If you were in a State of Emergency and had to evacuate: What would you do with your pets?

[LynneSin]

I'm reading the post on the DU Home page about the potential issues with the Levees with all the flooding near the Mississippi and I remembered how during Katrina so many pets were abandoned because shelters won't take pets and people don't plan ahead.

So I guess this question is for all you pet owners - what would you do with your pets if you had to evacuate? Do you have a plan that includes taking care of your pets? If not, perhaps now is the time to start thinking about them.

I figured worse case I could travel to family that lives anywhere from 2-7 hours away from me and they would be happy to take my pets in (although mother would want them kept in the garage - which is heated so it's all good). My biggest worry is that Evita is so difficult to catch and hold that I could spend hours trying to capture her before I could get on the road. If it was a fire, I would almost just have to make sure all the windows were open so she could get out and hope that she would stay near my house where i could put food out for her on a daily basis until I could capture her again.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

1. Thankfully, my parents just moved 4-5 hours away.

Close enough to drive to, but it should be far enough out of the path of a hurricane.

That's where we'd go, and we'd take our little dog there. I guess we'd try taking the fish if we think we'd be gone for more than a couple of days. Maybe cover his bowl with cellophane and then poke holes in it.

[tedoll78]

2. If I travel, the akita goes with me.

Jake will stay by side if I order him to, although I always keep a leash and some supplies in the car. If we were to stay in town with a hurricane heading our way, I know in my heart that I could not leave him. The guilt would be too much.

I remember the Friday morning before Katrina hit. My parents went to work that morning thinking that it would take more northerly turn towards the Alabama/Florida border, but - being the paranoid person I am - I watched TV all day and saw that it didn't make that turn. Instead, it kept going WNW. One phone call later in the early afternoon, Mom and Dad are heading home to grab Holly (weiner dog) and some valuables. {They were never the evacuating types - I practically had to beg them over the phone to go.} They made it 10 hours down the road to a hotel, and ended-up staying with relatives in Lafayette for a few weeks.

So the contingency plan is to take the animals with us and do what it takes. They're family members too.

[Parche]

3. Pets

If I still had my cat, I would take her , no questions asked

We did have almost....a fire in my duplex when she was still alive 6years ago
and I took her out right away, lucky I called the fire department when I did (5am)
or the whole complex would have been post toasties.....:hi:

[LynneSin]

5. Don't get me wrong - I would try everything possible to take Evita with me

but she was a feral cat for 3 years before I adopted her and she's very difficult to catch and/or hold. Last time I took her to the vet it took about 45 minutes to finally capture her and get her into the carrier. If my house is on fire, do I stay in there until I'm dead too, trying to save the cat and trust me, I want to save the cat. I love my Evita!

If it's a known issue, like a Hurricane, at least I'd have enough time to try and catch her before I have to evacuate. But if it's a fire, if I can't get her I may have to just bust open the windows and hope for the best that she would escape out. Fire is my biggest fear with Evita because of how difficult she is but I pray that will never happen.

[Parche]

8. Oh Yeah

I hear you, a natural disaster that happens so quick, you dont have time to think about
anything else, but getting out, and probably fast.

Here we dont have hurricanes or tornado's, just floods and earthquakes sometimes
so that would be a difficult decision if you had to do it asap.

:hi:

[FloridaJudy]

4. Some shelters take pets

I'd call around and see which ones have facilities for pets. If none are around, and if I can't get a hotel room, I guess the dog and cat are just going to have to sleep in the car with me.

[unpossibles]

6. they'd come with me.

all but one of them travel well, although I've never had all of them in the car together.... The one who doesn't will just have to deal with it.

[hedgehog]

7. The dogs and cats would go with us, but I'm afraid the best I could do

for the chickens is to leave their door open and the lid off the feed bin.

[femmocrat]

9. They would come with us. Or we would stay.

No way would I ever leave them in a shelter or worse, behind. I would take the dogs before any material possessions.

[mwdem]

10. I would totally take my 1 dog, 3 cats, 2 birds with me.

The fish are on their own.

