To My Floridian Cat Site Friends - Hurricane Dorian

[catsknowme]

Yikes!!!! So large, so unpredictable!!

Fellow members - are you in a possible strike area? what are you doing to prepare? I worry about all of you and hope that you can check in to let us know how the cats and you are doing!

I have never been in a hurricane but have been in Sierra blizzards. One night, the winds gusted 200+ and the house shook and groaned but the scariest was eerie shrieks from the tall pines ~ it sounded like distressed people.

Prayers and vibes for everyone in Dorian's path ~ this must be so awful, especially for caring for ferals and special needs people

 

[Mia6]

Prayers and vibes for everyone in Dorian's path ~ this must be so awful, especially for caring fo

I hope and pray those of you in the beast's path are safe and sound. If there is anyone here who lives in the Bahamas, I hope you are safe.

 

[Jem]

Oh my! I just updated myself on the hurricane. My heart goes out to those in the Bahamas!.

 

[CatLover49]

Anyone on this site thats in the path or around the hurricane...Please be safe with ureself..ure kitties...ure family... any other animals u may have...AND MAY GOD WATCH OVER N PROTECT...

 

[susanm9006]

Just the preparations and potential to be in the hurricanes path again must just be exhausting. Thinking of you all and hoping it passes by without damage.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I am keeping an eye on the storm. We have family in Florida and coastal North Carolina. DH's Grandmother grew up in what is now West Palm Beach and she told us stories about having to sit on the kitchen table when their house flooded in a hurricane. I keep thinking about how they didn't really get warning back in those days. Sometimes the anticipation is stressful enough.

 

[Sylvia Jones]

Whisper,X-Ray and I are in Ormond by the sea. It’s about the 3 mile long community on the beach side. Lots of little block bungalows built in the 50’s and 60’s mostly but areas of bigger homes too. Have been communicating with neighbors on next door app seems a lot if not most people are staying Not their first storm Have decided to ride it out This should be an experience!!! We have made all the preparations to stay safe. Will post as storm progresses for anyone interested.

 

[catsknowme]

S Sylvia Jones .... I have to admire your spunk! Do you have axes and chainsaws to escape through the roof, if needed? and plenty of flotation devices? maybe securely attach the cat carriers to kick boards....I used to live in mining camps so self-reliance was very important. Your neighborhood sounds like a town that I would enjoy meeting

 

[Kat0121]

We're settled in a hotel near Tampa. The girls are in their playpen with all of their things. They weren't very happy on the ride across the state. Sophie kept whining and that set Lilith off so they took turns. They are settled in and happier now that they have their trays from home with their blankets in them.


The storm is supposed to continue heading north off the coast.

 

[misty8723]

Whisper,X-Ray and I are in Ormond by the sea. It’s about the 3 mile long community on the beach side. Lots of little block bungalows built in the 50’s and 60’s mostly but areas of bigger homes too. Have been communicating with neighbors on next door app seems a lot if not most people are staying Not their first storm Have decided to ride it out This should be an experience!!! We have made all the preparations to stay safe. Will post as storm progresses for anyone interested.

I have heard them saying to take warning, this is not like past hurricanes. If your town says evacuate, go and take the kitties! Being in a Cat 1 scared the heck out of me and did some severe damage. I can't even comprehend staying in put when a Cat 4 is bearing down on you. Stay safe!!!

(Just saw a video someone sent in of the ocean outside their house, with the storm surge, and water going up their stairs to the second floor. Their plan is to either get on the roof or tie themselves together and use floatation devices in the water. I would NOT want to be doing either one of those).

 

[catsknowme]

I have heard them saying to take warning, this is not like past hurricanes. If your town says evacuate, go and take the kitties! Being in a Cat 1 scared the heck out of me and did some severe damage. I can't even comprehend staying in put when a Cat 4 is bearing down on you. Stay safe!!!

(Just saw a video someone sent in of the ocean outside their house, with the storm surge, and water going up their stairs to the second floor. Their plan is to either get on the roof or tie themselves together and use floatation devices in the water. I would NOT want to be doing either one of those).

Yes!! Please let us know if you need anything to help you evacuate, if needed. I read on FB where a lady put empty styrofoam ice chests under her house where her ferals were hiding & when the surge came, the cats apparently used them as rafts (as well as did a couple of snakes!)

 

[Sylvia Jones]

I have to say our Nextdoor app has been amazing at linking people together for storm preparations. Any need that was posted had multiple offers to help. Knowing which neighbors have stayed and talking to each other is great Nice to see old time values at work

 

[DreamerRose]

DreamerRose, 1 bruce1, Norachan, Thank you so much for thinking of my ferals! And of me, of course.

I work as a regional manager for a large property management company and have properties all over Florida in my portfolio. I'm proud to say that almost all of them have feral colonies on them. As much as I'd love to get all those cats inside it's just not possible--plus I think it would stress them out even more than the storm. All those properties have multiple cat houses on them where the cats can hunker down and ride out the storm. Maintenance built them with hurricanes in mind so they are firmly anchored to the ground.

