Paris Has Its Own Fireworks Tradition. The American Community Has Added a July 4th Component. The Cats Have Strong Feelings.
PARIS — The Fourth of July in Paris is not a French holiday and is observed primarily by the American community through gatherings that combine the expatriate warmth of a shared cultural memory with the specific texture of celebrating American independence in the country that bankrolled it, which France did, historically, to the tune of approximately 1.3 billion livres in 1778, a fact that American ambassadors and French diplomats reference with mutual satisfaction at the annual reception at the American Embassy on the rue Gabriel, which is itself located a short walk from where Louis XVI made the decision that the American cause was worth France’s investment.
The Pet Response
The July 14th fireworks at the Eiffel Tower, which are immense, and any additional July 4th celebrations with fireworks components, combine to give the Paris summer an unusual quantity of explosive sound that pets process through the same neurological system as predator threats. The cat that finds the most enclosed space in the apartment and remains there for the duration of the fireworks display is executing a survival response that 40 million years of evolution has refined and that does not distinguish between fireworks and genuine danger. The French pet owner has addressed this by consulting their veterinarian, who has recommendations ranging from behavioral preparation to short-term anxiolytic support for severely affected animals. According to France’s National Veterinary Association’s fireworks guidance, preparation before the event is significantly more effective than intervention during it. The cat, wherever it is, is safe.
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