Published by: Ingrid King. Last Updated on: February 1, 2023 by Crystal Uys
September is National Preparedness Month. We recently experienced an earthquake and a hurricane here in Virginia, all within one week, so emergency preparedness has definitely been on my mind. It also made me realize how woefully unprepared I really am. Irene was one thing: at least with a storm, you get a few days advance warning and can think about what you need to do while you’re not in panic mode. With the earthquake, I truly didn’t know how to react, nor would I have known what to do to keep Allegra and Ruby safe. Now granted, earthquakes are not a common occurrence in my part of the world (the last time Virginia had an earthquake was something like 100 years ago!), but it still provided incentive for me to focus on making a plan and being more prepared in the future.
A recent poll by the ASPCA found that 35% of dog and cat owners have no plan for dealing with their pets during a disaster that forces them to evacuate. 42% of dog or cat owners polled in the survey said they would not evacuate without their pets. But what was most shocking to me was that 39% said they would leave their pets behind. 19 % said they didn’t know what they would do.
I know none of us fall into the 39 percent. I could never leave Allegra and Ruby behind. But I also realized that I’m not doing enough to be ready. Disaster preparedness is kind of like having insurance: you do it, but you hope you never need to use it.
In a recent article on Catster, Dorian Wagner offered some helpful tips on hurricane preparedness for cats. These tips apply to any emergency situation, not just hurricanes:
1. Make sure you buy extra cat food.
2. Make sure you have enough water for your pets. Three days of water and food per person and animal is the rule of thumb.
3. Seek out evacuation shelters that allow pets.
4. Have carriers for each of your pets, and have them ready.
5. If you have a “safe room” in your house, make sure you have pet supplies ready in there as well.
6. Stay with them and make them feel safe!
7. If you have outside kitties you care for and there’s any way you can bring them in (just for the day), try and do that.
Thankfully, Irene had weakened considerably by the time she came through our area last week. I had stocked up on canned cat food before the storm. Allegra and Ruby eat raw food, and I was worried that if we lost power for any length of time, their food would spoil and I’d be left with nothing to eat for them. I had also stocked up on bottled water, for them, and for me. For the future, I’ll be making a list of pet-friendly hotels in my area, just in case.
Do you have an emergency preparedness plan that includes your cats?
Photo: istockphoto
About the author
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
