Pets and evacuations
- Thread starter Miss Chicken
- Start date
A
Amaris
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I would have stayed behind. In every disaster, I never separated from my pet. She was family, and had just as much a right to be protected as anyone else.
I'd leave them behind and get the hell out if I was evacuating on foot (which I have done). It's a different question if you can just shove your cats into a car.
I can't imagine myself abandoning my cats - at least not in a flood/cyclone. However I am extremely frightened of bushfires and if I had to run from a fire that came quickly I might only escape with Miss Chicken, I might be forced to leave my other two cats behind. However I don't really live in a street that would be threatened by bushfires.
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During the big fires 2 years ago we evacuated 3 times. I didn't take my cats, we left on foot. I simply couldn't carry them in cat carriers. They are fat and heavy, it was in the 40's (105+), I had a backpack on and kids. I left a door open so they could run out and a couple huge pots of water which I had out on my porch because of the heat prior to having to evacuate.
I would be very sorry if they died in a fire but I certainly wouldn't stay behind with them.
If it was a cyclone with actual warnings and time to leave of course I would take them with me, even if I had to carry them. It's a different story when you are clicking the CFA website and your region comes up with a warning telling you it is time to go NOW. Or when the cops knock on your door and say everyone in the street needs to get out. Or when you actually see the smoke and fire from your porch.
damnit, now I feel like moving again..
I would be very sorry if they died in a fire but I certainly wouldn't stay behind with them.
If it was a cyclone with actual warnings and time to leave of course I would take them with me, even if I had to carry them. It's a different story when you are clicking the CFA website and your region comes up with a warning telling you it is time to go NOW. Or when the cops knock on your door and say everyone in the street needs to get out. Or when you actually see the smoke and fire from your porch.
damnit, now I feel like moving again..
dont get me wrong I doubt I could leave my cat behind during an evac but what if a dog is pretty stressed out in the evac center bearing teeth growling of barking in a not too friendly way and your is family near it and there's little room to get away from the thing i'd have enough to worry about if I still had a home to go back to, last thing I need is will the dog attack me or not.
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During the Canberra bushfires a few years ago, my aunt, who lived in the suburb of Duffy, didn't even have time to put on her shoes because the fire came so quickly. She ran to her car in her bare feet. On the way out of the door she grabbed her framed wedding certifcate and wedding photo, they were the only possessions she saved. If she had had pets I doubt she would have had enough to grab them. The man who lived across the road from her died.
Miss Chicken is a old, small and very quiet cat so i think I could put her in a backpack if I had to escape on foot. The boy cats would have to go into a carrier and they are big cats. I don't think I could carry them far.
Luckily I don't have any small kids to worry about.
I'm now trawling through realestate.com.au to look for somewhere else to live.
I've managed to put it out of my mind this summer because we've been continually under water.
I've managed to put it out of my mind this summer because we've been continually under water.
You are making me feel guilty for starting this thread.
I have terrible memories of the 1967 Tasmanian bushfires.Our house wasn't threatened but my grandparents' town (Snug) was almost completely destroyed. The house next door to my school burnt down and quite a few children from my school lost their homes. My uncle and aunt took in four children who had been orphaned by the fires. They stayed with my uncle and aunt for a few weeks but were eventually adopted by another couple.
My elderly grandparents were in their house when it caught on fire. They were trying to put the fire out with pillows when my aunt (their daughter-in-law) ran in and ordered them out. My aunt didn't have time to save their parrot or their dog.
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Don't mind me Miss Chicken, I knew people who died in the last fires and I'm usually reacting when people bring up the topic. I often think of moving not just because I don't want to die in a fire but because I don't want to spend every summer in a high state of alarm checking the CFA website and listening to the fire sirens that go off constantly. The mental stress I am totally sick of and I dream of living where it is wet all the time. I actually LIKE humidity now.
It took me 4 tries to get my male cat into the carrier when I moved. Sucker kept bulldozing his way out when I was closing the door. I'd still get him out with me though, along with the girl, who's not as much of a PITA, one way or another.
