The Associated Press and Petside.com recently polled 1,166 pet owners about their pet safety habits. While it showed that many pet owners would go to extraordinary measures to save their pets, most are unprepared for pet emergencies.
The one question that struck me funny was “Would you perform CPR on your pet?” The answer was surprising.
Among my cat-loving friends, I’d guess the percentage who’d be willing to give CPR to their cats would be above 90%. But the poll results were much lower. 63% of dog owners and 53% of cat owners would be at least somewhat likely to perform CPR on their pets.
It’s the guys who are dragging down the average: 65% of women vs. 50% of men say they’d be more likely to perform CPR.
Some findings on pet owners:
54% don’t have a fire evacuation plan.
41% have had at least one incident requiring an emergency trip to the vet.
30% of dog owners and 22% of cat owners at least sometimes give them bones from table scraps.
20% have a pet first aid kit at home.
16% have pets who’ve had allergic reactions.
7% have pets that have eaten something poisonous.
Having emergency and disaster plans so that you can properly care for — and evacuate with — your pet can mean the difference between life or death for them. If you don’t have a pet emergency kit, you should assemble one – it’s easy to put one together on your own. Click here for instructions.
Many shelters provide CPR and pet safety training. If you don’t know how to administer CPR to your pet, here’s a video:
This week, Karen Lee Stevens of WeHo/Santa Barbara wrote about the steps taken to house feline refugees from the Jesusita Fire in Santa Barbara.
Wilted by the triple digit temperatures last Tuesday afternoon, I made a quick stop at Costco for an icy-cold chocolate vanilla swirl.
Driving back home along Hollister Avenue, I noticed a small plume of smoke rise ominously in the mountains above Santa Barbara and thought, “Here we go again.”
On the other end of Goleta, tucked away in a grove of majestic trees on Overpass Road, it was just another day at the Animal Shelter Assistance Program (ASAP).
Volunteers at the 20-year-old, non-profit cat shelter were busy cleaning cages, changing litter boxes, and making sure each of the 75 adoptable kitties felt safe and loved while they waited patiently for a new friend to come along and say, “I’d like to adopt this one!”
In just a few hours, everyone’s lives would be turned upside down.
Fueled by high winds and low humidity, the Jesusita Fire devoured everything in its path as it raced ever closer to hundreds of homes in the hills.
ASAP President, Angela Rockwell, was downtown when she, too, looked skyward and saw smoke. She immediately called Animal Services and asked if there was anything her organization could do to help. Their response: “How fast can you get here?”
Many of ASAP’s volunteers had been evacuated from their homes, but still they came in droves, ready and willing to help the cats in any way they could. They stayed into the wee hours of the morning, tidying up and making sure each kitty had a soft bed and a reassuring scratch under the chin.
During that first night, ASAP took in more than 60 cats; at one point the following day, they accepted about 50 cats in one hour.
“We were putting cats in carriers and dog crates—anything that was big enough to house a cat, a little box, and food and water bowls,” Angela said.
“We stacked carriers from the floor to the ceiling; we used every available inch of space. We did whatever we could to accommodate every cat who came through the door. We didn’t turn anyone away.”
All in all, ASAP provided a safe haven for approximately 220 cats, all the while caring for dozens of adoptable cats who were already being housed at the shelter.
In a telephone conversation on Monday, Angela told me she was “blown away by the efforts and the open hearts of people who came out and did what needed to be done.”
She marveled at ASAP’s volunteers—who didn’t have any kind of formal disaster training—as they took evacuees by the hand and walked them through the process of checking in their cats.
“Just seeing the relief on people’s faces, knowing that their cats had a safe place to go; it was…hard to describe,” Angela said, her voice filled with emotion.
“It just means so much to be able to help people and be a part of a community like ASAP.”
As I thanked Angela for all she’d accomplished on behalf of the fire’s most vulnerable victims, she was quick to point out that it wasn’t the effort of one, but the toil of many that made an enormous difference for the animals.
“Hundreds of people came together to make all this possible,” she said. “I get to brag about ASAP because we did it without the support of a national charity or a big budget. We did it from a true, community-based grassroots effort. I’m very proud of that fact.”
