Coddled Cats

Archive for September, 2008

Hurricane Ike has provided us with a grim reminder of the need for disaster preparedness for our pets. If you know a storm is headed your way, you would do well to prepare for it in advance, to make other arrangements in case you are not home when it hits, and if you do evacuate, to take your pets with you. If you are well prepared, your pets can fare just fine during a disaster.

One of the most important things you can do is to prepare for disaster in advance. Create a disaster kit with enough non-perishable supplies to last for a week or more, and keep it in a readily accessible place. Include canned food, bottled water, necessary medications, your pet’s medical records, and either a carrier or a leash. If you have cats, include a litter box, litter and a scoop. You can print out this checklist to keep with your kit to keep track of the things you will need.

Another thing you should do is to find a safe place you and your pets can go ahead of time. Check with friends and relatives, to see if they can shelter you and your pets in an emergency. Even if they can only accommodate your pets, you can drop them off and then go to a shelter yourself. Call around to hotels and motels to find out which of them allow pets. Keep a list handy, and make reservations as soon as you think you might have to evacuate.

In case you are not at home when disaster strikes, you should make arrangements with a neighbor or pet sitter to care for your pets. Give them a key, and ask them if they are willing to evacuate your pets if necessary. Make sure they know where your disaster kit is kept. You can also put stickers on your windows and doors to let rescue workers know there are pets inside. You should specify the number and type of pets you have on the stickers.

If you do have to evacuate, take your pets with you. Leave early. Don’t wait until evacuation is mandatory. If you wait too long, emergency officials may tell you to leave your pets behind. Take your pets somewhere safe as soon as possible. Make sure you keep them restrained, either on a leash or in a carrier. And don’t forget ID tags with your cell phone number on them. If you do get separated, this may be your only hope of being reunited.

Storms like Hurricane Ike can be disastrous, but they don’t have to be disasters for your pets. If you will prepare for emergencies before they happen, make other arrangements in case you can’t be there to handle them yourself, and take your pets to a safe location as soon as you know trouble is brewing, you will go a long way toward keeping your pets safe and healthy. Now go put together your disaster kit, if you haven’t already.