[Series #3] Saving your cat's life during a disaster. What to do if they escape or get lost.

Hello, this is Kuriyama from Poponeko.

It was just the other night, on February 13th."Neko Biyori March Issue", I was reading the feature on cats and disaster prevention when the emergency earthquake alert sounded on my smartphone, followed by violent shaking.

Even through the fear, my first thought was of my cats.

Cats have a high sensitivity to danger and can sometimes be startled by earthquakes and bolt outside. Even during this recent earthquake, I saw many Twitter users posting that their "cats had run away."

If your cat gets lost, how should you go about searching for them? Is it even possible to be reunited with a cat after a large-scale disaster?

For the third part of this series, I would like to consider "Actions to take if your cat escapes or goes missing."

There may be times you cannot evacuate together

The general rule during disasters is to evacuate with your pet (known as "doko hinan" or "evacuating together"). Not leaving your pet behind is the first step in preventing them from getting lost.

However, during unpredictable disasters like earthquakes, there are times when evacuating together is difficult.

For instance, if a disaster strikes while you are away from home. The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred on a weekday during the day, so many owners were away at work or elsewhere.

I personally found it difficult to get home from work and didn't make it back until the following evening.

There are also times when emergency evacuation is necessary. Maybe a tsunami occurred and there was no time to bring the pet, or you were forced to leave your pet behind due to a nuclear accident. It is heartbreaking, but these are things that actually happened during the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Create a place where your cat can hide

There were cases where people couldn't evacuate with their cats because the cats had hidden somewhere. When the moment comes, it is reassuring to have a place where you know you can find your cat.

Because cats are highly sensitive all over their bodies, they love dark, narrow places where they can hide themselves completely. Prepare a "safety zone" for your cat by lining a hard-sided carrier with a blanket.

If there is a place for your cat to run to, it should reduce the likelihood of them being startled by an earthquake and bolting outside.

Many pets were lost in the Great East Japan Earthquake

Many cats went missing during the Great East Japan Earthquake. It is said that health centers and animal welfare centers received a high volume of "lost pet" reports immediately following the disaster.

Cats tend to panic during disasters. They might bolt from places you wouldn't expect. It's possible for them to get out through broken doors or warped windows.

Do lost cats return home?

During the Great East Japan Earthquake, although many animals were taken in by health centers and animal welfare centers, the return rate was 41.0% for dogs and only 5.4% for cats.

■ Rescue efforts for stray/injured animals

* Situation from March 2011 to September 2012

* Total for Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Sendai City, Fukushima, Koriyama City, Iwaki City, Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Chiba prefectures

* Compiled by the Ministry of the Environment, "Record of Disaster Animal Response During the Great East Japan Earthquake"

Regarding cats, it seems difficult to distinguish whether they are pets or cats that lived outside to begin with.

Also, as there are cases where cats returned on their own or the owners found them themselves, the actual return rate might be slightly higher.

Even so, I was shocked by how low the return rate was.

Cat collars and microchips are essential

Even if you get separated from your cat during a disaster, you should take measures to ensure they can return safely.

"Cat collars" and "microchips" prove the identity of a lost cat. You could say they are like charms that significantly increase the chances of a reunion.

Precisely because cats have a high risk of escape, you must protect their lives with a collar and a microchip.

It is hard to identify cat owners

Taking dogs as an example, 100% of the dogs that were wearing tags or licenses during the Great East Japan Earthquake were successfully reunited with their owners.

■ Status of owner identification (Dogs)

* Total for Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Sendai City, Fukushima, Koriyama City, Iwaki City, Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Chiba prefectures

* Compiled by the Ministry of the Environment, "Record of Disaster Animal Response During the Great East Japan Earthquake"

During the Kumamoto earthquake, there were some dogs identified by their microchips. As for cats, there were none fitted with microchips.

■ Status of owner identification (Dogs)

* Total for Kumamoto Prefecture and Kumamoto City

* Compiled by the Ministry of the Environment, "Record of Disaster Animal Response During the Kumamoto Earthquake"

Dog owners are required by law to attach a "dog license" and "rabies vaccination tag" to their collars. This makes it easier to identify owners.

However, cats have no registration system and no mandatory rabies vaccination, which makes owners difficult to identify.

Put a collar on your cat

During disasters, the pets eligible for protection are "pets with owners."

It's hard to tell at a glance if a cat is a pet or if it lives outside. If they are judged as "cats without owners," they may be subject to culling or given away to others.

A "cat collar," which is a mark of a pet cat, helps to avoid such situations.

