Keeping Pets In Mind When Making Disaster Preparations (NAPSA)—Asthe weather gets warmer, weather conditions can change quickly. Recent hurricanes taught us many hard lessons, but one of the clearest was that pets left behind in a disaster don’t fare well. Here are sometips to help prepare your extended family for almost anything: Keep a pet carrier ready. Hard-sided carriers and crates often end up in attics or basements, gathering dust until the annual veterinary visit. If you live in an area that is frequently at risk for weather-related disasters, keep your carrier/crate out where it can be easily accessed. Prepare a disaster kit for your pet. Include food for five to seven days, jugs of water, a nonbreakable bowl, litter, any medica- tion your pet may be taking, a recent photo (in case your pet gets loose and you need to prepare “lost animal” posters or prove ownership in order to retrieve her from a shelter), a harness or collar and leash and a thick bath or beach towel for safe handling during stressful times. Give your pet an identification tag. Nationally, only about 2 percent of stray cats turned into shelters are ever reunited with their guardians, though dogs fare somewhat better at approximately 16 percent. At the very minimum, a dog should always wear a license tag on his or her collar. While a few communities license cats, most do not. Get your cat a break-away collar and identification tag with yourcell phone number on it as soon as possible. If your pet wasn’t microchipped at the time of adoption, ask your veterinarian to inject your pet with this permanentidentification tool and be sure to keep the microchip In a disaster, you’ll want to take care of the pets as well as the people in your family. registry updated whenever you changecontact information. Organize a neighborhood pet watch. Trade keys with a neighbor who works from home to ensure someoneis available to care for— or even evacuate—your pet in case of an emergency, when you can’t be there. Provide them with a list of your pet’s favorite hideouts, as stressed animals are particularly adept at disappearing. Let police andfire officials know you harbor animals by placing a “Pets Inside” decal in the window of your front door. Make sure to remove the decal when you move or no longer have a pet, to ensure rescue workers do not endanger themselves looking for pets that are no longerthere. These four easy steps will help you not only protect your animal pals from being left behind when violent weather strikes, but help you and your family reach safety with as much peace of mind as possible. Only one last task awaits. Make sure your community disaster plan makes provisions for animals as well as people. Visit www.aspca.org for more information.
