Last week, I learned that I had better hope my apartment building never catches fire, because there is no way to get my cats out.
On Wednesday, maintenance was coming to mess with a few things, so I opted to work from home. Admittedly, I also wanted to use my “lunch break” to get my laundry done, plus any day I don’t have to get dressed up and deal with the Metro is a good day. Unbeknownst to me, there was a fire drill planned for that afternoon (apparently, a notice was placed under all the doors, but on my floor, the notices get dropped in front of the door, and as I was out of town, mine likely got picked up as trash).
While it is good to know that my fire alarm is loud and piercing and will absolutely wake me up, it also freaks the cats out to no end. Can’t say that I blame them. Not knowing this was just a drill, I panicked and raced to get out the carrier and grab the cats. Pippin was having nothing to do with getting in the crate and I still have the fairly impressive scratches to show for it. Cadu managed to crawl into the box spring of my bed and hide, making it impossible for me to get him. Finally, I just crossed my fingers that it was a false alarm and grabbed my purse to leave.
As soon as I walked out the door, a neighbor told me that it was just a drill and that I should have been notified. I was relieved, but I also wanted to punch my building managers for not posting signs about the alarm.
I’m not sure what the solution is to this, on the off chance there is ever a fire in my building. I live on the 14th floor, so I have to give myself time to get out, of course, and I would like to rescue the cats, but at this point, I’m just not sure how to go about doing it.
Loud noises (especially thunder) send Tiger looking for a place to hide. Over the years he has reached the point of bravery where the vacuum cleaner will not scare him if it is on a different floor… and sometimes even if it is just in a different room. After a good thunderstorm it we often have no idea where he might be without searching under every bed, futon, sofa in the house, plus under my computer desk or in a dark corner of the basement.
If you can get hold of a pair of soft cloth pet carriers (the zip-up sort with mesh windows), try leaving them open in a favorite sleeping place with a toy or pillow in them. Get the cats used to napping in them, then move them a bit a day (so the cats don’t lose track of them) until the carriers are in a secluded spot that the cats are likely to run to in a panic, like under the bed.
They don’t have to sleep in them all the time. You just want them to the carriers as a safe sleeping place within a safe place. To that end, avoid using them as regular transportation if you can avoid it.