Lately I've been obsessed w/ what would happen if there was a fire or some kind of emergency at our house. Before today we only had 2 carriers. One was a dog one so it could hold 3 cats. The carriers are such a pain to store, I just didn't see the point in having extras sitting around collecting dust. But I've been too worried so I went down and go ta gigantic dog carrier that would fit everyone (if we were in that big of a hurry :lmao: ) So now I feel much better :)
Am I being paranoid or what? :lmao: :lmao:
Do you guys have an emergency escape plan?

On no... you are not paranoid. It's an excellent idea to have an emergency plan for your pets.

I was confronted with that last year when the house filled up with smoke...I didn't have enough carriers to house all the cats I had at that time... let me tell you that after the emergency was over, I sat down and just cried. I promptly went out and bought three larger carriers...and I still want another two because I never know how many fosters I would have. Another thought that crossed my mind, was getting to all the pets and getting them into carriers if the house was on fire... I still haven't worked that one out. At the time of our emergency, 4 of the cats hid under beds, and 3 were in carriers. I couldn't round up the others by the time the firemen had come to the house. So that kinda still freaks me out...how would I be able to get all of them if a real fire had broken out... :bawling: :wha: :bawling:

Oh man, Janice! That must have been so scary!

I also worry about how to get them all in the carriers....there would be SO much panic. Our bed is so low to the ground it's nearly impossible to get them out when they hide....well, it IS impossible. And I know that's where they'd go just as yours did. :pullhair:

My plan is to grab my data backup CD and then panic. :)

OK, seriously.....seeing as how the question of life or death is settled long before the fire department arrives, and seeing as how it can take me 15 minutes to get all three cats into carriers, the only solution I see is to open doors, break out a couple windows, get out and hope for the best. There's no possible way I could rescue all three cats and get out with my life intact. :(

I've never thought of an emergency escape plan.
I know that it probably would be easier for me, since I probably will only have one cat, and just grab it and go. I have a carrier too, so that's good too.

we have two carriers and three cats, I suppose that eventually I will need to get another but for right now, I will box up Yayo and Noah in a carrier, and either grab a carboard box or just carrier Lucifer to my car outside! :thumbsup:

I have 2 carriers... I can use one for Moogy and the other one is large enough for Keiko and Pixelle... I agree with you... it's a scary thought... :(

I think about what I'd do, too... This apartment I'm in now is old, so no sprinklers are installed. :( I'd be SOL if we had a fire because we only have one carrier! We really need to get 2 more.

It takes such a long time to wrestle my cats into the carrier when I'm not in a hurry, I wouldn't even try in this situation.

I'd just grab them by the scruff of their necks and run.

I would do this too if I had to! Any body part would work and then just tossing them outside. Anything to get them out! :ack:

That's most likely what I'd have to do, too. I probably won't even be thinking of the carrier! Does anyone have those stickers for the firemen about saving their pets? Pet Alert

No I don't... but it's odd that you mentioned this...the other day the alarm went off in the building at like 12am. I'm thinking my cats, rats, fish and that !&$# lizard...we'd be able to save the cats for sure but my fishies. :bawling: I love my rats too so I could just put them in a pocket. I don't even have the cat carrier here my parents have it. :wha: Lot of good that'll do me anyway...Milo doesn't fit in it. note to self purchase large carrier really soon.

Yup I changed the dog part to rats. ;)

Thanks god we are on the 2nd floor and not any higher...we could all jump out easily.

I worry about that all the time - probably too much! What if there's a fire, what if the carbon monoxide detector goes off, etc.... and because I'm alone in the house from Tuesday morning to Thursday evening every week... I worry even more. I'd have no help! :shock:

We have 3 cat cages - 2 of them are big - large enough to shove 2 or 3 cats in each. The other one is a smaller, collapsable carrier. I really don't like it for travelling, because it looks like a duffel bag to me. But for an emergency, it would suffice. I would do my very best to grab the ones I could, shove them in the cages and then get out. But there would probably be a lot of chaos and since they HATE loud noises (like alarms) they would probably try and hide somewhere.

I remember when we had the bat in our house, we were freaking out. :blush: Lots of screaming and banging on boxes (we'd just moved in, so they were all over the place) and Eddie ran down to the basement and hid under the stairs. We couldn't find him for a WHILE. So I would assume that would be his "safe spot" if he were to hide again.

:crossed: that I don't have any emergencies to worry about.

Bad weather (tornado warnings for example), I've gotten 3 cats down to basement within 3 minutes, have not had to try getting 4 downstairs.
With hubby and I we could both take 2 at a time.
I have their carriers at bottom of steps in basement and right there is the back door to head out.

In my other apartment (dingy yucky place) a lady upstairs flooded the apartment, because she was using one of those dishwashers that just runinto the sink. anyway she pulled the fire alarm and yayo hid under my bed until it turned off. There was no getting him out of there either, he hissed and batted at me when I reached to pet and try to comfort him.

