emergency preparedness

Be Prepared for Disasters

Emergency situations like extreme weather and natural disasters can happen without warning. For the safety of your pets, feral cat colonies, and your family, and your own peace of mind, be prepared and establish a “disaster plan.”

As you plan, it’s important to remember that feral cats are resourceful. The outdoors is their home, so they know how to deal with weather. As we have experienced with our Boardwalk Cats Project in Atlantic City, animals often can sense when bad weather is coming and move to higher ground and safe places instinctually. However, there are still things you can do both ahead of time and during emergencies to help outdoor cats and your own pets:

Prepare

• Have descriptions of your pets and the cats in your colony, along with photos. If you need to look for displaced cats in shelters or other rescue areas, this will help accurately identify them. Make sure all pet tags and animal microchips have up-to-date information.
• Have a back-up caregiver who is responsible for the colony in your absence and network with other feral cat caregivers in your area to set up a ‘buddy system’ to create a safety net of care for the cats. You may be able to find other cat caregivers in your area through our Feral Friends Network.
• Make an emergency contact card for your pets and feral cat colonies in case you are not immediately available. Include all contact information for your substitute caregiver. Carry this card in your wallet and your car, give copies to your backup caregiver, and post it somewhere visible in your home like on the refrigerator.
• Make a list of local shelters and their contact information. You will need this information in case you need their help or resources.
• Keep an Emergency Supply Kit on hand and know where to find it quickly.

When harsh weather is forecast or predicted:

• If appropriate, turn all openings for feral cat shelters and feeding stations away from the storm surge or toward higher ground. If possible, move them to slightly higher, protected ground nearby.
• Fill multiple food and water bowls in case you have to evacuate and can't return immediately.
• In general, don’t want for evacuation orders to come before you leave the area.

If you do need to evacuate:

• Bring your pets with you, but do not try to trap and contain unsocialized feral cats.
• Have a safe place to go ahead of time. Evacuation and Red Cross shelters do not usually accept pets. Make a list of pet-friendly hotels outside the evacuation zone. La Quinta and Motel 6 are two consistently pet-friendly chains. Check with family and friends. And lastly, have a list of boarding facilities that may be available during an emergency.
• Bring your emergency supply kits, as well as additional provisions to provide the feral colony, upon your return.

After the disaster has passed and it is safe to return:

• Begin cleaning up the colony area to remove any potential hazards for the cats. Check feeding stations and outdoor shelters for damage.
• Look for the cats in your colony. If any are missing, immediately:
• Determine which agencies, if any, are on the ground in your area assisting animals. Contact those organizations directly and provide a description of the cats you are missing. Determine how you can claim these cats if they are found.
• Contact your local shelters. Ask if they are trapping cats in your area, and determine how long they will hold feral cats. Shelters may be experiencing a high volume of calls and influx of animals. For this reason, we advise that caregivers go to the shelters in person to find missing cats. Determine from shelter staff how you can claim your cats.
• Don't panic if the cats aren’t waiting when you get back. Cats can hide for days after severe weather before returning to their colonies.

Emergency Supply Kits

Alley Cat Allies encourages pet owners to have a basic disaster supply kit ready at all times. The following items should be kept in an easily accessible and easy-to-carry backpack or duffel bag in case you need to evacuate quickly. Disaster kit basics for pets include:

• Pet first-aid kit
• Supply of prescription medications for pets. Always remember to rotate these out of your kit and keep track of expiration dates so you are not carrying around useless or bad medication.
• Veterinary and microchip ID records for both pet cats and colonies
• Pet food (3-7 days worth; be sure to rotate these out of your kit as needed) and dishes (collapsible are good)
• Litter box and litter
• Leash and collar
• Crate or carrier; pillow case other item in case you need to quickly grab your pet to leave.
• Blankets or towels
• Photos of pets and cats in colonies in case they need to be identified
• Bottled water (7 day supply per person and pet)
• Your kit for the people in your family, which should include: flashlight and extra batteries; credit card and cash; copies of personal identification; a portable, solar- or battery-powered radio or television and extra batteries; an extra set of car keys; matches in a waterproof container; duct tape; extra clothing and shoes; extra medication and copies of insurance information; permanent marker; and an all-in-one tool like a Swiss army knife or Leatherman®.

Helping Others

If you plan on responding to a disaster as a volunteer, we recommend transporting the following items that are always in demand during emergency animal rescue:

• Bottled water
• Dry and canned pet food and can openers
• Dog crates and carriers
• Humane cat traps
• Old towels, sheets, and blankets
• Leashes and collars
• Litter boxes
• Heavy gloves and protective clothing
• Lanterns and flashlights with batteries
• Portable generators
• Medical supplies:
• bandages
• sterile gauze pads
• absorbent dressing
• antiseptic
• flea and tick repellants
• instant cold packs
• latex gloves

We hope these tips help you, your family, and your cats stay safe in emergencies.

