If you are reading this in the Santa Clarita Valley, wild fires and earthquakes are the main reason you would be forced to evacuate. Thankfully, they do not occur often, however they do occur with little or no warning.
Keep in mind, very few Red Cross evacuation centers allow pets! If you are evacuated and have nowhere to go that allows Kitty, PLEASE contact your veterinarian’s office or Kitty’s Purrfect Spa and ASK for help!
Most Important:
The most important thing you can do now is microchip Kitty! If Kitty gets lost all vets and shelters can scan Kitty and get Kitty back to you! Forgotten Angels even had a cat returned to them from a kill shelter in Florida, all thanks to a microchip! Microchipping saves lives! Microchipping brings families back together! Next to spay/neutering it is the best gift you can give your kitty!
Carrier:
Next, you want to make sure Kitty’s carrier a safe and fun place. It will be much easier to get a scared and frightened kitty into a carrier when she has had many positive experiences inside of her “little house”! I leave my carriers out all the time. I often find a kitty napping or playing a carrier!
Most importantly, when getting a carrier that will be used in emergencies, medical or natural, it is important to purchase a hard sided carrier. The carrier should be large enough for Kitty to stand up and turn around in. I know some BIG BOYS who can hide in tiny spots when I come to groom them. However, a carrier is not something that should be snug.
You should never keep the carrier hidden away! They should be out for Kitty to see and investigate. Does that mean you have to make them part of your décor??? NOPE! I have two stacked in the corner of my bedroom behind my Lazy Boy Chair. I have another one under my desk. They are very much a part of my home environment. Everyone knows where they are. My kitties enjoy them as they please. They nap, play, leave toys in them, etc. Sometimes they go in them to get some private time, sometimes they go in them for reasons only they know. The point here is that my cats are not afraid to go into a carrier. My cats do not relate a carrier to a car ride or a trip to the vet. A carrier is just a place to hang out. Another cat toy!
If the carrier being a happy place is a new concept for your cat, put Kitty’s favorite person’s used towel in it! You know me and dirty towels!!! Play around the carrier about once a week with Kitty. Randomly leave treats or kibble in the carrier.
If Kitty is just not having that going into the carrier is a fun and happy place, take the top off and make just the bottom a happy place. After a few months, you will be able to add the top back on!
Emergency Kit:
It is also important that you have an emergency kit for Kitty! Keep it right next to your human one!
What kinds of things go into your kit? The same kinds of things that are in your human kit!
3 to 7 days worth of food and bottled water (rotate every two months)
If you feed wet food, a can opener!
Kitty LitterDisposable litter trays, they make cardboard ones that you can buy in packs!
Paper towels
Garbage bags
Bowls for food and water
Dish soap to clean your bowls
Collar with name and phone number
A hard sided carrier. In an emergency, you want the extra protection! Cute bag carriers are great for “fun”, however in an emergency, you really need something to protect Kitty from being accidently smushed in the rush and emotion of the situation.
Recent photos of your kitty(ies) in case you need to identify them or make a lost poster
List of medical conditions and current medications
Veterinarian’s Name, Address and Phone Number
Some suggest you keep medications in your emergency kit; personally, I like to keep medications in an “easy place to grab”
In conclusion:
Please take a few minutes now to prepare for an emergency so your Kitty can be as comfortable as possible IF the day ever comes. Also, know that if you are evacuated and need a place for your Kitty, Kitty’s Purrfect Spa will do everything in their power to help!
Published October 2014, Kitty's Purrfect Spa Newsletter
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