I don't know how many of you in the Americas are familiar with our national celebrations in the UK. If I'm telling you stuff here you already know, forgive me. November 5th is traditionally (since the year 1605) Bonfire Night on which we were exalted by Parliament and the then king, James I, to celebrate the crushing of the Gunpowder Plot. A group of disaffected Catholics had attempted to blow up Parliament when the king was in attendance. There were a number of grisly executions and after that November 5th was a state sanctioned opportunity to be thoroughly anti-Catholic. Over the years this was expressed with bonfires and effigies of Guy Fawkes (the chap who actually lit the fuse) being burned. In the early days, live cats were sometimes sewn into the effigies so that when they burned, the screaming of the poor animals would make the experience more "life-like." Eventually, we became slightly more civilised. We stopped persecuting Catholics and stopped burning cats alive although we still had the bonfires and effigies. To these were added fireworks.
Tonight, being the nearest weekend to November 5th, lots of people have been having bonfire parties with very noisy fireworks and pets throughout the land have been having their annual nervous breakdown. It's all very distressing. Tonight, I have been trying to comfort a deeply upset Thingy who hasn't known what to do with herself. She's tried hiding from the noise but there is no escape. I've opened up my walk in storage area, thinking she might like to creep in there (I found her there the first time we went through this together). I've tried cuddling and stroking her and it has helped but she hasn't been happy. One problem is that people set of their bangs at different times so, just when you think they've finished and all is peace, another party will start up. I doubt that any of the people who have these parties want to make the lives of pets a misery but they do.
I can't imagine how the foxes, squirrels, one other critters manage.
Tonight, being the nearest weekend to November 5th, lots of people have been having bonfire parties with very noisy fireworks and pets throughout the land have been having their annual nervous breakdown. It's all very distressing. Tonight, I have been trying to comfort a deeply upset Thingy who hasn't known what to do with herself. She's tried hiding from the noise but there is no escape. I've opened up my walk in storage area, thinking she might like to creep in there (I found her there the first time we went through this together). I've tried cuddling and stroking her and it has helped but she hasn't been happy. One problem is that people set of their bangs at different times so, just when you think they've finished and all is peace, another party will start up. I doubt that any of the people who have these parties want to make the lives of pets a misery but they do.
I can't imagine how the foxes, squirrels, one other critters manage.