Outdoor Cats and Fireworks
The advice commonly given on how to keep your cat calm during fireworks displays is well known, and is very good advice: keep her indoors in a dark room, play music to block the noise, keep the music calm and soothing, don’t comfort your cat (makes her feel there is something to worry about), block all cat flaps (she might run away), and provide a litter tray indoors.
However, there is one type of cat that will not respond well to those measures - the outdoor cat.
Forcing an outdoor cat inside and blocking out the scary noises will not make sense. She will simply think she isn’t allowed out, and have no idea why. You will most likely end up with torn furniture, torn curtains, urine stains and smells, and a very unhappy cat.
Similarly, you can’t put the cat out. The fireworks will scare her to levels that could only be described as tormenting.
What you need to do is provide the cat with some sort of safe haven, with the option of coming right into the house. If your cat is never in the house, she will most likely have a favourite hiding place somewhere in the neighbourhood. However, it would be better to provide one in any outdoor space within your own property.
A utility room or porch with an outer door left ajar could also be used, with the option for the cat to come right into the house. As long as she knows she can leave the house proper, and return at will there shouldn’t be a problem.
Although the usual advice will state that all exit routes from the house should be blocked, this really only applies to house cats that have shaky nerves at the best of times. An outdoor cat that comes to your house for treats or affection is much less likely to associate the fireworks with your house and run away.
Other than that, if and when your outdoor cats do come into the house because of fireworks, the usual advice is good advice. Do provide a dark room with soothing music, and “act-normal” human behaviour. Just don’t force the cat into it.