Fireworks and Pets: A UK Season Plan for Dogs, Cats, Rabbits, Guinea Pigs and Birds

Short answer: Start early. If your pet struggles with fireworks, a Blue Cross fireworks leaflet suggests speaking to your vet six to 12 weeks before the season. Find out when local displays are planned, and check microchip details in case a pet bolts.

On the night, bring dogs and cats in before dark, shut windows, curtains and cat flaps, and give them a hiding place they can always reach. Move outdoor rabbits and guinea pigs into a quiet room, shed or car-free garage, keeping bonded pairs together. Partly cover aviaries and outdoor cages, but keep air moving.

The first bang rarely waits until you're ready. A dog starts shaking at a rocket three streets away. A cat disappears under the bed and stays there until morning. And two rabbits sit in a hutch at the bottom of the garden with nobody watching them at all.

Fireworks in the UK aren't one night, either. Bonfire Night, Diwali and New Year's Eve each bring their own run of displays, and private parties fill the weekends around them. In figures PDSA published in 2019, 40% of dogs were afraid of fireworks.

This guide draws on current fireworks advice from the RSPCA, PDSA, Dogs Trust, the Scottish SPCA and the British Veterinary Association (BVA), on older fireworks leaflets from the RSPCA and Blue Cross, and on the fireworks rules in each UK nation.

When is fireworks season in the UK? The nights to plan for

Most owners plan for 5 November and get caught out by everything around it. For many households the bangs start before Halloween and carry on past New Year.

The nights to put in your diary:

• Bonfire Night. It's 5 November, and it's the night fireworks can legally carry on until midnight in England, Wales and Scotland.

• Diwali. It usually falls in October or November, and the date changes every year, so check it before you plan.

• New Year's Eve. Expect the biggest burst of noise around midnight.

• Chinese New Year. It comes early in the year, and its first day is another night when the regulations allow a late finish.

• Halloween in Northern Ireland. Halloween displays are a big part of the season there, and nidirect sets a separate licence deadline for them.

Private displays don't follow a calendar. They bunch up on the weekends either side of the big dates, and a wedding or a milestone birthday can bring one in any month. The RSPCA's 2019 fireworks leaflet asks people to let fireworks off "on or around traditional celebration dates". That's only a request.

So check your council's events page and local social media groups, and ask any neighbour planning a garden display for a start time.

What time do fireworks have to stop? The rules in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Rules differ across the UK: Firework rules aren't the same in every nation, so below we cover England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland separately. This is general information from government and legislation sources, not legal advice. Your council can tell you about local rules and organised displays.

England and Wales

The Fireworks Regulations 2004 ban using an adult firework during "night hours", 11pm to 7am, apart from the four permitted nights in the table, and GOV.UK gives the same times. These regulations cover England and Wales only, so the widely quoted 11pm rule isn't a UK-wide one.

Scotland

Under the Fireworks (Scotland) Regulations 2004, as amended in 2021, adult fireworks can only be used between 6pm and 11pm, with the same four later nights. The 6pm start helps pet owners most: it leaves a clearer window for early-evening walks and toilet trips.

Since 22 June 2023, Scottish councils have also been able to designate Firework Control Zones, according to the Scottish Government. Setting off fireworks inside one is an offence, private gardens included, though organised public displays can still go ahead.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland relies on licensing, with no single set of nightly hours. According to nidirect, you need a licence to buy, possess or use fireworks, apart from indoor fireworks and sparklers. nidirect also asks people not to set fireworks off late at night, and to "keep pets indoors".

What the rules mean for your pet

A curfew tells you when fireworks should stop. It doesn't promise they will.

In England and Wales, council displays and national celebrations are exempt from the night-hours rule. On the four big nights, a late finish is legal across Great Britain. So expect noise from early evening until after midnight, with stragglers on the nights either side. A bang at 2am on a Tuesday is probably against the rules. Your dog won't know the difference.

Fireworks and pets: a countdown from months ahead to the night itself

Most of what helps on the night gets set up days or weeks before it. Work backwards from the first date in your diary.

