This week is National Hurricane Preparedness Week, with the NOAA proclaiming the official hurricane season in the Atlantic beginning June 1 and the Eastern Pacific hurricane season already underway. With both seasons in effect until November 30, this is a critical time for pet owners to mark their checklist and get supplies. In the event of a hurricane, it is NOT safe to let your pets out to go potty. Reasons for this include: storm surges (walls of water up to 20 feet high), winds in excess of 74 mph, inland flooding and down power lines.
If you’re caught in a storm and can’t take your pet outside, having an indoor toilet solution such as the Pet Loo is a must. Follow these steps to prepare your pet for using the new indoor potty solution:
- Begin training your pet to go potty on a designated area indoors, such as the Pet Loo. Pets respond to surface training, so the Pet Loo’s grass surface will make training easier by reminding them of the outdoors. Using repetition and praise will condition them that if not let outside, this is the spot where they should go.
Pet Loo base
- To speed up training, try using an attractant on the indoor potty’s surface. Skip To My Loo is a spray that mimics urine and is designed to attract and encourage your pet to relieve itself in an area designated by you.
- Move your indoor potty to the car and practice training there as well in case you need to evacuate.
In the event you do need to evacuate your home, follow these tips to prepare your pet for departure:
- Don’t feed your pet at least two hours before departure. Small amounts of water can be given before the trip. If possible, put ice cubes in the water tray attached to the inside of your pet’s travel case – water will spill!
- Pack a portable potty in the car. The Pet Loo’s Pee-Pod will absorb urine and turn liquids into a non-odorous, solidified gel that can hold at least 100 times its weight in liquids. This will also prevent sloshing of urine in the potty while the vehicle is in motion.
Pet loo pee pod
- Identify a shelter now. For public health reasons, many emergency shelters cannot accept pets. Find out which hotels/motels in your area allow pets. Include your local animal shelter’s number in your list of emergency numbers, as they might be able to provide information concerning pets during a disaster.
- Make sure identification tags are up-to-date and securely fastened to your pet’s collar. If possible, attach the address and/or phone number of your evacuation site. If your pet gets lost, his tag is his ticket home.
- Pack a “pet survival” kit which could be easily deployed if disaster hits. Include pet food, bottled water, medications, veterinary records, cat litter/pan, manual can opener, food dishes, a first aid kit and other supplies in case they’re not available later.
About Tobi Skovron:
Tobi Skovron is CEO and Founder of The Pet Loo. In 2003, the Melbourne, Australia native invented the Pet Loo concept at the age of 23. Known as the “backyard in a box,” The Pet Loo provides an indoor potty solution that is ideal for pet owners living in apartments, condos, houses, boats, RVs or any limited area that does not have an easy option for taking a pet outside. The Pet Loo has also proven to be a great help for the elderly and disabled who desire the therapeutic benefits of pet ownership, but are not physically able to meet all of its outside needs.
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