Amazon Alexa can play music to calm your pets when the fireworks start
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Fireworks night is often filled with anticipation, excitement and color, but there’s no denying that it can be loud, with even low-noise fireworks reaching pretty high decibels. And those vibrant colors and sparkles, amazing as they are, erupt with pops and flashes that can be quite disorienting to humans, not to mention animals — and it’s our pets who feel it the most.
In the UK, Bonfire night will take place next Saturday (November 5). Amazon (opens in new tab) recognizes the distress this can cause our feline friends, so it’s teaming up with feline behaviorist, Anita Kelsey, and a professional music composer to create a special playlist to help animals relax via Alexa-enabled devices. Using scientific research showing that cats respond more positively to specific tones and frequencies, the team formulated tracks designed to calm cats.
The specially composed music for cats can be accessed via the voice command “Alexa, help my cat relax‘, prompting the device to play the songs to put them at ease.
For those who have a dog in the house, Alexa can lend a helping hand in that scenario as well. A new Alexa routine, Press Paws, allows your dog to self-soothe by triggering a routine using sound detection, such as barking. Yes, your dog can help self-soothe by simply barking so the routine can play Classic for dogs playlist. All you need to do is enable the Press Paws routine on Alexa by clicking this link (opens in new tab) and follow the instructions on the screen.
Of course, this is only an option for those who already have the best Alexa speakers (opens in new tab) and, really, if you have a cat or dog – we don’t think those frequencies will be particularly pleasing to human ears.
For those who don’t have Alexa, Anita shares some top tips for keeping your pet calm this weekend. Keep scrolling for more information and where to buy an Alexa device, if you’d like.
How To Keep Your Pets Relaxed On Fireworks Night?
1. Create a relaxing environment
Music can reduce the sudden impact of fireworks sounds. Just ask “Alexa, help my cat relax” or “Alexa, help my dog relax” to mask the sounds of fireworks. You can access both features and much more through the Alexa app.
2. Keep your energy calm
Our pets look to us for reassurance. As such, it’s important to keep our voices and facial expressions calm as we sit quietly with them and say there’s nothing to worry about, and give them a stroke to reassure them too.
3. Close the curtains
This rules out sudden flashes, especially if your neighbors are setting off fireworks in their yard. It is not only the sound of fireworks that is terrifying, but also the flashes of light that penetrate the house.
4. Keep your pets indoors
As we know, fireworks can be set off in private gardens as well as in public areas on Bonfire Night, so it’s safer to keep your pet inside so they can hide if needed. At home they feel safe and secure, so you can relax in the knowledge that they are safe too.
5. Create a shelter
Make sure your pet has a place to retreat to, such as a covered basket or cardboard box in a quiet area, such as under a bed or in his favorite closet. Allow them to stay there as long as they need, and go out when they want; but go to them with a treat and see if they eat from your hand. A positive association will help any phobias related to popping, hissing, and the bright lights Bonfire night brings.
6. Comfort your pet with smart devices
You can use the Two-Way Talk feature on your Ring Indoor Cam or Stick Up Cam to check in with your pet, and use your Alexa app to control your smart home, such as turning on lights. While it is not recommended to leave pets alone, these are good options in case you need to leave the house for a short period of time.