Three to six months ahead

If your pet struggles with fireworks, the Blue Cross leaflet suggests looking into behavioural advice "three to six months in advance". PDSA's dog advice says sound desensitisation needs "several months" before the season starts. We explain how gradual sound training works, and what it can and can't do, in our calming aids guide.

Reading this in October? It's too late for sound training to make much difference this year. Put a reminder in your calendar for next summer, then carry on with the rest of this countdown, which still applies.

Six to 12 weeks ahead

If you think your pet will struggle, the Blue Cross leaflet suggests speaking to your vet "six to 12 weeks beforehand". PDSA keeps it simpler: "Speak to your vet well before fireworks season". Rabbits, guinea pigs and birds count too, and it's worth finding a vet who regularly sees your species.

Sudden or worsening fear: Has the fear started suddenly, or got noticeably worse? Then book a check-up first. PDSA's fireworks pages for dogs, cats and small pets all make this point, because there could be a medical reason, such as pain or illness.

Your vet can also talk you through whether medication is appropriate. If they prescribe something, follow their instructions on timing.

Two to three weeks ahead

This is the admin stage. Confirm the local dates you've found (see the calendar above), then work through these:

• Microchip details. Check your phone number and address on the microchip database. In the BVA's words, "ensure your pet is microchipped and your details are up to date on the database".

• House and garden. Dogs Trust says to "check your house and garden are escape-proof", which means doors, windows and fences.

• ID indoors. The Blue Cross leaflet says dogs should wear "easily readable identification – even in the house".

• Where everyone spends the night. Decide which room the dog will use, where the cat can hide, and where the hutch or aviary birds will go. The sections below cover each one.

The week before

Set up your dog's den now, so it's familiar by the first big night. The RSPCA says it's important that your dog "has access to this safe haven at all times".

Planning to bring outdoor rabbits, guinea pigs or aviary birds inside? Start this week. The RSPCA's 2019 leaflet says bringing pets indoors "should be done gradually, so you will need to plan ahead". Clear the room or shed you'll use and buy in extra bedding.

On the day

Walk dogs and let other pets out earlier in the day, as the Scottish SPCA suggests. Dogs Trust wants you "settled inside well before any fireworks start". After that, its advice is four words long: "Stay with your dog."

Don't take your dog to a display. The RSPCA and the Scottish SPCA both say so.

Building your own bonfire? The Scottish SPCA asks you to check that no small animals are hiding inside it before you light it, and the RSPCA notes that hedgehogs often use bonfire piles for shelter.

Dogs and cats: setting up the house for fireworks night

Most advice on how to keep pets calm during fireworks comes down to one early decision: where each animal spends the evening, and what's shut before the first bang.

Your dog's room and den

Pick the room first. Our suggestion is an inner room with as few windows as possible, ideally on the side of the house away from where local displays usually happen. Dogs Trust says to "block out flashes and bangs", so draw the curtains there before dusk.

Get your dog settled there "each evening before the fireworks begin", as the RSPCA recommends. Coaxing a scared dog across the house mid-display is much harder.

If your dog already uses a crate as a den, it can be the safe space, with the door left open. Whatever the den, PDSA says to give access "at all times, but never force them into it or shut them inside it". Thinking about a crate for next year? Our dog crate guide covers sizing and getting a dog used to one.

Late toilet trips are where things go wrong. PDSA warns that "it's common for dogs to bolt from their garden after being startled by a firework". So keep your dog on a lead in the garden after dark, clipped to a collar or a well-fitted harness. The RSPCA adds: "Don't tie your dog up outside."

And never punish a dog for being scared, which the RSPCA's leaflet says "will only make things worse in the long run".

Your cat's hiding place

Get cats in before dark. The RSPCA wants them kept indoors "especially after dark", with all windows and doors closed and the cat flap blocked. If yours usually wanders home at nine, start calling them in earlier the week before.

Then let them choose their hiding place. PDSA notes that "cats often feel safest when they're up high", so leave a clear route to the top of a wardrobe or a high shelf. Leave them be, even if you're itching to check: the RSPCA says "don't stress your cat by trying to tempt them out".

