Preparing for Isaac and in need of some thoughts?

We live in deep south Mississippi or for anyone who has watched the Weather Channel "otherwise known as the landmass between Mobile and New Orleans"

We have been preparing for several days but it looks like we will not take a direct hit.  We will however get lots of wind and rain from this and of course there is always the tornado threat. 

Most of my babies are oblivious to what is going on but two of my oldest  "Elsa and Coco" are extreamly restless.  They pace and pace as if they can't be still and both are usually very laid back and quiet babies.  Maybe my running around, tying everything down and clearing everything off the porches have them in a tizzy or maybe they do sense something. 

All of them with the exception of Sunggles who is only a year old have been through hurricanes before.  They all made it through Katrina but not all were unaffected.  Phoebe, my baby with the nervous problem, was at her wits end.  She was very stressed and had a major meltdown and I am trying my hardest to avoid that again.  My plan is to remove her from the sunroom and put her in the master bathroom.  Its large with only one window that can be covered and fairly soundproof.  Also if she does get stressed there are tile floors that can be easily cleaned.  I also have anti anxiety meds that I got from  the vet today "just in case".

Routine will be the same of Elsa and Snuggles.  The outdoor babies will be housed in the guest house as I did during Katrina. 

Now I'm getting to my question.

My problem is going to be our new baby Mustard.  I'm really unsure as to what to do for her.  She hates other cats so putting her with the others is not an option.  She can't stand the inside, she bangs into the walls and doors like she fighting to get out.  I have come up with the idea of locking her in the barn "which is the place that she has made her home".  I will put a litter box because I dont want her to be able to go outside "to much danger with falling limbs and debris".   Do you guys think this is a good idea or can someone think of something I haven't?  I want her to be safe but I don't want her stressed and scared.  The barn is very sturdy, after all it survived Katrina better than our house did "tree fell on it".   Thoughts??

I like your idea.  If you are sure that the area will not get flooded from the rain it would be a best for her as she is already used to it.

As you know the EAST side of the eye is what gets the worse of the stuff-rain and wind.

We had been getting ready for it but it kept turning your way!  Maybe it will turn some more and give Texas some much needed rain.

At least it is a little storm.

Hugs to you!

Kim

Another thought that might just help a bit with the anxiety situation in the cats....they sell Thunder Shirts at a lot of petstores now. You could get one sized for a small dog and put it on the cats (supervised of course). I think that would honestly help a LOT! I've seen it calm down very high-strung, anxious pets on numerous occasions.

Other than that, it sounds like you've got a pretty good plan in place for now to keep yourself and your furbabies safe! Do you have carriers, copies of paperwork, extra water & food, litter, etc if you need to evacuate? Also, safety collars with temporary ID tags of your number and an emergency contact (another family member maybe, outside of that area) wouldn't be a bad idea to have on hand if it gets bad. Those are the only other things I would suggest having ready just in case. If they're microchipped, make sure that the microchip company has an alternate phone number they can call out of the area (family or friend) should one of your pets get lose during the storm and they can't reach you. Stay safe!

(If you think the barn might flood, you might need to put Mustard in a medium sized dog crate in your house (roomy enough for a litter box and a bed) and just cover it up well so she can't see the other pets).

Tons of vibes coming your way!!!!!    
 

Thanks so much guys! 

The barn is at the top of a hill so its the last place that would flood.  There are no large trees in falling range of it so its safe from that also.  I already have her a litter box, food, water and bed all in place.  She seems pretty happy to be in there so I feel good about the decision.  She is secured for the night.  I will put the other babies up before I go to bed. 

Thank you Starry for the advice!  I have the carriers on standby and plenty of food, water, litter, emergency meds and vet records.  There should be no reason we should have to evacuate being this is a fairly small storm but I'm ready if we should have to.  My babies are not microchipped.  We live on a very large and remote farm and I have never had to chip any of the babies.  I have never lost a baby "not to say that it can't happen" but I guess I didn't see the need where we are. 

The weather is fairly calm now, just some wind and rain but it will get a little stronger through the night and into tomorrow.  We are just hanging out right now.  Elsa is pretty restless but nothing that mommas lap and her cozy bed that Ryan made her can't cure

Isaac is still beating down on us pretty good.  Trees down and lots of people without power but we are one of the lucky ones that still have it.  Just checked on all the babies and they are all fine.  Took the mule "the atv not the animal haha" out to the barn and checked on Mustard, she was happy and safe as could be.  Everyone else is doing great.  We just have to wait this thing out.   Phoebe got really upset and started running around and bumping into things when the wind got so loud and the trees started breaking so I gave her an ace tab and she's pretty calm now.  Everyone else is asleep, I will be staying up to keep an eye on everyone 

Not looking forward to seeing my yard tomorrow, I know that for sure!

How are things going now?  I hope all are safe and dry. 

The wind has started gusting to 25 and it is clouding up here.  They are predicting 1-3 inches if it goes east of me, 5-8 if it goes west.  I guess I will know in about 12 hours.

We are through the worst of it but it was a rough night for sure!  Lots of area flooding!!  My yard is a mess with debris and limbs.  Three ponds have topped their dam so it's a little soggy around here. 

All the babies are fine and happy.  It was an awful night, one tornado warning right after another.  I still haven't slept so I'm running off fumes and caffeine.  I'm sure I won't have any problem going to sleep tonight! 

Catspaw stay safe, I hope you guys don't get too much rain.