[Summer Tradition] Seeking advice on how to mentally care for a cat who is a "dragger" and traumatized by fireworks

Perhaps because their hearing is sharper than humans', some cats become extremely wary of loud noises. Leon, our tabby cat, is exactly that type.

Every summer, when it comes to fireworks, he becomes a "lingerer," wary of the sounds all day long. Even after living with him for about eight years, I still haven't found a "mental care method" that truly resonates with him.

Leon, the "Lingerer" who dislikes fireworks

We have three cats in our house. Leon was the last one to join our family. When we adopted him from a rescue cat café, the owner shared photos of him as a kitten, and in one, Leon was watching fireworks with his fellow cats.

What a heartwarming and emotional scene! I thought, "This is an enviable way to spend summer!" So, I asked the owner for more details, and she replied, "He enjoyed the fireworks from the window with the other cats. He wasn't surprised at all."

Since we can see the local fireworks from our window, I decided, "Next year, I'll enjoy fireworks with my cat just like that!"

Time passed, and the long-awaited day of the fireworks arrived. Hearing the boom, I first picked up Jiji, our oldest cat, by the window and explained, "Hey! Look! These are fireworks!"

However, Jiji seemed uninterested, touching the window with his paws to cool them down or eagerly trying to catch the curtains. He wasn't listening at all.

"I see, so he prefers to spend summer that way," I mused, trying to reassure myself. I then looked for my next companion cat candidate, Kotaro, but couldn't find him. Kotaro, being very cautious, had apparently thought, "This might be dangerous," the moment he heard the first boom and had evacuated to the cat room upstairs. Smart cat...

After that, Kotaro must have thought, "Hmm? Maybe it's not as dangerous as I thought," because he returned to the living room where I was, starting a somewhat relaxed evacuation drill. He hid under the table and began purring as if to say, "Let me know when the fireworks are over."

If I were to pick him up and enjoy the fireworks with him, he'd probably get angry, like, "Huh? I'm not in the mood for this." Sensing this, I headed to Leon, my last hope.

He said he had seen fireworks with his previous owners, and he's usually so bold, so Leon should be able to watch them with me, right? "An emotional summer is beginning~♪" I hummed as I approached, but I was surprised by Leon's appearance. What? He's more scared than anyone else?

To my surprise, there was Leon, with his ears flattened, eyes wide, and tail drooping.

Seriously scared and wary of fireworks!

I talked to him, saying, "Leo-tan! It's okay! It's fireworks! I heard you've seen fireworks before, right? They're sparkly-boomy!" But Leon wasn't listening. With a face that seemed to be experiencing the greatest fear of the century, he even started to be wary of me.

When I tried to pet him or pick him up, he became even more scared, so I tried to reassure him, "It's just fireworks, you'll be fine! It'll be over in about 30 minutes!" and offered mental support with counselor-like words such as "You are in a safe place now," but my words didn't reach Leon at all.

Seeing Leon genuinely scared for the first time, I felt utterly helpless. I thought, "For now, I'll just leave him alone. Watching over him is also a mother's kindness," and observed him. Finally, the fireworks ended without his alert mode ever disengaging.

However, even after the sound of the fireworks ceased, Leon's demeanor remained unchanged. He was rigid, with his ears flattened, atop the kitchen counter, which he deemed the safest spot.

Well, since it was his first year with us, maybe that's why he reacted this way. As we spend a few more years together, he'll get used to the loud sounds of the fireworks, and his reaction will change.

That's what I thought at the time, but I was naive... Ever since then, every year on fireworks day, when Leon hears the booming sounds, he runs to the kitchen counter and freezes.

His alert mode always disengages the next morning. His tendency to "linger" over things he dislikes deeply resonates with me, and every year, I feel a peculiar emotion.

How do you protect your beloved cat who is afraid of naturally occurring loud noises?

Until I saw Leon's "lingering" side, I thought Kotaro was the most cautious cat in our house.

This was because he disliked male visitors and loud voices, and if you touched him suddenly, he would often let out a "meow!!" to show he was surprised.

In contrast, Leon, though the last to join our family, was the most robust. When Kotaro hesitated to get off the table, Leon would sometimes encourage him to "be brave and get off" by pushing his back... or rather, his bottom.

Having only ever seen his strong and masculine side, his timid appearance on fireworks day was all the more striking, and I felt, "Ah, this is how 'gap moe' love must draw you in."

Leon, it seems, dislikes naturally occurring loud noises (my observation). Not only the sound of fireworks, but also on days when there's thunder strong enough to cause a power outage or heavy rain that floods the roads, he goes into "flat-eared" alert mode.

Although it's not an everyday occurrence, as a parent, I still want to alleviate his wariness as much as possible. If there's any way to protect Leon's heart that would resonate with him, even though petting him, talking to him, or just observing him doesn't seem to make a difference, please let me know.