Put a litter tray and water in the same room. That way your cat has no reason to cross the house mid-display.

Dogs and cats in the same house

The front door is the weak point on every big night. Trick-or-treaters, New Year's Eve guests and late deliveries open it at exactly the wrong moment, so keep pets behind a closed inner door. With both species, we'd also give each its own retreat, so a panicking dog doesn't crowd a hiding cat.

For what to do if your pet is still struggling, and an honest look at which calming products have any evidence behind them, see our guide to calming aids.

Outdoor rabbits and guinea pigs: moving the hutch for fireworks night

Rabbits and guinea pigs are the easiest pets to forget on fireworks night. They're out of sight, and a hutch at the bottom of the garden gives them nowhere to go.

Where to move them

Bring them in. PDSA could hardly be clearer: "If they live outdoors, bring them inside." A garage or shed is fine as well: a Blue Cross leaflet lists it alongside a quiet indoor room, and the Scottish SPCA suggests "inside or into a garage".

Car-free means car-free: A garage only works if there's no car in it. PDSA specifies "a car-free garage or shed", and its winter advice for rabbits and guinea pigs warns that car fumes "could be fatal". The RSPCA's rabbit winter page is blunter: "Never house or exercise rabbits in a garage that is in use, as vehicle exhaust fumes are harmful to rabbits."

Indoors, pick a cool, quiet room, as PDSA advises, and keep them well away from radiators and log burners. Some parts of a centrally heated house "may get too hot" for guinea pigs, the RSPCA warns.

What if the hutch is too big to carry? A travel carrier or an indoor pen will do for a night or two. Bring their own bedding and hay, so familiar smells come too. The same goes for ferrets, hamsters and other small pets in outdoor cages.

If the hutch has to stay outside

Sometimes moving it isn't possible. In that case:

• Turn it round. Face the hutch towards a wall or fence, away from the open garden, as the RSPCA and a Blue Cross leaflet suggest.

• Cover part of it. The Scottish SPCA suggests duvets, blankets or old carpet to muffle the sound, "making sure there's still plenty of ventilation".

• Add bedding. Pile in extra bedding so they can burrow, a tip from the RSPCA and the Scottish SPCA.

• Give hides two ways out. PDSA suggests hiding places with "more than one entrance/exit".

The RSPCA sums it up: "do your best to block the outside noise from their habitat". Look in on them before bed, and again later if the bangs carry on.

Bonded pairs, fear signs and temperature

Keep bonded pairs and groups together, as PDSA and the RSPCA advise. Don't split them up because one carrier is easier than two.

Watch them closely through the evening. The signs of fear in small pets are "more difficult to spot than in cats and dogs", says PDSA. One sign to listen for, from the BVA: a frightened rabbit may "thump the ground with their back feet". Our calming aids guide lists the others.

A warm house after a cold garden is a change in its own right. Guinea pigs "don't cope well with big changes in temperature", according to the RSPCA, so pick a cool room and plan the move back outside for a mild day. Winter housing is a bigger subject, and we're covering it in its own winter care guide.

Birds and fireworks: aviaries, outdoor cages and indoor birds

Are birds scared of fireworks? The Blue Cross leaflet names birds alongside rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, mice and ferrets as "all easily frightened and should be treated with special care". A bird can't burrow or slip off to another room. Its set-up depends entirely on you.

Aviaries and outdoor cages

The RSPCA's 2019 fireworks leaflet gives the clearest instruction: "partly cover cages, pens and aviaries with blankets so that one area is well sound-proofed. Make sure that your pets are still able to look out." The Blue Cross leaflet suggests covering aviaries "with thick blankets or a duvet", with the same caveat: "make sure there's enough ventilation".

"Partly" is the word to hold on to. In practice that means one sheltered, muffled end and an open side, so birds can retreat without being shut in total darkness.

If you can bring aviary birds indoors, do it well ahead of the night. The RSPCA leaflet's advice to move pets in "gradually" applies to birds as much as to rabbits, and a rushed transfer at 7pm on Bonfire Night is exactly what to avoid.

