Most of us in New York City live in apartments. While there are days when every New Yorker wishes for a house with a yard, the culture and convenience of city living ultimately win out. One of the downsides of apartment living is the noise from your neighbor’s apartment renovation or building repairs. This disruption can affect your pet’s daily routine, causing anxiety and distress for your favorite fur person. Take for example my former foster kitten, Luke. His building needed the leaky windows fixed. Whenever the workmen and their jackhammers were outside his apartment, he stopped using his litter box and peed on the bathroom floor.
Today’s blogpost will focus on strategies to mitigate pet stress from construction noise.
Create a Quiet Space
Pick a spot in your home as far from the noise source as possible. A room without windows, such as a small bathroom or walk-in closet would be ideal. Then create a cozy and quiet space in that area by wrapping your pet’s carrier or crate in heavy blankets or towels to block the noise. Consider adding a white noise machine or putting on species-specific music to help drown out the noise. If you don’t have a windowless space, consider hanging heavy drapes on a temporary tension rod over the windows to help block the noise.
Alleviate Stress Without Drugs
Thunderstorms are another unpredictable source of noise that frightens pets. One product that helps many pets with thunderstorm phobia is a Thundershirt, a tight-fitting outfit that is a riff on the weighed blanket for humans. Another “wearable” is ear protection. When I searched online, I found a variety of earmuffs and wraps designed for pets. I have no experience with these products, and I am skeptical that pets will want to wear ear covers, but it’s worth a try.
Other options include nutraceuticals and botanicals. Nutraceuticals are non-prescription medications containing vitamins, herbs or other non-drug substances that can be used to help pets cope with noise sensitivity. Your veterinarian is a good place to start when looking for a nutraceutical for your pet. They will likely have their favorites and/or have recommendations on where to shop. If not, products containing dairy-based products and amino acids, such as theanine or tryptophan are marketed for their calming effects. As always, use caution when introducing over-the-counter supplements to your pet, as these products are not regulated and can vary widely in quality. Candles and diffusers containing lavender scent can also be calming; however, monitor your pet for coughing as some of these can be irritating to the respiratory tract. Cats are particularly sensitive to essential oils so choose your botanicals wisely.
Other products that can help with noise sensitivity include pheromones like Feliway or Adaptil. These products have a smell detectable by pets and not people. The smell has a calming effect and could be another addition to the quiet space you create for your pet.
Resorting to Drug Therapy
If none of the measures suggested above are successful in controlling your pet’s anxiety over construction noise, then make an appointment to see your pet’s veterinarian to discuss a temporary prescription of anti-anxiety medication.
For more information, take time to watch a Usdan Institute for Animal Health Education webinar about managing stress and anxiety in your pet.