On pets and wildland fire (and other disaster) evacuations

I was checking out a media outlet in Sacramento CA this morning checking on a small wildland fire that burned over night in the Cleveland National Forest. After checking out the fire story, I saw the story of badly burned cat that got separated from her owner after their house burned to the ground during the 49 fire that burned in Auburn CA over the weekend. Someone in the sheriff’s office found the cat and took her to a vet who has been treating the cat for severe burns. So, the Sacramento media has been doing their part in trying to reunite the cat and her owner.

I have always had animals and this story got me thinking about my own cat, Rocky. It got me thinking about what I can do to keep Rocky safe and to ensure that if some disaster happened and we were not able to evacuate to a shelter with Rocky. I would someone to be able to find us. You never know what might happen that will lead to an evacuation. If he were injured, we would want to know about it, to be able to comfort him. What can I do to protect Rocky and to give us a chance of being reunited if we had to leave Rocky somewhere or if he went into hiding as the flames approached?

Here I write about wildland fires, which often require evacuations. I read the story about the burned cat and saw the pictures and read the vets appeal to reunite the cat with her owner. I don’t want that to happen to Rocky. As I get to know those of you who are air tanker pilots, helo pilots, ground crew, engine crew, smokejumpers, etc., I know that you care about protecting people, property and animals. I know that you care about the innocent victims of fire who are animals.

So, I offer this advice from a member of the wildland firefighting community to honor all the pets as well as our feline friend in a veterinary hospital near Auburn CA.

Sometimes an animal's survival instincts are better than a humans. While I agree 100% that the family pet should be the first thing carried out with the family, yes, it's not always possible. Advanced notice gives one time to round up the animals and cage them...they're easier to catch. In the imminent danger of an approaching fire, animals sense the danger and panic (we as humans) unconsciously put out. One of the big reasons why pets go hide in the heat of the moment. Even if there's a family argument, a pet will seek refuge away from the battle. It's part of their nature.

What can we do to insure our pets are safe during a time of crisis?

• Whether you've been told to evacuate or not...if there's a chance you might be asked....crate your pet during the calm before the storm.

• ID chips are cheap insurance for keeping everyone together after the crisis.

• With a bit of training, most animals will respond to a specific command to go to their crate. Never make "time out" in an animal carrier a form of punishment. Keep a favorite blanket and toy inside the carrier, as this makes the crate more of a reward for good behavior than a punishment for bad. Remember, neither humans nor animals like that long walk to the woodshed!

• Make sure the carrier is tagged with the pets name, vet info., and owners contact information. Some evacuation centers don't allow pets to stay with their owners. At least if you become separated, there will be a chain of information to start the reuniting process.

Not much involved here, just a bit of common sense.

On the advice above, I'm not sure that I can train Rocky to go into a crate, but that is the nature of cats.

I am getting a chip implanted in Rocky. It isn’t expensive. A little "insurance." In Rocky’s case, the chip is injected under his skin between his shoulder blades. The chip has a unique code. We register our contact information and alternate contact info in a national database. The chip can be read with a scanner device. At least we have done the best that we can do, and won’t be saying that we shoulda made sure Rocky had a chip.