Everything our pets do is powerful information. We should handle each action or reaction as an opportunity for us to better understand and communicate with them. If you’d like a refresher on learning their language, take a look at this blog post and this one on two very important categories (stress and comfy-ness levels).

One common phenomenon that gives us plenty of opportunity to communicate with our pets happens during the summer months: thunderstorms.

From my experience, there are four groups of pets when it comes to these:

1. Anxious since birth
2. Never or subtly anxious
3. Less anxious with age (due to aging symptoms like hearing loss)
4. More anxious with age (perhaps one extreme storm was particularly traumatic)

I’ve had pets fall into each of the four groups (see photos below for examples of group 4 & 2 … different cats in the same spot, taken a few minutes apart).

Whichever group your pet falls into now, I wanted to provide some tips on how to help them through a scary or tough time like a thunderstorm. As their guardians, they look to us for help so the least we can do is be prepared!

☁️ Pre-storm: if you see a storm on the forecast, you can first tire them out with a long walk, extra play time, or a stimulating puzzle toy

☁️ Pre-storm: create a safe space by using a humidifier to reduce static, play relaxing music, offer dark and cozy enclosures, and giving them lots of petting, snuggles, and massages (comforting them during stressful situations does NOT increase their likelihood of future anxiety)

🌩️ Pre- and during the storm: stay calm! pets can pick up on our energy and will become more stressed if they sense we are too

⛈️ During the storm: if they aren’t yet showing signs of anxiety, keep them busy and distracted (aka the focus away from the negative stimuli) by giving them a task, such as chewing, licking, or playing

⛈️ During the storm: always consult your vet on the best course but some clients have shared positive reviews with other tools such as prescribed medication, calming chews, calming sprays, calming diffusers like Feliway, CBD, and ThunderShirts (similar to weighted blankets)

🌤️ Post-storm: continue the snuggles, offer a tasty treat, and shake it off with a walk or more playtime

Give one or more of these tips a try next time and let me know how it goes! I’d love to hear whether the tips did (or didn’t) work for your furry one.

Stay Comfy,

Tanya