[Shell Beau]

24. Yep, can't really do much with the fish. I would be sad though.

I have had these fish for almost 3 years now.

[laylah]

11. I would put her;

struggling (kitteh) into her carrier and take her with us. I am about 4 miles away from the river (Il side of Quad Cities) but only about 200 ft. from one of the tributaries.

My thoughts and prayers to all :loveya:

[AlCzervik]

12. Bob has a little carrier thing, i'd put him in there and take him with us.

[My Good Babushka]

13. I'd open up the food bag

If they weren't there when I got back I'd get new cats. Or may just a fish next time.

[Phillycat]

21. You either have a shitty sense of humor, or you're a monster.

[My Good Babushka]

49. graaooowwlll

I'm a monster.

[Name removed]

57. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Orrex]

58. That's a little hasty, don't you think?

Christ. We're talking about two dumb cats that, by any reasonable reckoning, would have been dead for five years or more if not for us. As kittens they were living in a small cage in a fetid, flea-infested cellar with their uncovered litter box abutting their filthy food and water dishes. They both had worms and one had an undescended testicle, and their other contender for ownership planned to have them chase rats in a barn somewhere.

Instead, they've lived five-plus years of feline luxury in a clean house with no greater worry than whether to shit now or shit later. They've been dewormed and cleaned of fleas, and they've never been cold or hungry in their lives. They enjoy a higher standard of living than many people in this fine nation of ours.

So forgive us if we don't have a series of contingency strategies in place to evacuate these two animals in the event of catastrophe. Once House of Kewpie and our two boys and I are safe, maybe I'll come up with some plan. Maybe a big box with airholes.


But honestly it's not that big a deal to me. If you'd like, you can come over when the tornado hits and feed them yourself.

[LostinVA]

33. You're sick -- I hope you don't really own any pets

[My Good Babushka]

51. I have my priorities

I have two hands and two preschool children to get out of harm's way. I've saved these cats from a dingy, flea-ridden basement, where they lived in a cramped cage with their litterpan right next to their food dish. They've had a better life, since I've rescued them, than most people I know. If their were an emergency, they wouldn't be the first thing on my mind, though.

[PVnRT]

14. I would take my dog without hesitation

If there are fuckhole assholes who won't let my dog in with me, I also have a tent I can grab.

[KG]

15. my little guy is quiet and well-behaved. he's going with me whereever.

[BuelahWitch]

16. When the fire alarm goes off or there is a tornado warning

I grab 2 things before running out the door: my cat and my purse. I don't know how I would handle more than one pet, living alone, but I would do the best I could to save them first. My pets have always been family.

About 25 years ago there was a mini flood where we lived in Salt Lake. A friend from work let my mother and I bring our cat with us when she put us up in her condo. There was no way we were going to let Tisha stay by herself, with the threat of gas leaks and all manner of other nasty things going on where we were living at the time.

[JTG of the PRB]

17. If I were living with my doggie at my parents' house still, he'd be coming with us.

We'd have three cars with us, so he'd be coming along. No way I'd let them leave him behind.

[madrchsod]

18. i`d never leave my dog behind

i just could`t do that

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

19. The dog is coming.

I pray that my family never has to come into that decision but the dog would come with us without a doubt.

[LynneSin]

20. I don't think any of us question whether a DUer would take their pets - I know htey will

but for those living in an area that is at risk to natural disasters that require evacuation - I'm asking if those folks have plans for where to go and what to do so they can take their pets with them.

[dropkickpa]

22. Come with

No doubt about it. The guinea pigs would have to all shack up in the same cage, and my girl would beat the crap out of the boys, but they'd at least be alive! I don't own a car, so I'd be crammed in with the rest of my family (we all live within 2 miles of each other). Pretty much the only natural disaster that would affect my home would be a freak tornado that somehow made it past the high ridgeline bordering my neighborhood to the east (where weather systems come from here). Flooding isn't a concern, as I am halfway up the ridge from the river and valley (hurricanes or bad rain). No earthquakes (worst earthquake in PA history was a 5.2, knocked books off of shelves in Sharon PA), no typhoon or tidalwave, but, should a super rapid cool-down of the climate happen, we are in a glacial plateau, so the next ice age might do us in.

