Deepavali with pets: Why pet parents are choosing quieter holiday getaways

As Deepavali approaches, pets often become anxious at the sound of firecrackers. Dogs and cats may hide under beds or in dark corners, while some lose interest in playtime, walks and even pee breaks. For pet owners, finding ways to ease their distress is an ongoing challenge. Some who love celebrating Deepavali but cannot bear to see their pets shivering and panting are now choosing quieter destinations to spend the festival.Quiet places during Deepavali in India Frodo from Bengaluru | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Pet parent JP Daisy boards her cat at a hostel in Hyderabad’s Kokapet with soundproof rooms during Deepavali. Watching her usually docile Siamese, Sharpay, run helter-skelter as firecracker noise peaks in the evening makes Daisy anxious. “She is a lightweight cat and usually eats very little. During Deepavali, she stops eating. One of our friends suggested a place to board her. Sharpay is not clingy, so boarding her is easy,” she says.Pet boarding facilities also see a surge in demand during festivals, and not just from people travelling. With diyas lit in homes, unattended flames can pose a safety risk. At Pet Cafe Hyderabad, a boarding facility and restaurant in Banjara Hills, founder Deven Baheti says regulars book slots weeks, sometimes months, ahead of Deepavali. Sharpay | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement The reason“The open space and location make it comfortable for pets. Ours is a quiet locality, with few homes bursting firecrackers. To further drown out the noise, we play calming music, use vet-approved anti-anxiety drops and essential oils, and apply calming sprays to help them relax,” says Deven.With boarding (charges of ₹1000 per day) slots fully booked, Deven and his team are preparing to keep the pets occupied with play and grooming sessions. “We do it for the love of animals. Even reactive pets are managed by a few of us and kept in separate enclosures, away from the friendly ones.”Voicing use of vet-approved calming drops Bengaluru based Neeta Sharma said “That is the only way to calm our pet rescued Indie Frodo. The other two a labrador and a Beagle don’t care much about the sound.” A boarder at Pet Cafe Hyd | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Not all pet parents can board their pets, or are comfortable with the idea. Many instead look for pet-friendly homestays and resorts away from the city. With several properties now welcoming pets, finding the right one is the only challenge. In Chevella, about 50 kilometres from Hyderabad, homestays have become a welcome respite for pet owners. Ramya R, a pet parent, says the search for a suitable getaway begins soon after Ganesh Chaturthi. “The crackers on visarjan days are a reminder that we need to start looking.”Pollam Gattu, a farmhouse in Chevella surrounded by carrot and flower fields, has become their regular Deepavali escape. The area sees fewer firecrackers than the city, making it a quieter retreat. “In villages, it is relatively quieter than in the city. I can’t say it is absolutely silent, but it is not as noisy with firecrackers as the city is,” she says. Dr. Kalyani Mathivanan with Stud at K Resorts What about Deepavali puja and other rituals? “We keep the decor light at home. One of our cousins stays back for a few hours to keep the doors open. It is all a matter of arrangement and coordination. In the end, our two-year-old Labrador comes home happy.”At K-Resorts in Puducherry, almost all of its 56 villas are occupied by pet owners seeking respite from Deepavali noise. Founder Prateek Shah says, “This is the time of year when demand comes not from the holiday crowd but from families in Tamil Nadu looking for a quieter place to celebrate Deepavali.”Some families use the festival as an opportunity for road trips to quieter destinations, where the sound of sea waves drowns out firecrackers. Bengaluru-based Ajay Shah says, “We find road trips with our dog a great way to escape. During Deepavali, we explore farm stays in Karnataka and Konkan. Many homestays allow pets and have open spaces for them to play. A trip to the beach and running around in the sand tires our dog out enough to sleep through the faint noise in the background.” Navitaa Bedi and Abhiroop Vijay with Siya Noida-based Navitaa Bedi and Abhiroop Vijay say staying with their pet dog Siya is the best way to calm her during fireworks. “We don’t leave her alone through any of it. She loves watching TV with us (she’s sat through all the Avatar films). Between her hideout under the desk and all of us together on the couch, she settles completely.”Abhiroop says they are lucky Siya stays calm but wishes others were more mindful of animals during Deepavali. “Not every pet responds the way she does. A lot of animals find the noise genuinely frightening.”When the family decides to escape the noise, they head to the beach. “It’s funny, because she was actually born in the mountains, but she’s not a fan of the cold, especially cold water. Warm sand over snow, every time,” he adds.Air pollution Cutting Chai with Nidhi and Gaurav Some pets, however, are unfazed by the noise. Cutting Chai, an 18-month-old Indie rescued by Nidhi Prakash and Gaurav Thappar in Mumbai’s Chembur, actually barks at rockets and flower pots when they go off. A car ride is among his favourite things, and despite being unafraid of firecrackers, the family heads to a hillside farm during Deepavali for fresh air and long, leisurely walks. “We use this time to escape the air pollution and spend some quiet time together. Cutting enjoys nature walks, sniffing and enquiring about every plant and stick,” says Nidhi.