If you would like to contribute to ASAP’s ongoing financial needs, please send a donation to ASAP, PO Box 357, Goleta, CA 93116. Send your thoughts to Karen Stevens at karenleestevens@cox.net. For more columns, visit allforanimals.com/forpetssake.html.
Do you have a disaster plan for your cats in case of an emergency? If you’re not home when disaster strikes, your pets could survive the disaster, but might not be reunited with you if they’re not chipped and tagged. A traditional tag with a phone number or address won’t help if your home is destroyed and your phone is out of service.
The Together Tag pet recovery service, developed by Catster in partnership with the American Red Cross, is an innovative pet ID and recovery service that functions as a stand-alone solution or as a complement to your pet’s existing microchip. You can provide out-of-area contact info, medical info, and more, ensuring that if your pet is found, you’ll be reunited as quickly as possible.
The following is a repost from SF Weekly. It’s the story of a 27 lb. orange tabby who was rescued from Katrina’s flood waters and relocated to San Francisco, where he works as a maître d’:
When the lunchtime crowd filters into SoMa’s Eddie Rickenbacker’s, the establishment’s de-facto maître d’, Mr. Higgins, makes sure to walk around to every table and socialize. Then he falls asleep on the couch.
Snoozing during work hours is usually a firing offense, but Mr. Higgins’ job is safe. Twenty or 30 people a day walk through the door just to enjoy the pleasure of his company and bar owner Henry Africa assures SF Weekly that Mr. Higgins’ isn’t going anywhere — after all, he loves that cat.
The orange tomcat — who weighs in at a floorboard-creaking 27 pounds — didn’t always have it so soft. Four years ago he was running wild through the fetid, water-logged streets of New Orleans, half-starved and half-alive — with fleas and ticks accounting for around half of his body mass.
Airline workers captured around 200 cats who were scurrying around the Big Easy– including Mr. Higgins — and shipped them to a woman living in Nashville. And when Africa stumbled across the bedraggled orange cat’s online profile, he phoned Tennessee and bought Mr. Higgins on the spot for $200. The woman told Africa that Mr. Higgins had a brother, and Africa bought him, too.
Mr. Higgins’ days as unofficial greeter for Eddie Rickenbacker’s weren’t quite ready to start. Africa had bought a big rig truck at an auction on a whim while hunting for more antique motorcycles to suspend from the roof of his bar (”Can’t turn down a deal”).
Africa began using the big rig to haul loads of frozen fish from Boston to San Francisco — “I do things like that all the time” — and Mr. Higgins and brother Maxie came along for the ride. Eventually, the bar owner decided his truck-driving days were done, and sold off the rig.But the truck’s buyer stubbornly insisted that the cats come with him. Africa disagreed and a fistfight ensued. The bar owner — who is 75 — came out worse for wear. But an agreement was hastily cobbled between the warring parties. The buyer took Maxie and the truck. Africa took Mr. Higgins and returned to his bar.
It seems that Mr. Higgins has found his calling. “He’s one of the few cats I’ve ever had that really likes people,” notes his owner.
Incidentally, if you’re wondering, no you can’t have a pet cat in a bar in San Francisco — but Mr. Higgins has a knack for pulling a disappearing act when the health inspectors drop by. Africa did get caught once — and fined $200 — but he doesn’t have any plans to leave the cat at home in the future. Besides, if Mr. Higgins is drawing customers into the establishment, it may be worth risking the fine.
Africa can’t argue with that, but quickly adds, “Hey, I love him, too.”
The recent devastating earthquake in Italy has left more than 2,000 domestic pets homeless. Fortunately, help is arriving, although no one can help the pets cope with post-traumatic stress that’s exacerbated by hundreds of aftershocks. Here’s the story from the Associated Press:
L’AQUILA, Italy — Help started to arrive Thursday for the more than 2,000 cats and dogs believed to have been left homeless the earthquake in Italy.
The national animal protection agency, ENPA, said seven tons of feed had been delivered to L’Aquila for both domestic and farm animals.
Many pets and farm animals are believed to have died in houses and barns that collapsed during the quake Monday. Those that survived are showing signs of trauma, rescue officials said.
When the earthquake hit, the first thing Maria Grazia Broberzi grabbed was her cat, Pallina.
