Tornadoes are a rarity in my part of the United States, but occasionally, we get some pretty wild weather. This past Saturday, a strong cold front was coming our way. ever because the freak derecho storm that moved through here in June and left us without power for 48 hours, I’ve learned to pay attention when the sky gets dark. I also know to give Allegra storm Soother and tension Stopper at the first signs of any storminess. She’s come a long way, but she’s still a bit scared of storms and prefers to ride them out in her safe space: behind the shower curtain in our downstairs bathroom.
After giving her the remedies, I checked the Washington post capital Weathergang Twitter feed, the most reputable weather source in this area, for updates on the coming storm. I certainly didn’t expect to see a tornado warning, with my immediate area directly in its path, and the words “TAKE COVER IN interior room NOW!” let me note that the post rarely uses caps in its Twitter feed, so I knew they implied business.
Allegra was already in the downstairs bathroom, which is probably the safest room in our home. It’s windowless, it’s small, and Allegra already feels safe in there. I rapidly gathered up two cat carriers, a flashlight, my phone, and put them in the room. then I ran upstairs to get Ruby, who, true to her fearless nature, was sitting by the living room window upstairs, enjoying the view of the wind lashing the trees, and the rain going sideways.
The girls thought huddling in the restroom was a big adventure, as you can see in the photo above. Allegra was so fascinated with what was happening that she even came out from behind the shower curtain.
Thankfully, only fifteen minutes later, the storm had passed, and we were safe. I later learned that a tornado had touched down just a few miles from our house.
I posted the photo above on Facebook, and got a lot of comments about what a good cat mother I was for being so prepared. but as I was thinking about the experience, I realized that I had missed a few things that could have come in handy, if this had really been an emergency. For starters, I didn’t have my automobile keys or purse in the restroom with me. I also wasn’t wearing any shoes!
This experience brought home once again how essential emergency preparedness is. here are some things to consider:
Make sure you always have extra cat food on hand. If you feed raw, make sure you have some canned food on hand in case of an extended power outage.
Make sure you have enough water for your cats. It’s always a good idea to have some extra bottled water on hand.
Have carriers for each of your pets, and have them ready.
Seek out evacuation shelters that allow pets. Alternately, have a list of hotels in your area and outside your immediate area that will take cats.
If you have a “safe room” in your house, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep some supplies in that room whatsoever times.
Have remedies such as tension Stopper and storm Soother on hand.
I learned my lessons the easy way that day. Hopefully, I’ll never have to execute any of these things, but it helps to know before an actual emergency what steps you would take if faced with the real thing.
Do you have an emergency preparedness plan for your cats?
Ingrid King
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20 comments on emergency Preparedness for Your Cats: lessons Learned
Julia Inman says:
September 19, 2016 at 9:52 pm
Awesome thank you. With 7 cats its a bit much more challenging with pet carriers as I have 2 large pet carriers big enough for 2 and a small canine cage big enough for 3. 1 handicapped adult child and a teenage daughter. but for future power outage ect I will have cans ready as I feed raw.
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Georgia says:
September 19, 2016 at 4:43 pm
Forgot to say it’s funny what we forget- like your shoes! With our California earthquakes I try to keep a pair near the bed.
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Georgia says:
September 19, 2016 at 4:41 pm
Great post to remind us to be prepared! delighted the storm passed quickly.
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Dawn says:
December 31, 2012 at 4:42 pm
Hi Ingrid, I’mlooking at your carrier, and I can’t remember the manufacurer who makes it. I need to get one for my girls. Where did you get it?
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Ingrid says:
December 31, 2012 at 5:04 pm
Dawn, it’s a SturdiBag carrier: We got it for review from the company. You can get them on Amazon.
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Dawn says:
December 31, 2012 at 5:37 pm
Thank you!
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Pam says:
September 15, 2012 at 6:48 pm
Great post, Ingrid … very helpful.
I didn’t see any mention of litter. I have to wonder how a person would deal with transporting litter if they needed to evacuate. It’s so heavynull