I have one of those pet alert stickers as well, but we live in the basement at the back door, so unless they came through our entrance, it wouldn't be seen. I found them only once, but if I ever see them again, I will give some to the people upstairs too, they have a dog.

I have one carrier, I probably COULD get both cats in, in a pinch, but when you are panicking in an emergency, it would be tough. Fortunately, our apt is small and there aren't many places to hide (our bed is even on the floor, so they can't go under there) so we could probably round them up pretty quick. If I had to, I would just get them outside and hope they didn't run off. If it had to happen. If I had control of them, but not in a carrier, I would put them in the car, it is right outside our door.

I think about fires/emergencies like that all time. It worries me. It worries me more that something might happen when we are not here though.

Me too. I get all stressed out just when I go to my parent's house for the day up in the mountains. Lately I've been taking a couple of them with me. Cody loves going to Grandma's :luv1:

I have 2 carriers for 2 cats. I also have the pet alert sticker in my front window. :thumbsup:

I usually don't have a problem getting them into the carriers, but in a panic ... who knows? :wha:

:wave:

Wow, I've thought about this topic MANY times....we have two smaller carriers (Vari-Kennel) and one collapsible one which we always use for vet visits. I'm definitely going to get more, cause they are easy to store, and then, set up! It is very strong and we have had the girlz in one.

Since we are in Southern California, there is always talk about "the BIG one" !!! Yikes!!!

We also need to think about food and water, not only for them, but ourselves just in case. So many things to consider..... :kittyluv:

I have been worrying about this lately as well. The girls are staying at Scotts parents right now until April and they have a very big old farm house and its heated by a wood furnace and I am scared of there being a fire there because its old and the other day Scotts dad went down to the furnace and part of the chimney was on fire. If there was a fire, I know wouldnt be able to find them because there are soo many hiding places. This is weird because before I read this post, the other night I was laying in bed thinking about this. Its always good to have a plan though. In our apt. in Halifax last year, we would have fire drills and when the alarm would go off.. I would grab Lilly and put her in the carrier and carry Molly. THats the advantage of Molly. She will let you hold and carry her. When we take her in the car she will just let you hold her without any fuss but Lilly on the other hand... Those sharpe nails of hers :lmao:

We have two side buildings attached to the main building were I live. Last year one of the side buildings went up in flames every one got out, This was 4 AM, we heard people yelling so we got up and saw the flames :shock: My first thought get the carriers get them in and get out. The alarms were going off. It is very scary, I have a brother in law down the street so we went there for a few hours until we got back in.

Linda

I had a thought that I am sure some of you have already thought of, but I will share for those of you that may not have.

Close your closets! I realised that all the hiding spots in our apt would be the closets. So if we keep our closets closed at all times (but especially overnight when these emergencies tend to happen) the chances of rounding up our kitties quickly are greatly increased! Just a little tip to help make your home safe for your cats!

That safety tip is great, Mel, but not in my household unfortunately. Marty and Mickey are the "closet-opening-bandits" in this house. The closet is closed? No problem! Marty will go nuts and act as if he's digging to China until it opens. Mickey too. And they always get them open, too.

Melanie, while I was reading this I was thinking I would add the closet thing at the end. That is so true-close off as many cracks and holes as possible.

For emergency purposes, it would be easier to put a lot of cats into one carrier than 7 cats into a carrier apiece. We have one carrier that holds 3 cats comfortably, and 5 single carriers. To be truthful, if there was an emergency, I could probably fit all 6 in there (I would carry WillyB). I would do everything possible to get them out in carriers or my arms. But if I couldn't catch them or the fire was out of control, I would make as many openings to the outside as possible and get out. I'd rather them escape than burn up.

It's a good idea to watch your cats in a situation where they feel threatened. Cats are very much creatures of habit, so if you know where they run to when scared today, you will know where they run to in a fire or similar emergency. Make sure you know where all their hiding places are so you can scoop them up if needed.

If it will make you feel better, do a fire drill. Do something that scares the cats-have someone ring the doorbell repeatedly or something, and see how they react, and most importantly, where they go. I have a small house with limited hiding places. If you have a big house with lots of nooks and crannies, it would be a bigger job.

If you have to, grab a blanket and wrap them up in it and run to the neighbor's-put them in a neighbor's garage or bathroom. Or put them in your car and move the car to where it's safe. Pillow cases! Anything is better than losing them in a fire.

There's no such thing as being too prepared. If you plan for emergencies, you will feel a lot less stress when the unthinkable actually happens.

Here's the decals you can order free from the ASPCA:
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagen...s_rescuesticker
They only send one, I think, so you may want to get additional ones somewhere. It would be best to have one on each side of your house.

Firemen are really good about getting pets out if they can. There's always at least one animal lover in the bunch. :luv1:

Thanks for your thoughts on this, Lisa. Your post gave me a lot to think about.