The cat now sits in a cage in the tent she shares with her owner in a camp on the outskirts of the devastated city of L’Aquila. She has refused to eat or drink since the quake. Every time Broberzi approaches, Pallina hisses and growls.
“She never did this before,” Broberzi said. “Sometimes we argued over who got the couch, but she was always affectionate.”
At least 2,000 cats and dogs are believed lost in L’Aquila alone, said Silvia Damiani, an animal rights official from Bracciano, north of Rome.
Fausto Cavalieri, a veterinary student with the Red Cross, was working at tent city outside L’Aquila, which houses 1,700 people, unloading dog and cat food from trucks. The supplies also included materials to build kennels and computer chip readers to identify animals in the effort to reunite them with their owners.
“There are people who lost their animals, and animals who lost their owners” Cavalieri said.
Iolanda and Sandrino Tarquini, a couple in their 70’s living now in the camp, were mourning their dog, a 10-year-old black pincher named Pisolo who died Thursday morning.
The couple could not get Pisolo his medication because the vet’s office was closed. And they believe the rain and chill in the tent city contributed to his death.
“He had a coat but he wasn’t wearing it” said Sandrino, as his wife cried.
Agricultural officials are beginning to assess the loss of farm animals. Cavalieri said many sheep and other farm animals were abandoned and will probably starve if they cannot be reached.
He said he had already seen a few hundred sheep crushed in a collapsed stall. The Italian farm association Coldiretti said it was too soon to give an assessment of how many animals had been lost.
Late Wednesday evening in L’Aquila, a Yorkshire terrier walked in circles, ignoring a policeman’s offer of a sandwich.
“I see a lot of these poor dogs looking lost and frightened” said the officer, Carlo Chipa. “You can tell they are domestic pets because they are healthy and well-fed, but they look lost and frightened.”
Do you have an emergency plan for your pets? Read the Cat’s Meow’s rundown on emergency preparedness. If you do nothing else, at least microchip and tag (and bell) your cat. Services like Together Tag not only provide identification, but also keep your cat’s medical information and the contact info for out-of-area friends and relatives online so anyone anywhere in the world can access it.
Catster Mom Wendy, who lives on “the only hill in Fargo,” has volunteered to provide temporary shelter for animals who aren’t allowed in the shelters provided for animal victims of the Fargo floods. Her first taker was Jasper the Rat (affectionately known by the felines in the house as “Lunch”). And no, that’s not Jasper in the photo above — just an example of interspecies bonding.
Wendy almost took in a pair of ferrets, but they were able to find housing. If you or someone you know in the Fargo area needs a temporary home for cats or caged animals (sorry, she’s not set up to accept dogs), leave a note in the comments, and I’ll put you in touch with her.
The Pet Plan and Pet Trust Guide is a 184-page illustrated book that shows you how to create a short-term emergency plan for your pets and explains what kind of legal documents are available for you to protect your pets. It even includes a legally binding fill-in-the blank trust document.
In 2003, Author Kimberly Adams Colgate published “The Everything Wills & Estate Planning” Book to help families plan for their families. Now, she’s teamed up with illustrator, Debby Carman to bring you that same expertise with “The Pet Plan and Pet Trust Guide” to help you create a plan for your pet. It’s simple, rewarding and very inexpensive to ensure that your pets are cared for according to your wishes after you’re gone.
I still have nightmares about Katrina — if I were told by rescuers that they wouldn’t take my cats, I would choose my cats over rescue.
Today, I was happy to see that the animal victims of the flooding in North Dakota are faring much better than Katrina pets did. Minnesota Catsters Winnie and Chester (pictured, right), sent me a link to a video of a rescue operation set up where families can drop off their beloved pets for safekeeping while they deal with the havoc wreaked by the floodwaters. (Even though it’s feel-good video, grab a hanky. I started blubbering like a baby when I saw the basset hound pair that was dropped off.)Click here to watch the video.
If you’re in area and are affected by the flood or would like to help, the Fargo-Moorhead Humane Society has set up an animal emergency shelter at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds. The phone number to the emergency animal shelter is 701-281-1574.
They ask that if your animal(s) will be in need of shelter at the emergency animal shelter, please prepare an emergency kit prior to bringing your animals to the shelter.
