It rained most of the night, accompanied by thunder and lightning for the bulk of it. I used to love thunderstorms, now I dread them. Rita is terrified of them, and shakes and pants and whines non-stop throughout the entire storm. She is completely inconsolable. Nobody gets any sleep as she searches for the spot she will feel safe in, which she never finds. I truly feel bad for her, but I also hate losing a night’s sleep. Sigh…
Idle Eyes and a Dormy 
I don’t like thunderstorms either, rita.
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Poor Rita! It’s so … frustrating? disheartening? … when you have an animal in distress like that. You can’t explain to her why the loud noises are happening.
Personally, I love thunderstorms. We had a real foundation-shaker here yesterday. The lightning was close enough to encourage me to stay away from doors and windows.
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We never get storms of the ferocity that you have – and even then they happen very rarely. When they do occur one of the pussies, Blackso, gets terrified and, like your Rita, can’t find anywhere ‘safe’ enough to settle down. But Blackso hates fireworks at least as much as thunder and lightning which, he probably thinks, are part of the same phenomenon. Maybe any pyrotechnics that you get aren’t close enough to bother the fragile little Rita – or can she cope with them?
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She is terrified of every loud sound, from thunder to fireworks to door slams. Its really sad 😦
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Awwwww! Especially sad when I haven’t the slightest doubt that you’re giving her all the TLC that you’re capable of.
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I almost forgot what rain is like. It’s been so long since we’ve had “normal” rainfall here in SoCal. I’m losing sleep, but it’s the neighbors upstairs causing it.
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Yes some rain would be nice here.
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Try feeding her most favorite treats throughout the storm – even if it’s people food. As soon as the storm starts, begin giving her kibble sized pieces in relation to the strength of the storm what ever it takes to keep her attention on the food and away from the storm. This can help change her association to thunder but it will take time. Also, try wrapping her tightly in a towel or her favorite blankie (this is also a technique for calming newborn babies) and holding her in a favorite spot.
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Thanks. We’ll try the treat thing. We have a thunder vest we put her in; I also wrap her in a blanket and hold her close for as long as she’ll let me.
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Poor pooch.
I love and adore storms. I miss them so.
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Poor sweetheart Rita! I love thunderstorms myself, and thankfully neither of our animals are bothered by the loud noises. I like the idea of giving her bits of treats to distract her during storms. I hope that works.
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