Pets in Disasters

[Shamrock]

I'm done procastrinating on this important item that I keep "talking about". My project for March is putting together an disaster emergency kit. I have a few items assembled, lots more to go.

I've been reading various sites for helpful tips on what to bring for humans and pets, as well as what to do before, during and after various disasters.
Here's one good link, if you are interested.
http://www.72hours.org/pets.html
I'm actually very unsure where I should store this once done .but guess I will find a suitable location.

One thing that "really" bothers me about this whole frightening concept.. is that the information all says correctly .. do NOT leave your pets behind.
And for any pet owner.. that would unbelievably distressing to do.:sad:

Our biggest threat in this region is earthquake.
If this disaster struck.. all animals would be incredibly frightened..

Dogs I believe would look to their people to help them, (providing you were home when it struck) and would be reasonably easy to locate.

Cats on the other hand would panic and hide, as is their nature.
I have enough carriers, think I'd locate my little dog.. but how would I find my cats? How could I ever entice them out if they are terrified?

Unless there was a fair warning, or just got lucky...I dont think I "could" locate all 3. In a large house, cats have many hiding spots.

Do you have a human and pet kit on hand for disaster?

I think the traditional "lures" just wouldnt work for cats in such distress.. and that in such a scenario there'd be nothing to do but wait for them to come on their own.
But I just couldnt see leaving my home without them..:sad:

I hope that its something that none of us are ever faced with. :sad:

[Prin]

Good question, Shamrock.
From the link:

Current photos of your pets in case they get lost.

I'd suggest you go one step farther and post them somewhere on the net so if your computer is washed away, you can still access the pics (applies for pics of other stuff too)...

btw, Canada has a similar site:
http://www.getprepared.gc.ca/

[Shamrock]

Thanks for that link, Prin.. I hadnt seen this one. Very useful!

Yeah, the photos idea is a good one. For humans losing things in a disaster, pets and pictures are truly irreplaceable treasures.

Anything that might help avert this is a good precaution. I realized while assembling this kit.. still in the works.. that what good would my carriers do me stored away in a difficult and hard to access place?
I have one handy.. but putting 3 cats into it? Just not going to fly..

But, guess there is only so much that can be done, cant spend endless time and energy worrying about all the "what-if scenarios.:sad:
Have to just be as prepared as possible.. and leave the rest up to the fates.

[jesse's mommy]

Basically we always keep lots of water and enough non perishable food for three days. If something were to happen where we had to evacuate, our plan is to take everything we can and just drive North as far as we have to with Jesse. We refuse to leave her behind. We have our laptops that have all of our information and access to find pet friendly hotels along the way. In Florida, if the disaster (hurricae) hits and you are required to evacuate, there's not much planning you can do except to just grab and go and hope you have a home to come back to.

[marsupial mama]

Good ideas here - and thanks for the Cdn preparedness link.

I really need to givesome thought to this stuff - I still remember the blackout, and we live in a weird world.

And I need to add pet preparedness as we are still new in the being-owned-by-a-pet department...

[TeriM]

Good thoughts Shamrock . I also live in Vancouver so the threat of an earthquake is ever present. We are making some small steps to our kit. Hopefully we will be able to get into our garage. The garage was recommended it is an external area and likely to be easier to break into if the house is severally damaged.

We recently had a boil water issue here so since then we have taken a dozen two litre bottles and filled them with water and stuck them in the bottom of the freezer (stored in garage). This has the dual purpose of helping to keep things cool and also provides clean drinking water for us and the fur kids. We plan to defrost/clean/refill them when the clocks are changed.

[Prin]

ooo good idea about the freezer waters TeriM...

[TeriM]

Thanks . I also recommend keeping a small bottle of dawn detergent in your disaster kit. In the event of an earthquake there could be lots of toxic crap around so it would be very useful in cleaning up the animals.

[mummummum]

I wonder if there is a way to train cats and dogs to respond uniformly and consistently to a specific sound in the same way you train school children with fire drills ?

[Shamrock]

Terri, thanks for both those great suggestions! The Dawn in something I never thought of.. but will definitely include!

Mum, wouldnt that be an ideal thing to have in place! That would be so reassuring for peace of mind. I wish I knew of some way to do this.. though I think dogs would be more receptive to responding to such conditioning. It might be difficult, if not impossible.. to overcome a cat's natural fear reaction of flight and cover.:sad:

My cats sometimes wont appear when I am calling them even under normal circumstances .

[mummummum]

If they can train rats to step on shock pads, there's got to be a way to train a cat to come when called Shamrock !!

[Shamrock]

Originally Posted by mummummum

If they can train rats to step on shock pads, there's got to be a way to train a cat to come when called Shamrock !!

But would the rats do it in an earthquake, Mum?


Cats are trainable no doubt... but under extreme stress, I feel that feline instinct would likely over-ride it.

[Prin]

Oh Boo would be a disaster if the smoke detector went off... He hides in a little ball in the corner and refuses to come out if it goes off. Poor doggy. At least we'd know where to find him.

Mum, I'm sure you could train cats, but for the lab mice... well... let's just say none of us would use those techniques (hence I'm not working ).

[TeriM]

Originally Posted by mummummum

If they can train rats to step on shock pads, there's got to be a way to train a cat to come when called Shamrock !!

Only a non-cat owner would say that .

[chico2]

Shamrock,I often think of my cats and any disaster,what to do..we hopefully do not get earthquakes,but too
often you read about cats perishing in fires:sad:
I got sooo paranoid after reading about a house-fire,I put all 3 carriers in my bed-room closet
My cats,under normal circumstances,do actually come when called,even if we are outside,but if frightened,nothing will stop them from running to hide.
I doubt I would be able to put them in a carrier if the house is on fire..
The only thing I could do,would be to put them out through the window(one floor house!)and hope I find them again or someone else does.