In light of the recent events, it’s best to be prepared for when “The Big One” strikes. The 7.2 magnitude earthquake to be generated by the West Valley Fault is ripe for movement according to the authorities.
And so, just recently, a fellow cat parent named Carol Dimaano shared her experience during the earthquake at Bohol last October 2013. As we all know, it caused a lot of damages to structures and even sudden deaths. In her post, Carol recalled how their family, as well as their pets, reacted to the sudden shaking of the ground.
She also shared a few tips to remember during natural calamities, such as:
- Save yourself first. If you attempt to take your pets with you, you risk greater injury. And if you get injured, the more that you will not be able to help them.
- Trust in your pets’ survival instincts. They know where to hide. Come back for them when it’s safer. Remember, your pets will be under a lot of stress, especially the cats. They might scratch you if you force them out of their hiding place.
- Having a large cage where you can temporarily stash them is a good idea. I doubt if they will fight, as they are all under stress. Stay out of the building/house until the strong aftershocks subside.
- Have an emergency bag ready. My cats actually figured out what it was and stayed on it all those days after the 1st earthquake.
Read her full post below.
“Eto, dahil madalas ang lindol ngayon at may question si Dominique Baniqued:
During the 7.2 earthquake in Bohol in October 2015, none of us actually had the time to gather all our cats. My husband Henry ran downstairs to open our front gate which was always padlocked. My father-in-law was the only one downstairs so he was able to rush out of the house. My mother-in-law wasn’t able to get out of their room on the second floor. I was stuck by the top of the stairs, too scared to move, screaming, “Oh my God!”
That was all during the shake. The cats, ran in all directions. I remember seeing Bubba and Bigboy rushing into our room to hide under the bed.
It was after the quake when we got the large cage out (they were ten then, Tiger wasn’t ours yet). Then we had to rush in between aftershocks, gather them all and pitch them as fast as we could into the cage.
We found some under the bed, under the oven, up in the shelf… They were everywhere, actually. We had to wait out the aftershocks by the side of the road.
So here are a few points to remember during an earthquake:
1. Save yourself first. If you attempt to take your pets with you, you risk greater injury. And if you get injured, the more that you will not be able to help them.
2. Trust in your pets’ survival instincts. They know where to hide. Come back for them when it’s safer. Remember, your pets will be under a lot of stress, especially the cats. They might scratch you if you force them out of their hiding place.
3. Having a large cage where you can temporarily stash them is a good idea. I doubt if they will fight, as they are all under stress. Stay out of the building/house until the strong aftershocks subside.
4. Have an emergency bag ready. My cats actually figured out what it was and stayed on it all those days after the 1st earthquake.”
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