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Berlin, November 19, 2024. New Year’s Eve is a source of concern for many pet owners: every year, numerous animals are frightened by loud fireworks and run away in panic.
A recent survey by Weenect, conducted among 652 pet owners from France, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany — including 476 dog owners and 182 cat owners — shows how severely fireworks affect the well-being of dogs and cats, and how a GPS tracker can help if the worst happens.
The results of the survey are alarming: more than a quarter (26%) of the pets surveyed hide during fireworks, and almost 20% try to run away. Dogs and cats react differently to the noise: nearly every second cat (42.4%) frantically seeks a hiding place, while dogs tend to pant heavily or show escape behaviour (21.9%).
“For many cats, New Year’s Eve—with its loud noises, fireworks and firecrackers—is a very frightening and even traumatic experience,” explains cat expert Birga Dexel. “That’s why it’s so important to take early action and train the animal so that it can better cope with this recurring yearly event.”
Unfortunately, the stress is not always just a short-term burden: according to the survey, almost a quarter of dogs and around 16% of cats show long-term behavioural changes. Common symptoms include persistent anxiety (49.3% of affected animals), mistrust (20.7%) and even loss of appetite (15.5%). Dogs are particularly affected: more than 24% of the dog owners surveyed reported that their pet developed lasting stress symptoms after fireworks.
Dexel emphasizes:
“Dogs and cats can develop behavioural problems as a result of the extreme stress experienced on New Year’s Eve. Every January, we see an increase in anxiety disorders in cats during our consultations. In addition to training, further measures should be taken, especially to protect outdoor cats.”
To calm their pets, around 70% of owners stay with them when the fireworks start. Others try to distract the animal or move it to a quieter room. But sometimes that’s not enough: one in ten owners reports that their pet has already run away during fireworks.
In such cases, a GPS tracker like Weenect’s can provide extra safety.
“The tracker helps to locate the animal quickly and to defuse panic situations without long search efforts,” explains Birga Dexel. “Especially for outdoor cats, it provides essential security because you can see exactly where they are.”
In the survey, over 75% of pet owners said they feel safer with a GPS tracker like Weenect when things get loud. Especially on New Year’s Eve, when the risk of panic and escape is high, the tracker provides a fast way to locate and bring a pet safely home.
The survey also shows that searching for a lost pet is often time-consuming and stressful. While 56.5% of runaway pets were found near their homes, not all returned quickly. 78.3% were found within a few hours, but around one third (33.3%) of owners needed several days to recover their animal. Those found more than three kilometres from home took the longest to locate.
“A GPS tracker can be the crucial aid when millions of pets are frightened by fireworks every year. With Weenect, we provide pet owners with the right tool to ensure their animals can be quickly brought back to safety,” concludes Birga Dexel.
Since 2006, Birga Dexel has been developing pioneering, modern, cat-friendly and force-free therapy and training methods at her Cat Institute Birga Dexel. Together with her team, she advises cat owners on behavioural issues and offers training courses for both private individuals and professionals.
On television, she appears regularly on VOX and ARD, contributing to animal-related programmes such as Hundkatzemaus (VOX), Die Haustierprofis (ARD), 3 Engel für Tiere, Katzenkita, and Katzenjammer (VOX).
Since October 2024, cat lovers can also listen to her podcast Die Katzensprechstunde (“The Cat Consultation”), which she co-hosts with well-known TV presenter Jana Azizi.
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