Pet detective Hiroshi Fujiwara says, "A cat collar serves as a sign. It helps distinguish them from other cats, making it easier to collect eyewitness information." It is a benefit that they are easier to find if they are wearing a collar.

Furthermore, adding a "lost pet tag" or "name label" increases the chances of a reunion. It's not too late to start now. Let's put a collar on our cats.

Microchip implantation is a duty of the owner

The Animal Welfare Act was amended in June 2019, making microchip implantation mandatory.

Cats and dogs acquired from pet shops or breeders are always microchipped. For cats you already own, it is a "duty of effort," but considering cases from past disasters, you should definitely have it done.

A microchip is an electronic tag approximately 2mm in diameter and 8–12mm in length with an individual identification number, which is implanted under the skin using a specialized syringe. It can be used semi-permanently and will not fall off.

Using a microchip in combination with a cat collar: is this not the best lost-pet prevention?

How to search for a cat lost in a disaster

If your cat goes missing during a disaster, how should you search for them? I have summarized the actions you should take when your beloved cat escapes or goes missing.

Search near your home

If it is immediately after the escape and your own safety is secured, start by searching near your home.

An indoor-only cat will not go very far. Search within a radius of about 50m, looking in places where they might hide: under sheds, inside gutters, or under outdoor air conditioner units.

Also, leave out things with your cat's scent, such as used cat litter or their favorite blanket. If they catch their own scent, they might return to the vicinity, so stay calm and call their name in your usual tone of voice.

Even if you find your cat, do not chase them. To avoid panic, prepare their usual carrier or a cardboard box with a hole in it, and guide them in little by little so they return on their own.

File a lost pet report

If you can't find them, expand your search area to 100m or 500m, and file a lost pet report with your local health center, animal welfare center, or local police station/koban if they are operational.

The list of report destinations on Maigo-pet.NET is useful, so please keep the information for your local area on hand. You can also check for information on protected cats, so check these search sites if lifelines are operational.

• Prefectural Police Lost Property Search Page
• Ministry of the Environment Animal Custody Search Site

It is also possible that they may have been injured and taken in by a veterinary clinic, or tragically have passed away and been collected by the sanitation department, so make sure to inquire about this as well.

Collect eyewitness information

In addition to social media like Twitter and Facebook, you can also use websites where you can register lost cats to widely gather eyewitness information or ask for cooperation in your search.

• Maigo-pet.NET
• Pet no Kimochi
• Neko Search
• Nekojirushi
• Lost/Found Cat Bulletin Board

The app "Dokonoko" is also popular, as it has a feature that allows you to ask nearby users to search for your lost pet.

You can also download a "Lost Pet Search Manual" supervised by pet detective Mr. Fujiwara, so I recommend keeping it on your smartphone.

Prevent your cat from getting lost "just in case"

During a disaster, government agencies and lifelines will be in chaos. Since everything might not be functioning, make preparations for when your cat goes missing.

Keep your cat's information organized

When searching for a lost cat, you will need your cat's individual identification information.

This information includes your cat's photo, breed, fur color, physical characteristics, name, sex, color and features of their collar, favorite treats or toys, as well as their microchip individual identification number.

It is reassuring to keep this information summarized in something like a "Cat Health Handbook" and store it together with your cat's disaster prevention gear. It is also useful to take photos and store them on your smartphone or a cloud service like Google Drive.

Take photos of your cat

During the Great East Japan Earthquake, because power outages continued for a long time, information about protected animals and missing pets was exchanged using handwritten posters.

To prepare for such a situation, take photos of your cat regularly and print them out. It’s also good to have one of you and your cat together to help prove ownership.

Summary

In this three-part series, I have shared ways to protect your cat's life during a disaster.

First, start by "preparing." In addition to preparing disaster supplies for your cat, it is important to get them used to a cage and harness in anticipation of shelter life.

You should also know what is necessary for "evacuating together" with a cat. How cats are handled varies by shelter, but evacuation life cannot function without a system of cooperation among owners.

Also, "measures for lost pets" during a disaster are essential. A cat collar and a microchip serve as proof of identity, so be sure to use them. I also hope you remember how to search for a lost cat.

The Great East Japan Earthquake raised awareness for pet disaster prevention. I feel that in the last 10 years, both the physical and software sides of pet disaster prevention have been greatly improved.

Still, the only person who can protect your cat's life during a disaster is you, the owner.

What should you prepare and how should you act? Let's think about what to do in an emergency so that you can overcome difficulties together with your cat.