E-Mail 'Shelter Preparedness, Pt. 2, by Pete Thorsen' To A Friend

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1. Not saying this is a good idea depending on circumstances, but you can get a Kitty Holster and teach your cat to walk on a leash. Better than carrying an animal. At first when you put the harness on they will flop over like you killed them, then they will realize it’s your arms or being able to investigate smells as they go, and they’ll take to the idea of leash walking. It’s a good idea for short-term disasters, too: Places that won’t take an unrestrained animal may consider one that’s controlled in a carrier with a leash. If you’re going to include your pet in your plans, your pet needs a BOB too, which you can put right in the carrier with a harness and leash. Throw their vet records in there too; just like with people, vet records tend to be concentrated in one office or computer system. You’ll need proof of rabies/distemper vaccination to have them in a place there’s other pets. Don’t forget one of those hamster bottles they can lick to dispense water for them.

2. Don’t forget to stash FOOD and WATER at your BOL.

3. I have always found that a cat is not as domesticated as a dog. If left to its own devices, a cat will survive just fine,not so with many dog breeds. Although, it is true, some would for packs. Many would die of neglect.

4. Remember, ALL, interstate highways are under Federal control. During a major social upheaval they could be closed at anytime. They will more than likely have check points. Just plain ahead, you have to know how to get around any choke points and there are more than you have likely thought about. Check things out closely!

   1. I just personally experienced a major upheaval in Nebraska. The highways were actually under state and local control. The State government had the Highway Police shut down the interstate during the blizzards on March 12-14th. This forced over a thousand semi trucks and many other travelers off of Interstate 80 from milepost 300, west to the Wyoming state line.

      As the floods developed, starting March 13th, cutting other State and County highways and roads and washing out bridges, it was the local entities-volunteers mostly- who established roadblocks.

      I encountered road blocks whose descriptions came right out of prepper fiction: vehicles parked blocking roads with no one around, vehicles with people barricading roads, stand-up barriers across roads and at town edges with no one around, vehicles with flaggers and traffic cones stopping traffic.

      In no case did I see any official uniforms, except for one volunteer fire department person in an evacuated town. All the rest were in plain civilian clothes, except for a couple flaggers at a one spot where water was a foot deep running across a raised roadbed and they were controlling traffic each way.

      In this case, all barriers and personnel were there for benevolent purposes. But the physical experience increased heights of ‘what if?’ considerations.

      1. In a “grid down” situation, I have no doubt that many people blocking roads will consider themselves acting benevolently. Indeed, some of us may be in that position. May we use whatever power we assume wisely.

         Carry on

5. If walking out with your dogs, and you have a cat or two, you might find that the cats will follow on their own. I used to have both dogs and cats. I walked the dogs every day. One dog on a leash, one dog that didn’t need a leash that would walk with us, and a couple of cats that would follow leisurely behind us. If your dogs and cats are brought up together, they want to be together. Cats are kind of funny that way.

   If I still had my pets, and I had to bug out on foot, I’d still bring the cats. If they split on their own, they’ll be just fine. The dogs, well, that depends on the dog.

   My advice would be to take regular walks with your dog(s) and let your cat(s) follow. Get your pets used to the journey now, rather than during an emergency. If you just have cats, try the leash and get them used to it.

   1. Also, training your dogs now is just as important as training yourself. The same goes for your cats.

6. I personally think that you should never release your dogs, cats, lizards, snakes, hamsters, or any other pet into the wild. Your pets are 100% your responsibility not the responsibility of anyone else. Released pets will always cause trouble in one way or another unless they die on their own quickly (which would usually be the case). That is why I stressed having a plan setup for your pets now.

7. Good to know that I am not the only person who has their house cats leash trained. Whenever I go to the vet, everyone looks like they spotted a Sasquatch or Alien!

   Cats do not learn like dogs, but if you start very young they do well. While I would never want to turn my pets loose, cats could do quit well in the right environment. My old warehouse is plan C and has been prepped for that – just in case! Honestly I would rather see them there, than on the road with or without me.

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