Thank you to Alley Cat Allies for this informative article.

 

 

 

November 4, 2012 (daylight savings time ends)

What do you to to prepare or do you?

 

As much as we hate the clock changing every spring and fall, we have to do it, but what about

our feral cat colonies? Cats don't wear watches and couldn't tell time if they did! They do,

however, get used to feeding time and can tell when that is internally. So when you have to

change your schedule, what do you do? It is best if we can keep their feeding time

consistent, especially if there is trapping going on, but sometimes we can't do that if we have

a work schedule that demands we be away from the colony at the old feeding time.

 

If you can start out a week or more ahead and start slowly moving feeding time,

you and the cats will greatly benefit. Then neither of you will be stressed when the

day actually arrives.

 

I start out several weeks in advance and slowly move the time, back or forward,

to accommodate the change. If I can't get it all the way to the new time because

of work, then I continue after the change till it switches to an agreeable time

for all. My cats hardly seem to notice this way, and I still get to see most of them

at feeding time to account for their presence and health.

 

Good luck and keep those ferals healthy!

Something is strange today. My ferals are acting weird. Ank is headbutting me, Lokai is aloof and not eating, I had to go find Pretty Pretty, Farrah's not eating....Snowy, Smudge, Patch, Bandit, Smokey and Callie are all MIA this feeding, Bastet, El Tigre and Midnight are the only ones acting normal;....or maybe they're just clueless. Hmmmmm.....

Please go to www.awlfc and donate what you can. We need to raise $5000 to transport and secure him a sanctuary home in NY at Spirit Animal Sanctuary, where he will be in the hands of a loving
trainer and behaviorist. Charlie has been fostered many times and lately boarded for over a year.
Due to his unpredictable nipping when hungry, we feel he is better off in a sanctuary home.

Lokai went in for another asthma shot today. It is heartwrenching to
see him suffer! If anyone knows anyone who will be able to give
him a good indoor home, please let me know!!

Litter Train a Feral?

Some people think that this is an impossible task, others may ask why

you feel the urge to do so, but as feral caretakers know, there are just

some instances when you want to. The cat in question may be turning into a friendly,

or the situation may be dangerous and you need to rescue, or an injury may

result in your having to bring the cat in for follow up medical care; whatever

the circumstances, the question of litter training does occur.

Of course, you may find it is a non-issue as some cats readily take to a box, but for those

cats for whom it just seems impossible, try these tips.

First find the largest box you can, and remove the lid if it has one.

If a standard large litter box is not comfortable for the cat, find

a large plastic bin at one of the box stores. Fill it with soft garden dirt,

placing a small amount of the cat's feces in the box if you can find it.

(Only do this if you are certain it came from the cat you are trying

to train.) Make sure you place the box far enough away from food

and water bowls in a room that you can close and has an easy to

clean floor. After the cat has eaten, shut him in the room with the box for a

few hours. This will insure that he cannot eliminate in a hidden area of your home.

After a few days of this, the cat will know where the box is and what to do.

Then you can start letting him out in larger area of your home, or all over while

supervised; only shutting him in if you are away for any length of time.

Do this for as long as it takes for the cat to get the idea. Once he has started

using the box, slowly switch over litter. You do this by addinig small amounts

of litter each time you scoop or clean the box. Do not use harsh chemicals,

such as bleach during this period, as you want the cat to continue using

the box instead of shunning it. (You should never use a harsh chemical

when cleaning litter boxes, it is unhealthy and any cat may shun the box

because of smell.)

If, for any reason, the cat stops using the box and shows inapropriate

elimination (and you are sure there is no medical reason to do so0, back

up a few steps and continue the training. Eventually, you will have switched to

an all littler box and the cat wil be trained.

Some cats will take to a box right away, being easily trained, some will

take longer. Some will seem near to impossible, and it will take determination

to find the right size box, the right kind of litter, the right placement in your

home, etc. Be patient, never blaming the cat for faulty bathroom habits, he did

have all of the outdoors before and he may be having a hard time adjusting

to indoor life, not just new bathroom training.

Happy litter training!

I haven't seen Simba since Tuesday. He is a regular at the breakfast table
and he comes every evening to nibble up scraps. When I did see him last
on Tuesday evening he was not acting right....I wonder if he was the one
fighting in the woods a few days ago.

Of course, I can not get close or touch him so was unable to check him
out.

Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers....