Safe in a Storm: Protect Your Cats in Extreme Weather

Last Updated on July 30, 2021 by Holly Anne Dustin

How would you keep your cats safe in extreme weather or a disaster? Leaving pets out of emergency plans can put pets, pet owners, and first responders in danger. Pets left behind during an emergency are scared, trying to weather the storm without you. They are also likely to get injured or lost.  Be prepared: know how to stay safe in a storm, make a plan for you and your kitty, and prepare a disaster kit for your cats as well as yourself.

Make a Plan to Keep Your Cats Safe in Extreme Weather

Preparing to keep your cats safe in an extreme weather emergency is common sense. Make an emergency plan. Have a list of pet-friendly hotels or friends you could stay with. Know the rules about your local emergency shelters. Do they allow pets?

Always bring pets indoors at the first sign of a storm or disaster. Don’t wait to leave until you are under mandatory immediate evacuation orders. The earlier you get out, the more likely you are to find a safe landing with your cats. Not all shelters will take pets. Pet-friendly hotels and shelters will fill up first in an extreme weather emergency.

Take your cats with you if the authorities ever ask you are to leave your home. If it isn’t safe for you, it isn’t safe for Kitty. You don’t want to risk finding yourself in a situation where you think you will be out of your home for a brief time, only to have the crisis worsen and not be able to go back to get them.

Make sure your cats are current on their vaccinations. Have proper identification for your babies. Your cats should have a collar with id tags containing your contact information. An out-of-state contact is a bonus in case local cell service fails.  Have Kitty wear a collar even if she’s microchipped. Be sure your microchip registration is accurate and current.

Stay calm. The chaos will stress out your cat. Your kitties will handle the emergency better if you are relaxed.

Prepare a Disaster Kit for Kitty

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You should have a go-bag for both you and Kitty long before you end up in an emergency situation. Prepare one on your own or purchase a pre-made kit like this one to keep in an accessible location.

You should at least have:

• A carrier for each of your cats. You should keep them ready to go. Mark them with your contact information and an out-of-state contact in waterproof ink.
• Documents identifying your cat’s name, sex, age, breed, and identifying markings. Adoption records or registration information if available. Microchip information and your contact information.
• Recent photos of your cat to make lost cat posters or prove ownership to get reunited in the sad case you and Kitty get separated.
• Copies of all veterinary records, including vaccination records and information on any health conditions.
• Up to 2 weeks’ worth of prescription medicines and flea/tick prevention.
• Up to a 2-week supply of food and water.
• A manual can opener in case your pop top cans fail.
• Cleaning supplies
• A first aid kit
• Catnip and treats for reassurance
• Rescue remedy or other calming supplies
• Favorite bedding, perhaps a t-shirt that smells like you, and toys

Practice Evacuating with Your Cats

There’s a reason we all had fire drills in school. Practice makes perfect so if the real thing happens we know what to do and don’t panic. Likewise, practicing your extreme weather evacuation plan will make it a routine and not a panic.

• Train your cats to be comfortable in their carriers.
• Teach harness and leash skills.
• Practice taking Kitty for car rides.
• Know where Kitty might hide when stressed or scared. Practice catching him.
• Have your entire family practice evacuating so everyone knows what to take, where to find the pets, and where to meet.
• Take your disaster kit with you.
• Be sure that your petsitter knows where Kitty hides when scared and where you keep Kitty’s go-bag.

What is it Like for Cats in Evacuation Centers?

Many shelters do not accept pets. The rules are changing after disasters like Hurricane Katrina showed that people will opt not to evacuate if they have to leave their pets behind. Know the rules in your area. Check with Red Rover Responders to see what is available. Red Cross rules do not allow their shelters to accept pets (they allow service animals.) Pet-friendly shelters might require a reservation. Another reason to make your plan to keep your cats safe in extreme weather as early as possible. You give yourself as many options as possible.

You will need to have proof of vaccination against rabies when entering the shelter. Treat your cats with medicines to kill fleas and ticks. I just assumed that people and the pets would be together. But actually the pets are housed in a separate location or area to protect people with asthma or allergies. The shelter workers will keep them in crates or carriers. You will probably care for your own pets.

A pet-friendly shelter should be a last resort in emergencies if you can’t find a pet-friendly hotel, boarding facilities, or a friend’s house outside the disaster zone.

Returning Home from an Extreme Weather Evacuation

Check your home for sharp objects, chemicals, and damage. Look for downed wires, flood waters, trees that  might fall over, structural damage, things that might cause injury or disease. Don’t release your cat until you are sure the area is safe. Try to keep stress down to prevent Kitty from developing health issues or behavior problems.

You might need to board Kitty or leave him with a friend if your home is not safe.

What if Your Cat Gets Lost During an Evacuation?

• Make sure that your family is in a safe location before you begin your search.
• Make a lost cat flyer.
• If you are in a shelter that houses pets, inform the caretakers. Give the shelter a copy of your missing pet flyer.
• Contact your local humane society, animal welfare organization, and animal control. If you are on the road, contact the local ACO and rescue agencies.
• Leave your contact info with anyone you can locally.
• Post liberally on social media.
• See if there is a local trap-neuter-return group that might help when it is safe to do so.

How to Keep Your Cats Safe in Different Extreme Weather Emergencies

The extreme weather you face the most depends on where you live. We might get hurricanes in Maine, but the impact is a lot different from for those of you that live in Florida. I have to worry a lot more about blizzards and floods than I do tornadoes. Knowing how to respond in whatever disaster you find yourself is important. Know how to stay safe in those extreme weather situations most common to your area.

Consider getting a cat tracker, even if she only wears it in an emergency. Something like a Tile tag or a TabCat tracker can help you find Kitty if she get lost (or hides) during a disaster.

Earthquakes

If you live in a quake prone area, prepare for a quake in advance. Gather your emergency supplies, reduce potential hazards in your home, and practice what to do during an earthquake.

Cats naturally hide during a quake. Know where your cat likes to hide. She will probably go there in a quake. Check her favorite spots if you can’t find her when it is over.  You might want to put Kitty in her carrier and secure her in a bathroom until the danger is over. Keep your go-bag with her.

In an earthquake, drop on your hands and knees.This prevents you from falling but still allows you to move. Cover your head and neck under a table if you can. Don’t hide in a doorway, they won’t protect you more than a desk or table. Stay away from windows and heavy objects that might fall.

Tornadoes

The following weather signs may mean that a tornado is approaching. Don’t count on seeing a funnel cloud with time to get out or hunker down.

• A dark- or green-colored sky
• A large, dark, low-lying cloud
• Large hail
• A loud roar that sounds like a freight train

Bring pets inside; bring outdoor animals inside with a carrier ready large enough to turn around and lie down comfortably. Evacuate your family and pets as early as you can. If you can’t evacuate, choose an interior room without windows on the first floor or your basement to ride out the storm.Make your tornado-safe area pet-friendly. Include your go-bags.

If you live in a mobile home, you must evacuate. Don’t stay in a mobile home or try to outrun a tornado in your car. Ask your community leaders to build a tornado shelter if you live in a mobile home park in a tornado prone area.

Once you have the all-clear, make sure the area is safe before letting your pets out.

Hurricanes

This is one emergency you usually have time to prepare for. Hurricane season starts on May 15 in the Pacific and June 1 in the Atlantic and the Caribbean. It ends on November 30. Know the difference between watches and warnings. Pay attention to the news and make wise choices.

Clear your yard of anything that could blow around. Board up your windows, turn off your appliances, and gas up your car.

Follow the recommended evacuation route even if there’s traffic. Other routes might be blocked or flooded. If driving conditions are dangerous, staying at home might be safer than evacuating.

If you care for ferals, it’s difficult to convince them to come in. Make sure they have full bellies before the storm hits. They’ll probably have a suitable hiding place.

You need to set up your own safe place. This should be an interior room in your house. Food, water, and the litter box should be all ready when you need to take cover in there. Keep Kitty calm, play some classical music or read to her. Or curl up and take a nap if your safe room allows for it.

Stay inside until you hear or see an official message that the hurricane is over. Don’t let the “eye” of the storm fool you.

Wildfire

According to the American Kennel Club, approximately 500,000 pets are affected by fires every year. Be prepared if you live in an area where wildfires are commonplace. Evacuate immediately if the authorities tell you to go. Fire is nothing to mess around with. Don’t wait. If it traps you, call 911. But if things are that bad, it may be impossible to reach you.

Get your evacuation packs and your car ready to go.

If the fire is not an immediate threat, close a room off from outside air. Set up a portable air filter. Smoke can irritate Kitty’s eyes and respiratory tract. Keep pets indoors with doors and windows closed. Bring outdoor cats into a garage or utility room to keep them safe.

Floods

Floods pose a drowning risk no matter how well you swim. If your area has a flood warning, evacuate and head for higher ground. Again, you have your furbabies to think of. Leave early instead of waiting. You won’t be stuck in traffic with all the evacuees in hot weather or dangerous driving conditions. You’ll be able to get to the pet-friendly location you selected with less competition.

Turn off all utilities at the master power switch and close the main gas valve. Disconnect electrical appliances to prevent any shocks when the power comes back.  Take your bug-out bag and your kitties and go.

Follow the designated evacuation routes. Don’t drive or walk through flooded roads. Six inches of moving water can knock you down and a foot can sweep away your care. As the slogan says, turn around, don’t drown.

If you are stuck, go to the top floor of your house but don’t go in the attic if it has no windows. Hang a bedsheet or something out the window to signal for help.

Blizzard

Living in Maine, I’m familiar with this one. Winter storms can bring frigid temperatures, power failures, dead phones, and icy roads. It is best to avoid traveling. Find shelter right away if your area is under a winter storm warning. Here, staying put in your home is preferable.

Prepare for power outages. Charge your devices. A solar power bank is a wonderful thing to have on hand for something like this. Fill containers with water for drinking and hygiene. Close one room, perhaps a bedroom, close the door and run a space heater to warm it as much as you can while you have power. Vent properly if you use a propane or K-1 heater. Keep Kitty away from space heaters and fireplaces.

Dress warmly. Get extra blankets, sleeping bags, coats, hats, and mittens for you. A SnuggleSafe heating pad or a “Hot Hands” packet slipped in a carrier with a fleece blanket will give kitty a warm place to hide if he doesn’t opt to snuggle under the blankets with you.

Once the storm ends and the roads clear you can make some decisions. If you have downed trees, or if there is a protracted power outage in your area, it might make sense to find an alternative place to stay until they fix it.

Related Post: Keep Kitty Safe Inside and Out

Summary

Getting together a plan for your pets in times of emergency is part of being a responsible pet owner. Take the time to develop a plan to keep your cats safe in extreme weather right now if you haven’t done it already. Get together your emergency go-bag. And then plan, pack, and practice so you’ll be ready if anything happens.