Scared of storms

Apparently Our one year old Jack is not a fan of thunderstorms. He is a rather laid back cat, although still very much a kitten. Anyway when I got up this morning I wanted to close my bedroom door so I did a room check to make sure there were no cats in there. I happened to glance under the bed and much to my surprise saw Jack under the bed. I coaxed him out, but quickly realized why he was under the bed--he does not like the thunder!

Is there anything I can do for the little guy? I feel so bad, now that mean mommy shut the bedroom door he is hiding under the basement steps. (unsupervised bedroom privileges have been taken away due to someone peeing on my bedroom floor yesterday)

Leslie

Hi there! I have a kitty that does the same exact thing. I've not been able to find a way to help him not be scared. Asher hides under the bed when there is thunder. I've come to learn that that is where he feels safest during the storm so I just let him hang out under the bed until it's over.
He usually sleeps with me in the bed at night but sometimes he doesn't. There have been times during the night when a storm rolls through and I know he's not in the bedroom. I know he's somewhere in the house scared to death so I'll get up and open the bedroom door. He'll come running down the hall and under the bed.
I would just let your kitty stay under the bed during the storm because he obviously feels safer under the bed than anywhere else.

Sounds like the one cat I had. Adopted from the SPCA and I think he got caught in a thunderstorm as a baby. He would open the closet door and hide in there at the first crack of thunder/lightening.

I just let him feel "safe" and didn't try to change him. Most of my other cats have never been phased by thunderstorms.

Petunia only gets scared when those real loud claps of thunder come about, she hates that and will instantly come seek me out wherever I am in the house and then proceed to hide under the bed until she feels it is safe enough to come out. If no bed is in the room where I am she will just stay near me.

Barkley on the other hand loves to get up in the window when the storm is at full strength, mainly because he likes to feel the splashes of water in his face when it's raining heavy. I try to coax him out from the window but to no avail. Closing the window doesnt solve the problem either because then he gets mad and goes in the living room and hangs out infront of the balcony window. On a rare occasion thunder will spook Barkley (he's a very skittish little man!!) and he will start crying at the top of his lungs. I hate when he goes through that but thankfully it isnt too often.

Only one of my guys is not terrified of any noise, be it thunder or workman around the house or just a lawn mover outside. They all run and hide.''

The one who couldn't care less was a stray I adopted as an adult. He'd been living outside and was used to the weather. Nothing bothers him, not even the vacuum!

This is what I do with my furry ones: I crouch down on the floor and say "It's okay, it's safe, nothing's going to happen." If I stay there a few minutes, they will come out and huddle around me. It's really endearing.

If the bedroom's off limits, you might find a hidey place for him elsewhere: in a closet, cupboard, or even a cardboard box in a small room like that bathroom.

Poor little guys, they just don't understand thunder. And if I were that small and didn't know what it was, I'd be terrified, too.

Thanks for all the kind thoughts and suggestions.

Well the storm finally passed and Jack is back to himself. I will try and just make sure I am more aware when it storms, that he needs a little extra attention and comfort. I just feel so bad, he's so helpless ya know?

Side note our other cat, Harley, who lived on the streets for a year had no fear of the storm!