[Shell Beau]

23. My family all lives in the state so I would take them to their houses.

In no way would I abandon them. I would be one of those fools who refused to leave without them.

[In_The_Wind]

25. I would find away to take all of them with me.

My Jeep would be crowded with parrot cages and golden retrievers but I would manage it some way.

:hi:

[LynneSin]

26. Just same some room for yourself

:hi:

[In_The_Wind]

28. Who would drive if there wasn't room for me.

I've lost a few pounds so there's room for more pets :silly: maybe I should hold Fred's fishbowl on my lap while I drive.

[Fire Walk With Me]

27. There was a photo in GD yesterday of a man up to his hips in flood water, carrying two tabbies...

...who looked quite unhappy about it all. You know what unhappy cats can do. This measure is of a pet owner's love, and that is indeed how I hope that I would assist the local animals in case of an emergency.

[Sheets of Easter]

29. Sure, I'd take them with me.

Who wouldn't? They are as much a part of my family as my spouse is.

[Carnea]

30. I would take the cats. I'll mail them to my folks if I have to.

[jobycom]

31. It's all more difficult than you'd think.

If you've got cats, maybe not, but if you have large dogs, you have to be able to fit them in your car, along with food, water, clothing, kids, whatever. If there is a general evacuation, as in New Orleans or Houston, they will sit in cars for many, many hours on interstates that aren't moving, possibly in summer heat, possibly without AC as the roads become so jammed that you have to turn it off or even shut down the engine for long periods of time to conserve fuel. Gas runs out at the stations, too, so you might have to add gas to what you've packed in the car.

So you've maybe got four people, clothes, food, water, gas cans, and a large dog, or two or three, plus food and water for them, in a hot car for twelve hours to go forty miles up the road. How big is your car?

Some people refused to evacuate because of their animals. A close friend of mine, in her 70s, refused until the very last minute during Katrina, because she couldn't get four German Shepherds and a cat into her car, much less find someone to take them in. At the last second she decided to leave them. Her house, which sat twelve feet off the ground, went entirely under water--had to be at least thirty-two feet there. The cat and one dog drowned, and another dog was killed before she could get back, either by a car or by a gun, we weren't sure. If she had stayed there, she'd be dead, with no doubt. She had plans to evacuate and to bring her dogs, but when the time came, the plans wouldn't work.

Most people will say "I'll never leave my pets." But when you are literally placed in a situation where it's pets or them, or even pets or their children, they'll leave the pets. And of course, with something like Katrina, Rita, and even Iowa, you don't really know what's going to happen. You could bring your pets, make them suffer on the evacuation, and have nothing happen. Probably the best plan is get the pets out early, before the evacuation starts, but if you live in places like the Coast, where you get three or four hurricane warnings in a year sometimes, but no hurricane for ten years, that's a lot of false evacuations and wasted money and energy. You may say it's worth it, but after a few years of false alarms, you may not think so. They don't always hit on weekends, when you can get the time off.

So, plan all that into the plan. And just in case, have a plan for how you and your pets will survive without a home for a while, and even how you will get back in and rescue them if you have to leave them.

[pitohui]

44. these are all very good points

i never judge anyone who had to make the hard decision to leave their animals behind

i almost lost some friends who didn't leave their animals, in one case, the couple was taken off the roof of their house and the animals drowned anyway, a simply horrible result but they were trying to do what was right by staying with their rescue animals and caring for them

i drive my animals at night, and early, "just in case," and my husband can evacuate later in his own car if need be -- but many people can't afford to do this, either because they are single and can't miss any days of work unless the storm is a sure thing, or they really do need both pay checks and one spouse can't be taking off every time there's a stiff wind in the gulf of mexico

so my advice is to plan and do your best, but never blame yourself or others for not being bigger than a natural disaster

[Pithlet]

59. I agree. Good points. I could never judge anyone for what must be a harrowing decision.

I would do everything I could to make sure everyone was safe, including my pets. But, ultimately, my human members of the family come first, and I would not endanger them for the pets' sake. I hope it never comes down to that, and I've planned ahead so hopefully it won't. I don't think that people who ultimately leave their pets behind do so because they're unfeeling, or didn't care.

