How to prepare your pets for when a hurricane makes it rain cats and dogs

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HOUSTON (AP) — Getting ready for a hurricane’s landfall means making sure everyone in your household is prepared, including your furry family members.

It’s important that the work in gathering essential items for your dog or cat and determining if your pets have their ID tags and are microchipped is done before a storm is bearing down, said Julie Kuenstle, a spokeswoman for the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

“All of that stuff needs to be done in advance because you can’t do that obviously if your pet gets away before, during or after a disaster. And that’s heartbreaking because we know that our pets are our family members,” Kuenstle said.

Just as the humans in your family require an emergency kit with food, water and medications, pets also need one. Their go bags will be a little different and should include things like chew toys, leashes and poop bags.

Kuenstle said it’s also important the kit has hard copies of your pets' vaccination records that you can show if you have to evacuate and end up at a hotel or shelter.

“A lot of items that pet owners need and are essential for their go bags, they already have around their house,” Kuenstle said.

Cesar Perea, the associate vice president of rescue for the American Humane Society, said people should also verify that their pets have ID tags on their collars and that the information linked to their pet’s microchip is up to date and that multiple people are listed as contacts.

“If you decide you want to ride out the storm and stay, we wouldn’t recommend that,” Perea said. “But if they do, typically, we tell people that you should have at least two-weeks worth of (pet) supplies in your home.”

Pets can sense any stress their owners feel as they prepare for a hurricane, Kuenstle said.

“When there is a disaster or storm, sirens, things like that, a natural fear response is for them … to hide and to run away. So, you know, making sure that your yard is secure and that they’re in a quiet, safe, secure place can help avoid that,” she said.

Animal rescue groups say it’s important to have your pet crate trained so their crate can be used as a safe space for your pets.

People who decide to stay and ride out a storm should keep their pets close, Perea said. Leaving them alone in another room “is just going to elevate their stress,” he added.

Leaving pets behind, particularly if they're left tied to a fence or chained in a backyard, can be deadly.

“If the disaster comes along, they can’t move away from it,” Perea said. “The disaster rolls through and they suffer a horrific death potentially.”

Abandoning your pets could also result in animal cruelty charges.

The plight of a bull terrier named Trooper, who was rescued last year during Hurricane Milton after being found chained to a fence along a Tampa highway, inspired a new Florida law that imposes tougher penalties on people who abandon pets during natural disasters.

Most emergency operations centers during a natural disaster focus part of their work on animal rescues, Perea said.

But both Perea and Kuenstle said most pets and other animals needing rescue are not abandoned on purpose.

During Hurricane Harvey in Houston in 2017, Kuenstle's group rescued about 2,300 animals, including cats, dogs and horses, reuniting about 300 of them with their humans.

“A lot of it was ... ’We had no idea we wouldn’t be able to come back.’ They were contacting us in a panic. They were concerned about their pet,” Kuenstle said.

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005 is filled with countless stories of residents not wanting to leave their flooded homes if they couldn’t bring their furry loved ones, Perea said.

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