Urban noise including traffic, construction, and fireworks causes chronic stress in companion animals that reduces welfare and is frequently unrecognised by owners.
Chronic environmental noise causes physiological stress that reduces welfare even when behavioural signs are subtle. Owners in noisy urban environments may not recognise their pet's baseline stress level as abnormal. Acoustic enrichment using white noise or species-specific calming sounds can partially buffer environmental noise. Advocating for environmental noise reduction in planning and construction activity protects both human and animal welfare in urban environments.