I find the easiest way to get a cat into a carrier is to wrap them in a towel first. I don't have any trouble getting Miss Chicken (no towel needed) but the boy cats hate the carrier.
This. I couldn't, i wouldn't leave them. They are my family. The guilt alone would kill me.
I'm so very sorry for all that you've been through.
I've been trying to get attached to incident teams that go to your part of the world for bushfires for a couple of years. Sadly, since I'm not a federal employee, the chances are always slim..
This is an issue we're dealing with more and more in New Mexico. Our incidence of grass fire continues to grow every year, putting small communities at risk. I agree with the policy to not allow animals into evacuation shelters.. There are just too many health risks involved.. I know if I ended up anywhere near your kittehs, the EMTs would have a serious asthma attack on their hands...
Our humane society, 4H clubs and county extention offices work with State Emergency Management on immediatly opening up county fair grounds for the sheltering of evacuated animals.. Horses, dogs, cats, bunnies, etc... For smaller animals, owners need to provide kennels/carriers, of course, but the animals are fed and watered by volunteers.
If it's a life-or-death situation and space and/or time is limited to the point where it's me or the dog? Sorry, Fido I love you, man, but I don't love you more than I love living.
It's a tricky situation but, unfortunately, when situations are desperate and evacuations are being held civil-services don't look to save animal life only human life. If a house is burning down and all human occupants are safe outside it'd be hard to convince a fire-fighter to charge into a burning house to save an animal.
If an area is being evacuated due to looming or recent natural disaster an animal could possibly take up valuable space that could otherwise be given to a human or recovering that animal/getting it co-operate/whatever could use up valuable time.
It's sad to say but in the grand scheme of things it's not always worth it.
It's a tricky situation but, unfortunately, when situations are desperate and evacuations are being held civil-services don't look to save animal life only human life. If a house is burning down and all human occupants are safe outside it'd be hard to convince a fire-fighter to charge into a burning house to save an animal.
If an area is being evacuated due to looming or recent natural disaster an animal could possibly take up valuable space that could otherwise be given to a human or recovering that animal/getting it co-operate/whatever could use up valuable time.
It's sad to say but in the grand scheme of things it's not always worth it.
I have a cat evac plan, carriers are easy to hand and assembled at all times, and I've acclimated the cats to getting in without a struggle. So yes, I would evac them and if they weren't allowed in the official shelter areas (which would be in violation of the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act, see the OP) then I would find somewhere else to go. I've been meaning to upgrade the carriers to something like this as well.
Of course, the only likely reason I would need to evac my house is a house fire, as I live a mile and change from the harbor up a big hill, so flooding is not an issue, and my building is essentially part of a giant, block-long pile of brick so old man hurricane can blow all he wants without accomplishing much. I suppose there could be a repeat of the 1904 Baltimore Fire, but then, my neighborhood survived that too...
Of course, the only likely reason I would need to evac my house is a house fire, as I live a mile and change from the harbor up a big hill, so flooding is not an issue, and my building is essentially part of a giant, block-long pile of brick so old man hurricane can blow all he wants without accomplishing much. I suppose there could be a repeat of the 1904 Baltimore Fire, but then, my neighborhood survived that too...
Luckily I live in a very small apartment and my cat lives indoors so I am usually always in the same room as him. If we had to suddenly evacuate I would grab him and run out the door in seconds. If I had a few more seconds I would grab his carrier which is close at hand and shove him in it, no matter how much he scratches or bites to stay out. I really can't envision a scenario where I would leave him behind, unless we were away from home and couldn't go back to the apartment to get anything. I suppose if we had a large house or he was an outdoor cat it would take a lot longer to locate him and escape. If the evacuation center didn't allow cats, I would be smuggling him in in a backpack or other container. He enjoys being carried around in paper bags so perhaps I would do that and place some items on top of him to cover him up. Once we are to safety and he is likely discovered, we will go elsewhere if we aren't both welcome in the center.