The kit should include:
medications
current vaccination/medical records
food – at least three day supply, in an airtight container
current photos and description of your pets
pet carrier
sturdy leashes
familiar items, i.e., blankets, toys, pet beds
Also, make sure your pet has identification tags.
If you would like to donate to help the animals that are being housed at the emergency shelter, the following items are needed:
Cat and dog food; kitten and puppy food (any brand)
Cat litter (non-scoopable)
Litter scoops
Bleach
Toys
Bedding (old towels/blankets)
Newspapers
Garbage bags/poop bags
Treats
Bottled water
Food/treats for the volunteers
Volunteers are needed at the shelter, however, call before arriving to make sure help is still needed at that time. The number to the emergency animal shelter is 701-281-1574.
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Are you prepared in the event of an emergency? If you had to evacuate tomorrow, are your pets chipped and tagged? Do you have a sufficient number of carriers to accomodate all your pets? Click here to read our emergency preparedness tips.
If you haven’t purchased a Together Tag yet, you still have time today to purchase one and get $5 off of the regular purchase price. Just go to TogetherTag.com to find out how it works and use the promo code CATSFEB09 for your discount.*
If you’ve missed our previous coverage of Together Tag, it’s a new pet ID and recovery service, all contained within a stylish, reflective ID tag. The reflective tag not only displays your contact info, but a website URL as well. The website provides a host of additional info, like emergency contacts and vital medical info. In the event of a natural disaster, even if you can’t immediately be reached, your emergency contacts can, and Fluffy can get her medication without interuption. When your pet is lost, the Together Tag pet recovery service leaps into action to help you recover your lost pet. It automatically alerts local shelters and Together Tag members that your pet is lost. It also offers a tool with which you can automagically create and print Lost Pet posters… and more!
The thought of losing your furry friend is a disturbing one, something that we here at Catster certainly hope you’ll never have to face. But the fact of the matter is that one in three pets will get lost in their lifetime.
In response to this alarming truth, Catster, in partnership with the American Red Cross, has launched an innovative pet ID and recovery service called Together Tag. As a stand-alone solution or as a complement to your pet’s existing microchip, Together Tag is the ultimate service for keeping pets and their families together.
Visit our website at www.togethertag.com to find out how it works and why microchipping is not enough. Use the code CATSFEB09 today, and you’ll save $5 off of the regular purchase price.*
A month ago we reported on a tragic fire in Iowa, in which Baby (right) –appropriately enough, a flame point Siamese cat–bravely alerted her owners that their home was in flames, saving the lives of three people as well as the family dogs, cats and goats. At that time, the fate of our heroine, Baby, was unknown. After saving the family, she disappeared into the frozen Iowa snowscape.
I’m happy to report that Baby is safe and sound, and in an exclusive Cat’s Meow interview, we talked with Baby’s owner (John Hadley) about the fire and the fate of the family’s other animals.
Cat’s Meow: What did Baby do to alert your family to the fire? John Hadley: Baby jumped from the dresser to the bed to wake me. Several times, over and over and over again, she went from the dresser and sprang three feet through the air to land on me to alert me of danger. I finally was awake enough to smell smoke. Thanks to Baby I was able to get my mother and the rest of the family out in time.
Cat’s Meow: You have 4 cats and 3 dogs. What are their names? John Hadley: My family includes Mom, Jim, Baby (Flame point Siamese), Oscar (golden striped, Large Cat), Apopphis (gray calico Cat), Meiko (gray striped Cat), Ricky (black Toy Poodle), Lucy (mostly white Jack Russell ), Prince (Black with white JackaPoo), Rick and Lucy’s pup and the two goats: Cindy (brown with spots, pictured in news article) and Nanny, an all-white female.
Cat’s Meow: Was it difficult to make sure they all got out of the burning house okay? Were any of them injured? John Hadley: It was kind of hard to make sure everybody was out. The dogs are always ready to run out the front door, so they went right out quick. The cats live inside and had to be gathered and accounted for. With the smoke and commotion it was a miracle that it did go so smoothly. The goats being nearest and first to know of the danger ran free to their safety in the back yard. The only injury to any of us was some singed hair on Cindy’s back and some minor smoke inhalation. Thank our hero Baby for getting us up in time.