Kat0121, I'm glad you've got evacuation plans in place. I'd be long gone but I need to be close so I can evaluate any damage to the local apartment complexes after the storm. I live in a high rise condominium in downtown Orlando and have floor-to-ceiling windows! It's really scary when hurricanes come through. I'm fortunate, though, because we have lots of places we can go if need be. Like you I've got Atticus, Thirteen and Bella Roma's stuff all packed up so if it turns really ugly we can get out quick. I think @Sarthur2 is in Florida too. Hopefully she/he is outside the cone of uncertainty.

Thanks again for thinking of us Floridians.

Everyone be safe!

We will be thinking about you and all of your ferals when the storm hits. Please give us an update after it's passed.

 

[Boris Diamond]

The storm is now predicted to be heading up the coast, towards members like Jcatbird and Mamanyt1953 ! My thought and prayers are with you guys!

 

[1 bruce 1]

We're settled in a hotel near Tampa. The girls are in their playpen with all of their things. They weren't very happy on the ride across the state. Sophie kept whining and that set Lilith off so they took turns. They are settled in and happier now that they have their trays from home with their blankets in them.


The storm is supposed to continue heading north off the coast.

View attachment 298482

I see that thing on a map like that and can't really grasp the actual size of it. That storm is a monster sized storm, but hopefully loses strength as it makes its way up the coast.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

We've not even had a whisper about evacuating here yet. We're a bit off of the coast, so...AND we haven't had the weeks of hard rain that we did before Florence. I'm currently planning on staying put, unless things change very drastically before tomorrow night, at which point I'll SCREAM for help!

 

[Jcatbird]

I have had to hunker down the last few storms whether I preferred to or not. I would never leave any cat and must stay behind so now I offer to house those coming from south of me. I have taken in others before. The shelter in town may send a couple here. This storm is a monster though. It may reach far beyond us. Hoping it just gets tired and dies out. A member of the Emergency Response lives west of me and knows we will be here. That’s comforting. My hope is that all lives are safe from this hurricane. I send thanks to all who offer hope, help or prayers to anyone out there. It helps to know others care. Thank you!

 

[lavishsqualor]

Glad you got settled, Kat0121. Give your girls a couple of pets from me and whisper in their ears how lucky they are! Sylvia Jones, when I was a kid my family had a vacation home at Ormond by the Sea. It's right there by Daytona. You're probably soon to be in the thick of things so take care and let us know you made it safely through. I just got word that Emily, my company's first "office cat," is at home with the property manager in Melbourne so I'm glad to hear she's safe.

I feel so bad for those in the Bahamas. Selfishly, I've been concerned about my power going out in Orlando, yet those folks have lost everything in this storm. A meteorologist lives in my building and he said that what they went through is the equivalent of enduring a tornado for 24 plus hours. It's just unimaginable.

Anyone who's financially able should send a few dollars to the Red Cross or some other reputable relief organization. The people in the Bahamas are certainly going to need every cent.

 

[Kat0121]

Glad you got settled, Kat0121. Give your girls a couple of pets from me and whisper in their ears how lucky they are! Sylvia Jones, when I was a kid my family had a vacation home at Ormond by the Sea. It's right there by Daytona. You're probably soon to be in the thick of things so take care and let us know you made it safely through. I just got word that Emily, my company's first "office cat," is at home with the property manager in Melbourne so I'm glad to hear she's safe.

I feel so bad for those in the Bahamas. Selfishly, I've been concerned about my power going out in Orlando, yet those folks have lost everything in this storm. A meteorologist lives in my building and he said that what they went through is the equivalent of enduring a tornado for 24 plus hours. It's just unimaginable.

Anyone who's financially able should send a few dollars to the Red Cross or some other reputable relief organization. The people in the Bahamas are certainly going to need every cent.

Thanks. Will do. They aren't too thrilled with me right now because they are in the playpen. It's the best place for them to be. I can't have them darting out the door if housekeeping comes in and they have everything they need in it. They were whining for a while but have calmed down and are relaxing in their trays (solid dishpans with fleece blankets in them). They are my babies. I would never have left them behind. We do have one pet friendly shelter near me but it is likely packed and full of strange dogs. They would have been miserable. They don't deserve that. They don't want to be in the playpen but it's quiet, DD and I are here and it's out of harm's way.

I am so glad I booked the room when I did because there are NO rooms to be had here. As of right now, the power is still on at my house according to the FPL app. When I was checking in, the phone kept ringing. People trying to book a room. I have had to evacuate a few times and pet friendly hotels ALWAYS sell out fast so as soon as I think we're going to have to run, I book a room. I get the trip insurance in case I end up needing to cancel for whatever reason. Better safe than sorry. I had originally booked a room somewhere else but the path shifted and I cancelled that one and booked this one.

I know you stayed put. Be careful. I hope your ferals are OK.

I feel horrible about what's going on in the Bahamas. I feel like they took the fall for us. It's SO bad there. It's so far past heartbreaking. I have no idea what things will be like when I get home but it won't be anything like what those poor people are enduring.

As of right now

 

[Jcatbird]

I’ ve spent much time where so many of you are in Florida. Been keeping track of the storm and had you all in my thoughts along with others that I know personally. For all, my thoughts, hopes and prayers are with you. I also spent a bit of time in the Bahamas. Was there once as a hurricane arrived. I can’t bear to think of all that happened, is happening there. I agree that anyone who can offer anything there, please do so. It’s a beautiful place with beautiful people and creatures.
May Dorian be exhausted and end without further harm.