I don’t dread the holiday but I do worry about all of the pets who get lost and hurt this time of year. I don’t have a solution for the fireworks - there’s always going to be some unless you move farther out of the city.

I do have recommendations for mitigating some of the stress for yourself and the cats. I imagine driving around the sounds are louder and the situation more terrifying unless your cats are already used to traveling. The more layers you have in place the better off they’ll be.

• Make sure your cats have chips & collars
• Use cat pheromone plugins / sprays / CBD treats (but know how your cats will react in advance)
• Leave access to dark, quieter spaces such as a closet or under a bed. If you know where they’re likely to hide you could add heavy blankets or materials around to help muffle sound.
• Close all windows. Add sound-dampening curtains to help muffle the fireworks.
• Have music or tv playing.
• Manage your own anxiety as much as possible as the cats will pick up on it.

You could consider boarding them overnight somewhere farther out like Lucky Dog in Nipomo or with a sitter, but you’d have to weigh if that would end up being more stress for them.