Guide · · 4 min read
Guy Fawkes and fireworks: keeping cats and dogs safe, and what to do with the pet door
Fireworks nights are when pets bolt. The pet door's 4-way dial is your best tool: in only before dark, locked once everyone is home. Here is the full plan for the night.
By the Pet-Tek International team, Auckland — designers of Catwalk® and Dogwalk® since 1999.
Most pets that go missing in New Zealand go missing on a noisy night. A single bang sends a cat over the fence or a dog through a gap in the gate, and by the time it stops running it is streets from home. The good news is that most of the risk comes down to one thing you control: whether your pet is inside when the noise starts and can stay there. Your pet door can do most of that work for you.
The pet door plan for fireworks night
Every Catwalk® and Dogwalk® door has a factory-fitted 4-way dial: open both ways, in only, out only, or locked. On a fireworks night you use two of those settings, in this order.
- Afternoon: in only. Turn the dial to in only well before dusk. A cat that is out can come home through the flap, but once it is in, it cannot head back out. This is the setting that catches the cat that ignores you when you call.
- Everyone home: locked. When you have counted every pet inside, turn the dial to locked. The flap no longer swings either way, so a frightened cat cannot bolt out of it at the first bang.
- Morning: back to normal. Leave it locked overnight and switch back to open in daylight, after you have checked the garden (see below).
On the glass-fitting Dogwalk® doors, a security clip holds the dial in the locked position, which helps if a strong or anxious dog pushes at the flap.
Before the night
- Check the ID. Make sure your pet’s microchip is registered with your current phone number and address, and that it wears a collar with an ID tag. The SPCA puts this first, because it is what reunites people with pets that do get out.
- Make a den. A covered crate, a box with a blanket, or a spot under a bed in a quiet inside room. Let your pet find it in the days before, so it already feels safe.
- Walk the dog early. Exercise dogs in the morning or early afternoon, well before dark.
- Talk to your vet if your pet is badly frightened by fireworks every year. There are options, and they work best when planned ahead.
- Test the dial. Turn it through all four positions now, not at 8 pm on the night. If it is stiff or broken, a replacement locking dial clips or screws in.
On the night
- Everyone in before dusk, pet door on in only, then locked.
- Close windows and draw the curtains. It muffles the bangs and hides the flashes.
- Add steady background noise: the TV, the radio or a fan.
- Stay home if you can, and stay calm. Let your pet hide if it wants to; do not drag it out, and never punish a frightened animal.
- Doors and gates: keep the outside doors shut and watch for children or visitors leaving them open.
The morning after
Walk the garden before you open the pet door again. Spent fireworks, sticks and wrappers land in yards and can be chewed or swallowed. Then set the dial back to open and keep an eye on nervous pets for a day or two; some stay jumpy after a big night.
Not just one night
In New Zealand, fireworks cluster around 5 November and New Year’s Eve, and the noise often carries on for several evenings either side. Repeat the same routine each night. If your cat is new to the pet door, practise the in only setting in the weeks before; our training guide shows how.
Choosing a door with a proper lock
If you are still deciding on a door, a 4-way lock is the feature that matters on nights like this. Every Catwalk® and Dogwalk® door has one, from the wood-fitting Catwalk® cat door to the glass-fitting Catwalk® Maxi and Dogwalk® Medium. Not sure which fits? Find your door in about a minute.
The SPCA’s full fireworks advice is on spca.nz. Questions about your door’s lock? Email info@petnest.co.nz.
Quick answers
Should I lock the cat door on Guy Fawkes?
Yes, in two steps. Set the 4-way dial to in only in the afternoon, so a cat that is out can come home but cannot go back out. Once every pet is inside, turn it to locked and leave it locked until the morning.
When should I bring my pets inside for fireworks?
Before dusk. Feed and exercise dogs earlier in the day, call cats in before dark, and keep them inside for the evening. Fireworks are usually heaviest around 5 November and on New Year's Eve, and often carry on for several nights.
What if my pet gets out during fireworks?
Search close to home first; frightened cats usually hide nearby. A registered microchip and a collar with an ID tag are what get a lost pet home, so check both are up to date before the fireworks start. Leave the pet door on in only so a returning pet can get back inside.
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