Help, please...quickly, if possible

How do you help your kitties handle thunder?

We are in the middle of an incredibly unusual weather system - high winds, and lots of rain - 6 inches already. Two reported tornados around LA as well. The problem is the thunder. Three of my 5 are panicking. Simon is trying to get inside my body...this is resulting is really bad scratches on my neck and chest. Pie is peeing whereever she is during the boom, and Charlotte is racing around attacking whatever is moving (including me) and some which are not (the wall). Pengy is hiding under the bed, and Esse could care less.

Is there anything I can do? I put down some nip for Charlotte (it usually calms her, makes her sappy and sort of logy), but what about Pie and Simon? I have already trimmed Simon's nails (no easy task...), and am wearing my heavy robe over my jammies (I'm sick, so I'm ready for bed...)

Any tricks, thoughts, or ideas to help these guys? It's going to be like this all night...and I just can't stand seeing them so scared.

Thanks...

Best-
Michele

i really wish i could help you.
I remember when we had a thunderstorm and my kitty came under the blanket.
I closed all windows so the sound wouldnt be louder. Otherwise i hope someone is on to help you real quick

Originally Posted by fwan

i really wish i could help you.
I remember when we had a thunderstorm and my kitty came under the blanket.
I closed all windows so the sound wouldnt be louder. Otherwise i hope someone is on to help you real quick

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We have thunderstorms in Georgia often enough and yes, it scares my cats. Usually, they just hide under the bed or under the covers and that seems to help. Maybe you could put them in a large closet with some "hiding places" (i.e., boxes with blankets in them or kitty beds). If they're away from the windows, they may be less frightened.

Maybe I'll try that - open the bedroom closets and let them nest. The windows are closed completely, as are all doors and screen doors.

Good idea about the closets. I so hope it helps.

Best-
Michele

Originally Posted by noni

Maybe I'll try that - open the bedroom closets and let them nest. The windows are closed completely, as are all doors and screen doors.

Good idea about the closets. I so hope it helps.

Best-
Michele

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I hope so too! Poor kitty-cats. Let us know how they're doing once you've created some closet nests for them.

Poor cats! I hope the thunder quiets soon. Perhaps a radio tuned to play soft classical music might help a little - wouldn't stop the booms, but might help calm them in between.

You want white noise noni, a station on the radio that plays only static, or a tv channel that doesn't have a picture or clear sound-

Put a blanket down in the shower and see if they want to huddle in the bathroom together- if you have feliway spray, spray the room thoroughly

Well, Simon won't leave me. Which is all right...he's stopped trying to get into me. It's gotten so bad that the news is not using their microwave transmission towers - some of the most advanced in the world - for fear it will attract the lightening.

Pie has decided the closet is fine with her, so I stuck a bunch of towels in over some newspapers, hoping it will help any peeing. And Charlotte has stopped attacking things...seems the nip worked.

Poor guys. It's tough, you know? We just don't get this sort of weather around here, so no-one is used to it. At least it doesn't scare me. Mostly. LOL.

Wow. I just looked out the windows - it's coming down so hard I can't see the other side of the street. Dunno what's going to happen - the ground is so saturated that there's no more room. Gonna flood badly tonight and tomorrow.

Well, it seems we have a pause between thunder cells. I'll try to get them fed, and see if anyone wants to eat.

Thanks for the suggestions...it's helped Pie, and that's good.

Best-
Michele

Well, I'm glad the cats have calmed down a little. Keep us posted and let us know how everything's going!

Hissy, I have feliway spray. I'll douse the bathtub now, although it seems that we're in a period of calm between cells. And yes, I'll get a blanket down.

Do you think I should spray feliway under the bed for Pengy?

It's going to get worse before it gets better, according to the weather station. There has been several water spouts spotted, and once that front comes on shore (about midnight), there may be tornados on the ground. Gonna be interesting.

Best-
Michele

oh my gosh! good luck with that terrible weather-to you and your kitties!

Originally Posted by SharonKay

oh my gosh! good luck with that terrible weather-to you and your kitties!

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Thanks.

Well, we're getting ready for another cell to hit my area...the one which produced water spouts. BTW, we've had 1/2 of our annual rainfall in the last 24 hours. And it's supposed to rain until New Year's Eve.

http://www.wunderground.com/radar/ra...00&centery=240
(That's the pix of the radar.)
Current warnings:
Flash Flood Warning
Strong Wind Warning
Tornado Warning
(Warnings mean this is happening now.)

So far, so good. Pengy's on edge, but in the condo. Charlotte has mellowed out completely, Pie is out and not peeing on things, and Simon is no longer trying to find my heart. Esse could care less about anything, as long as she gets her scritches. Which she is.

So I'm headed to bed, and hopefully these cells will back off, or miss us. Not likely, but...hey, a girl can hope.

Best-
Michele

I've been watching the Weather Channel here at work and they have periodic reports from SoCal. Good luck with the storm, that's a nastly looking system.

I hope everything is calming down for you
Please let us know in the morning that you are all ok if a bit tired.
You and all the kitkats are in my thoughts !!!!!

Originally Posted by ash_bct

I hope everything is calming down for you

Please let us know in the morning that you are all ok if a bit tired.
You and all the kitkats are in my thoughts !!!!!

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We are all fine, and yes, a bit tired. A nasty nasty cell came through about 2 am, and this house went ballistic. I just buried myself under the blankets and pillow, and let them get nuts. Nothing else I could do. There were no tornados, which is good because I don't know what to do during one, and there are no roof leaks (again, this is a good thing.). So I float to the office this morning; it could be much worse. Edited to add: I just checked the rainfall for this storm. Since yesterday at about 5 pm, one local (within 3 miles) rain measurement station recorded 7.64 inches. YIKES!

This storm is moving on; however, there is it's twin waiting in the wings. So, I'm going to go to the pet store, get some catnip spray, some more treats, and some more feliway plug in (we stopped using that several months ago). Hopefully, when the next storm moves through, we'll be prepared.

Thanks for all the help - Pie loved the closet idea, and it's not something I'd've thought of by myself. No-one used the bathtub, as far as I can see, though.

Best-
Michele

One thing I've noticed with our kitties is that they seem to sense the next lightening then thunder - it doesn't seem to be just a visual or sound thing. Tippy actually falls low to the floor then creeps on her belly yowling just before the next lightening flash. The only thing I can do with her is to wrap her in a towel and hold her close - she's still scared but less so. It's not so easy if there's one of you and 4 of them though!

I hope the weather improves for you and doesn't cause you or your kitties any more problems.

I agree - cats seem to sense the vibrations in the air. It scares some and not others. With Simon I am surprised he hasn't made a kite and isn't trying to go outdoors to reinvent electricity!

With Simon I am surprised he hasn't made a kite and isn't trying to go outdoors to reinvent electricity!

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ROFLMAO!

Thanks! I needed that this morning. Really!!!!

Best-
Michele