[LeftyMom]

32. One kid, three cats, plenty of room in the car for both.

I do need to get a couple more carriers. Well, at least one more, the younger two are sisters and would probably be happier riding together.

As for where to go, the big risk in this area is flooding, so if the other side of the riverbank weren't flooding I'd go to my Dad's house, and if it might I have three aunts in two hours drive or less, and all of them are empty nesters with plenty of room, so I'd go to one of them.

[just a girl]

39. I'm in a similar boat - one kid, two cats

I'm short one carrier, but they all sit in the car together well.
If I can catch and load the cats in 10 minutes or less, they're coming with. They're primarily indoor cats anyway, so that should be easy enough.

[Pierre.Suave]

34. I would take them with

no questions asked.

I do not have any pets at the moment, but have had a dog in the past and there would be no way I could have left him behind if I had to evacuate. absolutely impossible.

I would also be planning ahead and taking action early to ensure I, and my loved ones, were going to be safe.

[grace0418]

35. Frankie (my cat) comes with me.

It wouldn't be too difficult. Whenever he gets scared he clings to me like velcro anyway, and even when he's happy he's my little shadow. So I wouldn't have any trouble gathering him and keeping him close. I keep the carrier in an easy-to-access place just in case. If I had to go to a shelter and they couldn't take Frankie, I'd sleep outside with him. I have friends and family all over that would take him in so I doubt it would come to that. I do feel very sorry for those who's pets are harder to catch and keep close. That would break my heart. Hopefully that will never happen to you LynneSin.

[ailsagirl]

36. Dup

[ailsagirl]

37. They would damn well come with me.

Come hell or high water (NOT a pun)

If possible, I would have taken refuge before the
havoc began but then, that's not always possible.

[LibertyLover]

38. That's why my husband has a Jeep Wrangler LX

so we can get the 5 dogs in it if needed. He'll take the 3 big ones and I'll take the kid, the 2 whippets and the 5 rats in the Mini Cooper.

[fizzgig]

40. my kitties would come with me

my dad lives less than 10 away, so i don't know that we'd be able to go there or to any of my friends' places here in town, but i am not leaving my girls behind. i would never forgive myself if i left them behind. i would make it work.

[pitohui]

41. here is what i do

first of all, i don't know who or what "evita" is, but ALL pets, even the prima donnas, need to be rehearsed about getting into their carriers, so they can step in and out quickly, and you can load them quickly

i know people who had to leave behind a pet who refused to be caught, the pets died and it caused some distress when their bodies were found after the storm

my pets (birds) will go quiet when their carriers are covered, which makes it possible for me to smuggle them into a motel/hotel if i can't get enough gas or drive as far away as the family home, i've done this several times and never had them caught or evicted, some motels/hotels also ignore their "no pets" policy during storms or fire, i saw quite an assortment of interesting birds and other pets during the cedar fire in san diego

obviously when i was evacuated out of my home for over a month for katrina, i could not afford to stay in a hotel all that time (also the hotel, even tho it was 200 miles away from new orleans) also lost power during katrina and had to be closed -- so i went further and was able to take refuge with family -- again, in that situation, well-trained pets are ESSENTIAL so you don't cause family conflict while they are doing you a big, big favor

i do not make my plans assuming i will use a public shelter, in my opinion, i have a duty to make a special effort to have enough gas, food, etc. so that i can leave the shelter for the large population of people who do not have anything extra to spend for emergency supplies

if you live in an area where you are subject to regular and repeated evacuations, i would think very long and hard about owning a large, non-portable pet -- it's one thing for a motel to allow a kitten or a cockatiel, quite another for someone to show up with 9 (!) large dogs and in fact one of my friends had almost a dozen large dogs and was unable to evacuate for that reason, we had no idea for two weeks if she had survived or not

some disasters can happen anywhere at any time (fire the big example) but in other areas you know what the disasters are and can make a better decision about the size and portability of pets that it's practical for you to own

edit-- i see on reading the entire thread that "evita" is a feral and as adult cats really can't learn or change behaviors very well, it's unlikely that she can be re-trained, in that event, i think all you can do is all you can do, you cannot give up your life for a cat

