Hurricane Katrina not only caused incredible damage to property, but it displaced both people and their pets. In order to avoid such heartache, people should have a disaster plan that includes their pets.
In the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, dozens of animal rescue agencies rushed into the Gulf Coast to rescue pets. Agencies may help after the fact, but author Victor DiGenti says pet owners should prepare a disaster plan in advance. A former executive director of a feline welfare organization, DiGenti is the author of the award-winning Windrusher series recounting the exploits of a traveling cat who, coincidentally, experiences several natural disasters.
“Before disaster strikes, families should have a household evacuation plan that protects family members as well as pets. Whatever you do, don’t leave your pet behind. If it’s unsafe for you, it’s certainly unsafe for your pet,” DiGenti says.
DiGenti’s Windrusher books follow the adventures of a cat caught up in heroic exploits. He calls his books adventure/fantasies, but he knows from personal experience the grim realities of the life of a feral cat. “While a domestic cat kept indoors lives an average of thirteen years, a cat on its own often has a lifespan of only two or three years,” he said.
He also had the experience of having to evacuate from his home in Northeast Florida when Hurricane Floyd swept up the coast six years ago.
“My wife and I packed our six cats into the car and joined the other million vehicles trying to exit Florida’s coastal communities,” he said.
DiGenti added that the one thing he learned was to evacuate as soon as possible and avoid the traffic gridlock. “But sitting in traffic for fourteen hours was preferable to the heart-wrenching decisions residents of the Gulf Coast had to make when they were forced to abandon their pets.”
DiGenti says pet owners should always plan ahead and follow these simple guidelines:
1. Keep ID tags on your cats and dogs at all times with your phone number, and possibly that of a friend in case you cannot be reached.
2. Have current photos of your pet with your emergency supplies in case you’re separated.
3. Locate a safe place before disaster strikes, and the route you’ll take to get there. Shelters don’t usually accept animals.
4. Call hotels and motels in your immediate area and identify all that accept pets.
5. Call boarding kennels and vet offices to see which might house animals in case of emergency.
DiGenti used his experiences with the feline welfare organization to build realism into Windrusher’s journeys yet he retained an element of fantasy. Part of that realism had his protagonist dealing with a natural disaster in each book. In the first, Windrusher is caught up in a Florida tornado, while in his second book, Windrusher and the Cave of Tho-hoth, the plucky cat finds himself in the middle of a California earthquake.
DiGenti’s first book was praised by actress Betty White and also won top awards in both the Florida Writer’s Association and Cat Writer’s Association competitions. The latest book, Windrusher and the Cave of Tho-hoth, recently received a glowing review from the Midwest Book Review. The MBR review says, in part, “As a former executive director of an organization concerned with the welfare and protection of abandoned and feral cats, his (DiGenti’s) knowledge and compassion for felines offers a superb background for the page-turning and often sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat adventures experienced through the eyes of a cat named Windrusher.”
To learn more about DiGenti and his books, readers may visit his website at www.windrusher.com.
