Preparing Your Beloved Four-Legged Friends for New Years Fireworks: What Pet Owners Need to Know

Countdown 2026 is approaching. This year, don't let your pets tremble through the festival fireworks. Here's an urgent, easy-to-follow guide for pet owners to handle fireworks noise before the New Year's Eve.

A major festival is coming. As humans get excited about parties and spectacular firework displays for New Year 2026, for our beloved four-legged friends—dogs and cats—this time might feel like their worst nightmare of the year.

Pets have hearing much more sensitive than humans. Just one loud "bang" can scare them to the point of panic, shock, or even cause them to run away from home.

Thairath Online has compiled a simple checklist to help you and your pets get through New Year's Eve happily together.

An urgent guide to help pets cope with fireworks noise that every pet owner must know before the New Year's Eve.

• Create a Safe Shelter

Before the fireworks start, transform your home into a soundproof fortress by closing doors, windows, and ventilation openings tightly. Try to minimize any gaps where noise can seep in.

Use sound-absorbing aids such as thick curtains to dampen echoes. If unavailable, cover your pet's cage or favorite spot with thick blankets, leaving enough space for comfortable breathing.

Prepare secret hiding spots for your pets, as they instinctively seek small, dark places to hide. Clear spaces under beds, tables, or inside wardrobes so they can take refuge safely.

• Mask Noise with Other Sounds

Complete silence makes fireworks noise seem even louder. Create a background atmosphere by playing TV or music—choose calm genres like Classical, Jazz, or White Noise (rain sounds, fan noise) slightly louder than usual to mask external explosions.

A little tip for pet owners: play "Calming Music for Dogs/Cats" on YouTube. There are long playlists designed to soothe pets that can run through the night.

• Distract Their Attention

New Year's is a perfect time to bring out your pet's favorite premium treats. Chewing and licking help reduce stress. Also, consider buying a new toy as a surprise to divert their attention from fear to play.

• Secret Items and Common Remedies

A snug compression shirt is an innovative garment designed to hug your pet tightly, helping them feel secure as if being held. Synthetic pheromone sprays or plug-in diffusers can also calm your pet's mood in stressful moments.

What Pet Owners Must Absolutely Avoid During New Year 2026

• Never Take Pets to Watch Fireworks: No matter how tightly you hold them, do not take pets outside or onto balconies. They might get startled, break free, and run away.
• Do Not Scold or Hit: If pets bark or urinate out of fear, scolding will only increase stress. Instead, quietly clean up and offer comfort.
• Do Not Force Them Out: If your pet hides, do not try to pull them out. Let them stay in the place they feel safest until the noise subsides.

New Year's is the time with the highest number of lost dogs and cats. Remember to check collars and ID tags carefully. Owner's phone numbers must be clear to help lost pets return home safely in emergencies.

This New Year, may pet owners and their four-legged masters get through the night of fireworks safely and wake up to welcome 2026 with brightness and joy together.