Across much of Australia, storm season runs from about October to April, and in south-east Queensland and northern NSW that can mean a loud night most weeks. If your dog shakes, pants and squeezes behind the toilet, or your cat vanishes under the bed at the first rumble, you're not doing anything wrong. And it doesn't have to be how every storm night goes.
Why nothing seems to work mid-storm
Most of us only act once the panic has started: hunting for the vest, ripping open the Velcro, building a den on the bathroom floor while the thunder is already rolling. We call it the Mid-Storm Scramble. The middle of a storm is the hardest time for a frightened pet to accept anything new, which is why so many wraps end up blamed for "doing nothing". Vets say a wrap should already be familiar before a scary event. The fix isn't a better product for the worst moment. It's starting earlier.
Every Aussie home has a bushfire plan. Does your pet have a storm plan?
You don't work out where the exits are once there's smoke. Storm night is the same. Here are the four steps, based on RSPCA advice:
- Make a safe base, before you need it. A crate or quiet corner away from windows, with a blanket over the top. For cats, a covered hiding spot, a little off the ground. Set it up a week or two early so it already smells like home, and check gates, screens and ID tags while you're at it.
- Wrap on early. Introduce the wrap on calm days first, a few seconds at a time with treats, so it's familiar. Then put it on before the first rumble, not halfway through. For cats, the wrap is optional: the hiding spot comes first.
- Stay steady. Close the curtains, put the TV or music on, and keep your own voice slow and low. Comforting them is fine.
- Reward the calm. A frozen Lick Mat or a sniffy Snuffle Mat gives them a job to do. In one large owner survey, feeding and play during the noise was the day-of approach most often linked with less fear.
In a Sydney survey, owners rated preparation-based approaches as working far more often than wraps on their own. A snug wrap can be part of the plan. It just can't be the whole plan.
Get the free two-page Storm Plan to stick on the fridge.
The Storm Kit: the plan and the wrap in one box
- The Storm Kit (from $89): the soft, snug wrap, a free Lick Mat, and our four-week Storm Ready plan, which walks you through the calm-day introduction and storm night step by step. Dogs 2 to 45 kg.
- The Storm Kit for Cats: the plan, with a page just for cats, and a soft wrap that stays optional. Best with the Hideaway.
- The Quiet Hood: covers the ears and muffles the bangs.
- The Snuffle Mat: turns dinner into a slow, sniffy game.
- The Hideaway and Den Blanket: a ready-made den that smells like home.
Storm Night Bundle: add any two of the Storm Kit, the cat kit, the Second Wrap or the Quiet Hood, and a Snuffle Mat is on us. The Storm Kit and the Quiet Hood together start at $128, with the Lick Mat and the Snuffle Mat both free.
Both Storm Kits come with the 30-day Storm Night Promise: if it isn't right for your pet, email us and we'll refund your order. You keep everything.
Get ready before the next one
Delivery usually takes 8 to 15 business days, and the calm-day introduction takes about a week. Storms don't book ahead, so the best time to set up the plan is while it's quiet. Shop storm season.
When to call the vet
If your pet hurts themselves, won't eat, or their fear is getting worse each storm, please talk to your vet. They can help with a behaviour plan and, if needed, medication.
Every pet is different. Our products are designed to help with comfort and routine. They aren't a treatment for anxiety or a substitute for veterinary advice.