Is Your Pet Ready for The Next Natural Disaster?

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September is National Preparedness Month. With the recent 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, I’m still haunted by media pictures showing stranded pets who had been left behind despite their owners’ resistance. I can’t even begin to imagine how much my heart would break if I were in that situation.
While nearly 2,000 people were killed by the devastating hurricane, 600,000 pets were either left homeless or died. 44 percent of people who chose to ride out the storm did so because of their pets. It’s 10 years later, and 1 in 3 pet parents still don’t know what to do in the event of an emergency.
The ASPCA recommends the following tips to help keep your pets safe:
1. Window Stickers
Put alert stickers on your windows identifying how many pets live in your household.

2. I.D.
Make sure all of your pets are wearing ID tags at all times, with current contact information. Additionally, have your pets micro-chipped.

3. Current Photos
Keep current photos of your pets on hand just in case yours go missing. Hard copies are preferable to digital. If you lose electricity for extended hours, the digital copies on your iPhone may not be helpful.

4. Your Local Pet-Friendly Businesses
Become familiar with the location of your closest animal shelter and your area’s pet-friendly hotels.

5. Friends with Pets
Create a community of pet-loving friends in your area. You never know when you’ll need caregivers for your pets.

6. Portable First-Aid Pet Kit
Before you need it, put together a portable pet first-aid kit with the following:

• 7-days worth of pet food
• 7-days worth of bottled water
• pet carrier for cats and other small animals
• extra collar, harness, leash, and I.D. tag
• medical records (can be stored on a USB drive)
• disposable garbage bags
• liquid dish soap and disinfectant
• blanket and bedding

Keeping your pets in mind while preparing for a natural disaster will help you be able to take our pets with you instead of going through the heart-wrenching pain of leaving them behind.