PETA Offers Tips To Keep Cats And Dogs Safe This Bonfire Night

For Immediate Release:
2 November 2011


Contact:
Liane Eltan +44 (0)20 7357 9229, ext 229; [email protected] 


To dogs, cats and other animals, Bonfire Night might seem more like War of the Worlds than a traditional celebration. Noisy fireworks displays are frightening to animals, who don’t realise that the explosions are meant to be entertainment, so people should take precautions to make sure that their animals stay safe and comfortable at home.


The RSPCA has received a great increase in calls to their national control centre regarding injured and stressed animals following fireworks displays in recent years – up fourfold in 2009. Dogs panic and try to flee. They jump over fences, and some even jump through plate-glass windows to get away from the terrifying sounds. Lucky animals are reunited with their families, but others are never found. Some suffer serious injuries or even die in an attempt to escape the noise. Many cats, dogs and other animals are taken to animal shelters with bloody paws and torn skin from running and breaking through wooden fences. Many suffer serious injuries when they dash into streets and are hit by cars. One year, the RSPCA treated some 25,000 animals who had sustained fireworks-related injuries or had been so terrified by the noise that they had to be given sedatives.
 
PETA encourages everyone to take the following precautions to ensure the comfort and safety of their animal companions:


– Keep cats and dogs inside during bonfires and fireworks displays and, if possible, stay with them.
– Leave your animals at home during the celebrations; never take them with you to watch fireworks displays.
– Never leave animals tethered or chained outside – they can hang themselves if they leap over a fence while trying to run from the noise.
– Close your windows and curtains. Turn on the TV or a radio tuned to a classical music station to help drown out the sound of the fireworks.
– Make sure that your animal companion is wearing a collar or harness with an up-to-date identification tag – just in case.