For many dogs and cats, New Year's Eve is the hardest night of the year: hours of bangs and flashes they can't explain. You can't stop the fireworks outside, but you can make home feel safe and still have a celebration. Here are 8 ideas, from the morning walk to midnight, with the practical points at the end. If your pet is very anxious, talk to your vet well before the night.
1. Plan the day around the dark
Give your dog a long walk in daylight and feed earlier than usual, so the evening can be quiet. Keep cats indoors from the afternoon. Check that the collar tag and the microchip details are up to date: a frightened pet can bolt through a door that's open for just a second.
2. Close the curtains and light the room from inside
Closed curtains hide the flashes and muffle some of the noise, and warm light inside makes the room feel like any other evening. If you have LED curtain lights in the window, hang them on the inside of the closed curtains and pick a slow, soft scene at low brightness rather than a fast, flashing one.
Shown: smart animated Christmas lights, with adjustable brightness and speed, controlled from the app.
3. Build a den
Set up a quiet corner away from the windows with your pet's bed, a favourite blanket and a toy: a crate with a blanket over the top works well for many dogs, and cats usually prefer somewhere high or under a bed. Let them choose where to go and don't pull them out.
4. Bring the fireworks indoors, without the bang
Fill a glass vase or a jar with firecracker lights on a high shelf: little bursts of warm-white light that look like fireworks, with no noise at all. The LEDs stay cool to the touch, and the remote dims them or changes the mode from the sofa.
Shown: firecracker fairy lights, 1.5 m with 50 LEDs or 6 m with 200 LEDs, USB powered.
5. Count down with lights
Instead of popping corks or crackers in the room, switch on 2027 in marquee numbers on the stroke of midnight. Each number stands on its own or hangs from a hole in the back, and they run on batteries, so there's no cable for a curious pet to pull.
Shown: light-up marquee numbers, 22 cm tall, sold one number at a time.
6. Candlelight without the flame
Wagging tails, curious cats and a pet that suddenly runs for cover don't mix with real candles. Flameless candles flicker like the real thing, and one remote switches the set off or puts it on a timer, so nothing is left burning if you go to bed early with a nervous pet.
Shown: flameless candles with remote, a set of 3.
7. Keep a soft light on in the den
A small, steady light near the den means you can check on your pet without switching on the big light. Put a lighted birch tree on a shelf or a windowsill nearby, out of reach, and add background sound: the TV, the radio or calm music helps cover the bangs.
Shown: lighted birch tree, 24 or 144 warm-white LEDs, USB or batteries.
8. Stay calm and keep it ordinary
Pets pick up on our mood, so act as normal as you can: play, give treats, and comfort your pet if it comes to you for reassurance. Never punish fear. If your dog or cat panics every year, talk to your vet in good time, weeks before New Year's Eve rather than on the day.
Before the night: safety and delivery
- Button batteries: the remote of the firecracker lights takes a CR2025 coin battery. Keep remotes and spare coin batteries out of reach of pets and children; if one is swallowed, contact a vet or a doctor straight away.
- Keep cables tidy and out of reach of pets that chew, and keep lights away from heaters.
- Power: the marquee numbers take 2 AA batteries each and the flameless candles 3 AAA each; the curtain lights and the firecracker lights run on USB (adapter not included); the birch tree on USB or batteries. Batteries are not included.
- Delivery: free tracked shipping, dispatched in 1 to 3 business days and delivered in 7 to 12. Order by 10 December for New Year's Eve.
- Returns: unused items in their original packaging can be returned within 30 days of delivery.
More New Year's Eve ideas
- Decorating for the night? Here are our New Year's Eve decoration ideas and our New Year's Eve decorations.
- Celebrating with children? See New Year's Eve with kids: 8 ideas.
- Browse all our Christmas decorations or our 12 Christmas gift ideas under $30.
Hosting friends at home? Here are 8 New Year's Eve party ideas at home.