I have 2 carriers, but I know they would both fit in one. Also, sometimes I have a tough time finding Tabby - spotting her, I mean. Her colors make her blend in with everything! I'm sure I would have a harder time in an emergency. :(

And Mel? I agree - my closets are ALWAYS closed! :thumbsup: And if a kitty gets in a closet, I get him/her out right away. (Although I think I have accidentally locked each cat in a closet at least once. :blush: )

Great link and ideas, Lisa.
Mel, our closets are walk in ones so if they were hiding in there it would be easy to spot and grab them. There is hardly anything on the floor in our bedroom closet (which is theone they like to hide in), so seeing and grabbing them would be not a problem. The bed is what I'm worried about! It sits low enough to the ground where even the cats have to slide on their bellies to get under there. And OF COURSE that's where they hide when they're scared. I guess blockimg it off is an option but at the same time I like them to have that safetly place when people come over. :confused:
I tried out the new carrier when I took 3 of our kitties to my parent's house yesterday. Althought they fit perfectly in it and it could easily hold more cats....the problem..........YOU CAN ONLY LIFT SO MANY CATS IN IT AT ONCE!!! :gaah: And these were 3 of out smallest cats!! they were almost UNliftable, and in a hurry, it would not work very swiftly. So I'll be going to get yet another carrier :rolleyes: :lmao: I guess that's the key, several carriers for several cats. My way didn't seem to work :duh:

I worry about the bed too, Jennifer. Tucker hides under there - and there's NO way I could get under the bed to get him. :(

If there were a fire, you would throw the matresses off or grab a broom-anything to get them out.

We have 3 adults living here, and if a fire broke out, the number one priority is getting the cats out. So I'd have a lot of help (assuming they were here when it happened).

You'd be amazed at what you can accomplish when you have to.

The thing I worry about is the fire being between me and one or more of the cats. I would have to grab the hammer and run outside to the window where they are and open it.

I'm almost crying thinking about all this. But you have to think about it and have some kind of plan.

Great pointers, Lisa!! I know I'd certainly flip out if there were a fire and my cats, too!

But luckily my matresses are on the floor and I keep the closets & bathroom doors shut! And, they can't get under the couches because those are pretty low to the ground.

I'm concerned that everyone's making these plans without considering how long their plans are going to take. This article says:

and this article says it could be a minute or less before you succumb to smoke inhalation. And this is after the smoke alarm sounds and you spend some time trying to figure out whether it's a false alarm or the real thing and then spend some time trying to remember what to do. By the time you unfreeze your minute is up.

Folks, you're just not going to have time to do all the things you're planning to do to rescue your cats. If you've got one cat and that cat happens to be right there and you can grab it before it gets away, then maybe. But multiple cats? Carriers? No way. All the fire escape advice I just finished researching says you don't even have time to call 911. You get out first and then call from the neighbor's.

Sorry, but I think the best thing to do is to get out and leave a door open and hope the cats find their way out. :(

Nope, not happening here. I will do anything and everything to get them out safely. One wouldn't leave their human children inside a burning building....these are my children. I would indeed risk my life to save them as would my husband.
I think this bolis down to a personal decision. You do it your way, and we'll do it ours.

This is why I said I'd grab my cats by the scruff of their necks (or whatever other part of their anatomy necessary) and run for it. I KNOW I wouldn't have time to mess around with a carrier.

And it wouldn't necessarily be a gentle grab and run, either. Cats have a tendency to panic at exactly the wrong time, and no matter how much you try to make them understand that what you're doing is for their own good, they sometimes go into an irrational frame of mind where they figure hiding or freezing up will make all the bad, scary stuff go away.

So you need to be prepared to grab them by the tails, legs, a handful of fur somewhere on the body, and just get out of there! And yes, the cat will be outraged and squawk and try to bite. You just have to ignore it, because you won't get a second chance.

Everyone's got to do what they think best. Including risking their lives. I'm just asking recognition of the realities of the situation. Plans of rounding up cats from their hiding places and stuffing them in carriers isn't. The reality is that you have less than three minutes to get out before you die. How you use those three minutes is up to you.

Every fire situation is different as is everyone's opinion. Not every fire is going to only allow 3 mintes to get out. Sometimes the reality is the actual situation and not just something you have read. Pretty well everyone has agreed that grabbing any body part if time does not allot to put them in carriers will do.
Just because everyone doesn't share your opinion does not make their decisions unrealistic as your implying. It's about priorities also. Obviously, cats are a big priority amoung this group as they should be.
Sometimes it feels as though some people's priorities are not on cats and this is a CAT FORUM.

First of all, just let me say that I love my cats to death. If anything were to happen to them, I'd be totally devastated. However, knowing that there are many places my babies like to hide, in the case of an emergency my first priority would be to my four kids and making sure that they get out safely. My daughter would be the one who'd try to save all the cats, but I would be adamant in her getting to safety. All she and I would be to do for the cats is pray that they make it out, or if it's possible, that they find a safe place to hide. And if I had any time, I'd break the windows so that the cats could try to escape, rather than get trapped and die from smoke inhalation.

Maybe that sounds cruel and heartless to some of you, but my human kids do take precedence over my furbabies. :( :(

I know what you mean, kids come first. I too, would break the windows, if anything were to happen.