CYCLONES AND YOUR PETS
One of the main questions asked during the cyclone season is “what do we do with
our pets?”.
If you are staying at home:
• Ensure you have plenty of food and water for your pets. Ideally 2 weeks’ worth of
sustenance per pet.
• Try to maintain the animals normal routine.
• Keep dogs and cats in separate rooms, even if they are friends. Cyclones can
tend to make animals act differently to normal.
• Comfort or restrain your animals if necessary, some distraction toys may help.
• Make sure you have a lead or pet box nearby in case it is necessary to evacuate.
If you are relocating to a welfare centre or with friends, and leaving your pet/s:
• Put your pets in a room with no windows or only a small window. i.e. a laundry or
bathroom
• Keep dogs and cats in separate rooms, even if they are friends, cyclones can
tend to make animals act differently to normal
• Put down plenty of newspaper on the floor to help soak up urine
• Ensure you leave plenty of food and water for your pets and ensure the water is
in a non-spill container
• Leave comfort toys and clothing for your animals
• Put a sign in each room stating the animal and its name (for SES workers’
information).
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