How to Prepare Your Cat for a Hurricane

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The hurricane season is the period of time when hurricanes tend to come into existence. Officially, the hurricane season starts up on June 1 and  continues until November 30. In any case, the hurricane season is determined by the likelihood of conditions that can create hurricanes as well as other tropical storms, which mean a lack of wind shear combined with warm tropical waters.

As such, whether a hurricane is imminent or not, now is a good time to review one’s hurricane plans. Here are some suggestions for keeping a cat safe when a hurricane is coming:

Have a Hurricane Plan

For starters, it is important to have a hurricane plan that interested individuals can implement on very short notice. Generally speaking, people make more mistakes when they are under time pressure, particularly if they are also stressed out about either their safety or their loved ones’ safety.

As a result, it is better to come up with a hurricane plan beforehand, which comes with an additional bonus in that time unspent on impromptu planning is time that can be put to much better uses elsewhere.

Have an Emergency Kit

Interested individuals should have an emergency kit that can cover their needs for at least 72 hours. Please note that cat owners will need certain items that their non-cat-owning counterparts will not. Examples of these items include but are not limited to water, non-perishable food, prescription medications, cat litter, cat litter box, cat carrier, cat comfort items, and a first aid kit meant for pets rather than humans.

Learn First Aid

On a related note, cat owners should learn first aid. Simply put, a first aid kit won’t do them any good if they don’t actually know how to use it for the well-being of their cats. Some people might see this as a burdensome imposition on their time, but first aid training is something that they should look into sooner rather than latter because they never know when such skills might prove useful. Of course, cats are not the same as humans, which is why interested individuals are going to want a course that specifically covers first aid for cats.

Make Sure that the Cat’s Vaccinations Are Up-to-Date

Hurricanes increase the chances of cats coming into contact with a wide range of wild animals as well as other potential sources of pathogens. As a result, interested individuals should make sure that their cats have been fully vaccinated for everything that they should be vaccinated for, which will reduce the chances of a huge complication coming up at the most inconvenient time. After all, hurricanes disrupt just about everything, with veterinarians being no exception to this rule.

Microchip the Cat

Cats can get separated from cat owners. As a result, it is a good idea to provide them with identification so that they can be reunited with their humans with the greatest ease should that happen.

For starters, ID tags are very helpful for ensuring that the relevant information is available with minimal fuss and hassle. However, they aren’t necessarily enough, which is why interested individuals should also microchip their cats for the sake of redundancy. Hurricanes and other natural disasters are a time when a lot of things can go wrong, meaning that it is smart and sensible for prepare for such possibilities.

Put a Pet Emergency Sticker on Your Front Door

Sometimes, cat owners have to be rescued. Due to this, interested individuals should put a pet emergency sticker on their front door, which should contain relevant information about them as well as their cats.

This means the species of pets, the number of pets, the names of the pets, and the colors of the pets. By putting up a pet emergency sticker, cat owners can let rescuers know more about the situation, thus enabling them to head in with increased preparedness. On a related note, it is also a good idea for cat owners to have a card containing similar information in their wallet in case that needs to be handed over to rescuers.

Know the Locations of Pet-Friendly Emergency Shelters

It is possible that cat owners will have to head out to an emergency shelter at some point. As such, they should look up the locations of pet-friendly emergency shelters beforehand so that they know where they need to go if they have to go. If interested individuals don’t have convenient access to a pet-friendly emergency shelter, they might need to make other arrangements for their cats further beforehand.

Be Aware of the Potential Complications When Moving a Cat about During a Hurricane

Everything becomes more complicated in an emergency situation, with moving a cat about being an excellent example. For starters, cats and other animals can become very skittish when there is a hurricane about, meaning that interested individuals need to have a collar, a leash, and a carrier ready to make sure that they won’t run off.

Furthermore, cat owners should bring their cats’ medical records as well as vaccination records with them because there are a lot of pet-friendly emergency shelters that just won’t accept a cat unless the cat owner can prove that they have been properly vaccinated.

Get Out of Immediate Danger Before Treating Injuries

Cats can get injured while they are being evacuated. Generally speaking, cat owners should get out of immediate danger before attempting to provide medical assistance.

Please note that they should start by evaluating whether they can take care of the problem with the resources that they have on hand or not because if they don’t, they will need to seek out a veterinarian. It is recommended that cat owners have the contact information for multiple veterinarians so that they can call another one if their usual veterinarian isn’t available for whatever reason.

Remain Calm

On a final note, cat owners should do their best to remain calm throughout. This is important because pets can take emotional cues from pet owners, meaning that panic can create further complications in an already complicated situation.

You can also read:

• How to Prepare your Home When Adopting a Blind Cat
• How to Treat a Cat Paw Callus
• How to Tell if Your Cat is Going Blind
• How to Clean Your Cat’s Ears
• How to Encourage Your Cat to Drink More Water