at home. When I am going out at any time if we are expecting storms I will leave the tv on and we always keep some lights on. If we lose power we have small lights that will go on automatically. They come in a pack of three at the wholesale club for about twenty dollars. They also have their buddy Harley ( yorkie with the heart of a large dog) to protect them. He’s not much bigger then they are! I think they all get along because they think he’s a cat. I think he thinks he’s a cat! Have a fun and safe holiday Gracey and family.
Peanut and Juno don’t usually mind them, but they arent set off close by. However, their sisters all hide under the beds until its over. They seem more sensitive to it despite how far away they are. We usually do stay home:)
I wouldn’t say Soho is scared of loud noises, but she doesn’t like them; she tolerates them, to an extend, and when she doesn’t want to deal with them, she goes into another room. Luckily, we live in an area where there really aren’t any fireworks.
Cali is terrified of fireworks. She will just run downstairs to the basement and into her favorite hiding place. That’s where she goes when it’s thundering. I just wish it wouldn’t go on for so many days before and after the 4th!!!