[SteppingRazor]

42. Generally speaking, I stay put...

I'm in a "voluntary evacuation zone" whenever a hurricane comes through, and I stay where I am. Of course, during Wilma, I kinda wished I had left. That said, if I absolutely had to leave, the animals would be coming with me. Period.

[flvegan]

43. 11 dogs, a cat and a rabbit.

flvegan stays put

[NC_Nurse]

45. Take them with me. Go to parents home 6 hours away.

They love animals too, what's 4 more? :P

[undeterred]

46. I would ask my dog if he would take me with him to a safe place.

[mentalsolstice]

47. Our most frequent natural disasters are tornadoes

So the dogs and the cat (if I could round her up) would go to the basement with me. Our parrot (who is not an on-the-shoulder friendly kind at all) would be on her own, and I would hope for the best for her. I'd open her cage door, and hopefully, her instincts would kick in and she would survive.

If we were in a situation where we had several hours or more warning, we have two cars, a pop-up camper, as well as tents and all the camping gear you could ever want, and we would pack up the dogs and cat (and bird, if possible) and go to the safest, nearest state or national park. I lived on the gulf coast for seven years and had to evacuate several times. One time, I evacuated with my aunt, cousin (who were at each other's throat every 5 minutes), my cousin's 3 y.o. daughter, a cat, a Doberman, and a chihuahua, in my aunt's Chevette. It took us 8 hours in traffic that moved 5 mph to get to a safe place. I was bonkers by that time. However, everyone was safe, and the only things we had to worry about were material, and not living, breathing beloved things.

Where we live now, our local state park was at capacity for months after hurricanes Ivan and Katrina/Rita. And our local animal shelters opened for evacuated pets.

[Orrex]

48. It all depends; how long can two lazy cats tread water?

Hey, they're cuddly and all that, but if time is short, I'd like to think that I'd take care of my two young sons first. While I'm doing that, House of Kewpie can tear open the food bag, and off we'll go.

[Condem]

50. 19 cats, LynneSin

We wouldn't leave without them. Imagine the head count!

[Theres-a]

52. Our rat goes in a shoebox.

Unless I have time to run to the attic and grab the small birdcage.

[ThomCat]

53. I have an agreement.

Friends in Buffalo and my uncle in New Jersey would only need a phone call and they'd drive down here to get me and my cats. My ex-girlfriend and my mom have both offered to take in my cats if it's ever necessary. And I've got a bunch of offers for where I could stay in an emergency.

So long as someone with a car can get to Staten Island my cats are okay.

[littlebit]

54. All of them would be loaded up

and we would be heading to my mothers house in TX. They all love car rides so it shouldn't be a problem getting them in the car.

[Generic Brad]

55. Pets are family

The cat comes with me no matter what happens.

[csziggy]

56. I've stayed here with my horses and cats during hurricanes - I'd do it again

I'd just make sure that I stocked up on food and water for the horses, cats and us. And make sure we have gas for the chain saw so we could cut up the trees that would fall across the fences.

The big advantage now is that we have a real house to stay in - we weathered several hurricanes in a mobile home and I don't want to do that again.

[Burma Jones]

60. We'd take the cats with us

if it came down to feeding the cats or my kids though........

[OhioChick]

61. My dogs would go with us. n/t

[dark blue]

62. they go, i go

they stay, i stay. no one would abandon their kids and i'm not about to abandon my pets! so if the gestapo wants me gone they better come up with places that take me and my pets.