Cat’s Meow: Has either of the goats fessed up to who started the fire? John Hadley: Neither of the goats have admitted guilt, but knowing how Cindy is the oldest and bossy, I believe she was bullying Nanny for a spot closer to the heat lamp and pulled it down from its hanger.
Cat’s Meow:Baby was missing after the fire. How long was it before she returned home? John Hadley: The Red Cross was very helpful to us in this time of need. The Fire chief called them and they were on the location within one hour. We were on the way to board the animals at the kennel and they waited for us to return from getting our animals boarded and out of the subzero weather. That took a couple of hours, and when we were done we went back to the house and Baby was there waiting for our return. The fire was still smouldering, with firemen putting out the hot spots.
Cat’s Meow:Was it difficult to find housing for your family and all of your animals after the fire? John Hadley: Baby, Meecko and I are staying with friends. Jim and Mom are with her cousin, and the goats were given to a local goat farmer equipped to keep them permanently. The three dogs and other two cats are still being boarded at a kennel. Unfortunately, this is going to be quite expensive for the 40+ days they will have to be there.
Cat’s Meow:How are your cats and dogs coping after the fire? Were they traumatized, or is it business as usual? John Hadley: They all seen to be adapting to their surroundings quite well considering being uprooted so quickly and traumatically in the freezing weather. We are very anxious to get into a new home in town and all be back together.
Cat’s Meow:Did your family lose everything in the blaze? John Hadley: Yes, everything is gone. The fire burned the house completely to the ground. We were all in complete shock for a week or more after this. Each day we think of something we need and had that was lost. Jim had let the Homeowners Insurance lapse when he had been unemployed and working at a part time job. When he was rehired full time he just never got the Insurance reinstated. What a lessen for ALL to learn by. Have INSURANCE or you will lose everything.
Cat’s Meow:Is there any advice you could give to our readers on evacuating animals from a burning home, based on your experience? John Hadley: Yes, Stay calm which is very hard to do. Do a head count and make sure the animals don’t run back into their familiar home to hide. Make sure everyone is safe and don’t risk your safety, let professionals do their job with the proper equipment.
Thanks, John, for taking the time to give us an update on Baby and your family. We sincerely hope you will all be back together beneath the same roof soon.
If any of our readers would like to help, a fund was set up by the community to help the family get back on their feet and to pay for boarding the animals until they are relocated into a new home. The Fire Relief Fund was set up for “James Giles and Family” at:
Bank of The West
211 East Boston Ave.
Indianola, IA 50125
(515) 961-7411
As this story proves, no one can predict when disaster will strike. But you can increase your chances of making it out alive with your pets by planning ahead:
Get a window sticker to alert firefighters that there are pets in your home. Some companies and shelters give these away for free.
Microchip and tag your pets. Together Tags help ensure that even if your house burns down and you can’t be reached by phone, you and your pet can be reunited. You can upload photos of your pets to Together Tag so that you will have a photo from which to make a lost pet flyer, even if your home and computer are destroyed.
Have one carrier for each of your pets. We keep extra cardboard folding carriers upstairs and downstairs. This ensures that if you’re able to get your cats into carriers as you evacuate that they won’t sneak back into the home or wander off.
Keep copies of your pets’ medical information in more than one place. Scan it and email it to yourself, keep a copy at work, give a copy to relatives.
It’s the guys who are dragging down the average: 65% of women vs. 50% of men say they’d be more likely to perform CPR.
Driving back home along Hollister Avenue, I noticed a small plume of smoke rise ominously in the mountains above Santa Barbara and thought, “Here we go again.”
The orange tomcat — who weighs in at a floorboard-creaking 27 pounds — didn’t always have it so soft. Four years ago he was running wild through the fetid, water-logged streets of New Orleans, half-starved and half-alive — with fleas and ticks accounting for around half of his body mass.
I still have nightmares about Katrina — if I were told by rescuers that they wouldn’t take my cats, I would choose my cats over rescue.
A month ago 
As this story proves, no one can predict when disaster will strike. But you can increase your chances of making it out alive with your pets by planning ahead:
