BEHAVIOUR
Thunder and Lightning,
Very, Very Frightening!
Dealing With Noise Phobia in
Dogs and Cats
Dr Quixi Sonntag, Department of Companion Animal Clinical Studies,
Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, [email protected]
Definition and signs
Noise phobia refers to a profound response to loud
sounds such as thunder, fireworks and gunshots. It
is characterized by intense avoidance, escape or
anxiety behaviours associated with the activities of
the sympathetic nervous system. Noise reactive
animals that show concern with loud noises but are
not phobic are referred to as “fearful” or “reactive”.
A phobic animal shows a reduction in behavioural
variation and the phobia interferes with day-to-day
functioning. These animals are hyper vigilant, hyper
reactive and show attempts to avoid what is going on
in the environment. A variety of signs are associated
with noise phobia/reactivity (Table 1). Noise phobic
cats most commonly hide during noisy events and
thus their condition is easily overlooked. The same
treatment principles applied in dogs also apply to cats.
Table 1: Specific and non-specific signs of noise phobia
Hiding Panting
Escape behaviour Salivation
Destructive Shivering, shaking
Aggressive Urination
Vocalising Defaecation
Seeking close physical
contact Loss of appetite
Attention-seeking Vomiting
Hypervigilance Diarrhoea
Pacing Mydriasis
Freezing Cowering
Self-harm
Prevalence
A study undertaken in 2005 in the UK found that 49%
of dogs showed signs of noise phobia. However, only
25% of these dogs’ owners thought that they showed
signs of fear, and less than a third of owners seek
assistance for their fearful dog. A study in Norway
found a prevalence of 23%.
vet360
Issue 02 | MAY 2019 | 4
Risk factors
Some animals are genetically predisposed to
developing noise phobia. Although the condition
occurs in animals of all breeds, it is more common in
herding breeds and cross-bred dogs. Multiple gene
involvement is likely.