How to prepare your pets for when a hurricane makes it rain cats and dogs

Published On:

HOUSTON Making sure that everyone in your home, even your pets, is ready for a hurricane’s arrival is important.

According to Julie Kuenstle, a spokesman for the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, it’s crucial to prepare necessary supplies for your dog or cat and check to see whether they have their ID tags and are microchipped before a storm hits.

All of that must be done beforehand because it is obviously impossible to do so if your pet escapes before, during, or after a crisis. We know that our pets are members of our family, so it’s awful,” Kuenstle added.

Make sure your pets have an emergency kit.

Pets need an emergency kit with food, water, and medications, just like the people in your family do. They will have slightly different go bags, which should contain items like poop bags, leashes, and chew toys.

According to Kuenstle, it’s also critical that the box includes actual copies of your pets’ immunization records, which you may present in the event that you are forced to escape and wind up in a hotel or shelter.

According to Kuenstle, pet owners already have many of the necessities for their go bags in their homes.

People should also make sure that their pets have ID tags on their collars, that the information associated with their pet’s microchip is current, and that several people are designated as contacts, according to Cesar Perea, associate vice president of rescue for the American Humane Society.

“We wouldn’t advise staying if you decide to ride out the storm,” Perea warned. However, if they do, we usually advise individuals to keep at least two weeks’ supply of (pet) supplies in their home.

Make an effort to lessen your pet’s tension.

According to Kuenstle, pets are able to detect any tension that their owners are experiencing as they get ready for a cyclone.

Their natural fear response is to hide and flee during calamities, storms, sirens, and similar events. According to her, you can prevent it by making sure your yard is safe and that they are in a peaceful, secure location.

According to animal rescue organizations, it’s critical to train your pet to use their kennel as a safe haven.

Pets should be kept close by those who choose to stay and weather a storm, according to Perea. He went on to say that leaving them alone in a different room would just make them feel more stressed.

Don’t ever abandon your pets.

It can be fatal to leave pets behind, especially if they are chained in a backyard or attached to a fence.

According to Perea, they are unable to leave there if a disaster strikes. They may die a horrific end once the catastrophe strikes.

Animal cruelty accusations may also arise if you abandon your pets.

A new Florida legislation that toughens punishment for those who abandon pets during natural disasters was prompted by the suffering of Trooper, a bull terrier who was rescued last year during Hurricane Milton after being discovered tethered to a fence along a Tampa roadway.

Rescues of animals are a common component of hurricane response.

According to Perea, the majority of emergency operations centers devote a portion of their efforts to animal rescues following a natural disaster.

However, according to Perea and Kuenstle, the majority of pets and other creatures in need of rescue are not intentionally left behind.

About 2,300 animals, including dogs, cats, and horses, were saved by Kuenstle’s team after Hurricane Harvey in Houston in 2017, and roughly 300 of them were reunited with their owners.

Much of it was… We were unaware that we wouldn’t be able to return. They were calling us frantically. According to Kuenstle, they were worried about their pet.

There are innumerable accounts of people in New Orleans’ 2005 aftermath of Hurricane Katrina refusing to evacuate their flooded homes if they were unable to carry their furry loved ones with them, Perea said.

___

Juan A. Lozano can be followed at https://twitter.com/juanlozano70.

Leave a Comment