Indoor birds

The suggestions below for indoor cages are our own, built on the aviary advice above and not taken from a charity:

• Move the cage away from windows, and draw the curtains before dusk.

• Keep a lamp on in the room so sudden flashes stand out less against the dark.

• Stick to your bird's usual routine and bedtime as far as the evening allows.

• If you partly cover the cage, leave one side open so your bird can see out and air keeps moving, the same principle the RSPCA applies to aviaries.

Watching birds in the days after

Keep an eye on feather condition and behaviour over the following days. The RSPCA lists a frightening event among the possible causes of self-plucking in pet birds.

See a bird vet: If you notice plucking, or your bird seems unwell, the RSPCA says to "contact a specialist bird vet".

If your pet bolts: microchips, ID and what to do first

A frightened pet that gets out is hard to find in the dark. Preparation does most of the work here.

Microchip rules differ by species and nation: GOV.UK states that "all dogs in the UK must be microchipped and registered by the time they're 8 weeks old".

For cats, the rule applies in England only: cats must be microchipped and registered by 20 weeks old under the Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023, in force for cats since 10 June 2024, with limited exemptions. GOV.UK says cat microchipping is optional in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

For rabbits, ferrets, birds and other pets, ask your vet whether microchipping is an option.

A chip only helps if the details on it are right. GOV.UK is clear: "You're responsible for keeping your pet's microchip information up to date." Petlog, the Kennel Club's lost-and-found database, recorded more than 25,000 pets reported missing between January 2023 and June 2024, and "74% of dogs and 62% of cats were reunited with their owners".

For a dog or cat that's bolted before, a GPS tracker can help you find them faster, though it doesn't replace a secure garden. Dogs Trust describes trackers as "a helpful tool for locating a lost pet".

First steps if your pet gets out

If your pet does get out:

1. Search close to home first, including sheds, garages and under cars. Frightened cats often hide nearby.

2. Report your pet missing to the microchip database it's registered with.

3. Ring local vets and rescue centres, in case someone brings your pet in.

4. Contact your council, and for a dog, ask for the dog warden.

5. Post in local community and lost-pet groups with a recent photo.

The morning after: garden, enclosure and pet checks

Walk the garden before the dog goes out. The RSPCA's 2019 leaflet asks you to "pick up any firework litter after it has cooled down and dispose of it safely, as it can harm animals". Spent casings can land in gardens nowhere near the display.

While you're out there, check fences, gates, hutch catches and run fixings for damage. Do it before any pet goes back out.

Return rabbits, guinea pigs and aviary birds once things are calm, on a mild day, and gradually, following the same principle as the move in. Then get back to normal. "The best thing you can do is to return to your normal routine," says the RSPCA, and Dogs Trust gives the same advice for the days after fireworks.

See a vet: A rabbit that stops eating after the fireworks needs a vet straight away. PDSA says to "contact your vet immediately if you notice your rabbit not eating properly", and names stress as "a common cause of reduced appetite in rabbits".

Call your vet, too, about any pet that's injured, still hiding or off its food days later, or whose fear is getting worse year on year.

Bonfire Night may be over, but Diwali or New Year's Eve could still be ahead. Keep the set-up ready instead of packing it all away.

Mistakes worth avoiding

• Leaving outdoor pets out because they were fine last year.

• Using a garage with a car in it (see the hutch section above).

• Splitting a bonded pair to make the move easier.

• Opening the front door with a frightened dog loose in the hall.

• Taking a dog to a display.

The bottom line

Fireworks season is a run of nights, so plan for it like one. Start early with your vet if your pet struggles. Set up each animal's space before the first bang: a den for the dog, a high hiding place for the cat, a cool, quiet room for the rabbits and guinea pigs, a partly covered aviary for the birds. Then check the garden, the enclosures and your pets the morning after.

If your pet still struggles despite all of this, our calming aids guide looks at what helps, which products have any evidence behind them, and when to go back to your vet.