Watching the hurricane Sandy roll in
The animals feel the storm much earlier then humans, I think. Actually, I have been feeling it for days, but I am one of those weird humans that is really in tune with every change in pressure for hundreds of miles. The atmosphere here at the zoo has been pensive. Maybe it is because we have been rushing around for days, thanks to the predictive awareness of the National Weather Center, and the robo calls that have been coming from every utility because of the early declared state of emergency.
Preparing the property is one things. Preparing for a prolonged outage, or inage (being captive in the house for days), is another when you have animals. This got me thinking about what, more than animal food and litter, should I be prepared for, in case I really did have to evacuate. Though we are within 1,000 feet of the water, we are on high ground, so it is very unlikely; but what if the roof got damaged or something. So, here is my list:
5 cat carriers and 2 dog kennels.
Vet papers on all animals.
Dry and wet food for 1 week: 21 cans wet cat food, 14 cups dry cat food, 2 cans wet dog food, 40 cups of dry dog food,
5 cat food bowls and 2 dog food bowls.
Minimum 2 littler pans and 1 large bucket of litter (and scooper and bags for scooped stuff). (Maybe I need to have some small little set up in each carrier if they have to stay in there (I need to think about that).)
Minimum 1 dog water bowl and 5 small water bowls for cat carriers.
Muffin’s heart medicine and baby aspirin.
Kitties anti-anxiety medicine.
Animal first aid kit,
Blankets for each carrier and 2 extra for dogs.
Dog marrow bones and 2 toys to keep them occupied.
Leashes and collars (with all their tags). (I don’t have collars for the cats with any ID. To late to buy now, but maybe I need to figure out something so they each have ID.)
Also should know where I can go with the zoo. I can’t go to my sister-in-law because her dog hates dogs, my Mother-in-law’s cat would freak out, so next step would be a shelter. Who will take all of us? I better start working on that since the wind and the rain are here.
This is really hard. Even when we have been without electricity or heat before for more than a week, we have never left the animals, and we never will. One big winter storm we lost 2 out of 4 large tanks of fish, because they got to cold. Now with the generator hopefully that won’t happen again. But, one must be prepared.
Please be safe wherever you are.
Keep you loved ones close and your animals out of harms way too.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
Making the bed, especially after you have just taken blankets our of the dryer, is just a losing battle at the zoo. You see, there is always one cat, if not 4 or 5, that find a nice pile of clean and warm laundry something irresistible. And a sheet, being tossed across a long expanse of mattress, is just an invitation to jump under it. I guess I should have never dumped the pile of blankets onto the bed to fold. What was I thinking? Maybe if I dropped the pile in some other spot, they would have gone to wherever the pile was, and I could have made the bed. But who really needs a bed with nice clean sheets and blankets anyway, when you can provide hours of happiness to your pets? I guess I will make the bed later, Noel. Enjoy your warm fort.
DogDaz Zoo 