Both dogs and cats can be afraid of storms. A storm can occur with or without warning. Our pets can sense storms coming long before we can, which can lead to stress and agitation. Dogs show stress by hiding, pacing, whining, panting or trembling. Cats demonstrate they are stressed when they show a raised coat and bushy tail, sometimes accompanied by hissing or hiding in small dark spaces. If you know your pet doesn’t like storms, be extra vigilant and prepared during storm season.
Keeping pets safe during in a storm
The most important thing you can do as a responsible pet owner, is make sure your pet is microchipped and always wearing a collar with a current registration tag. Your details must be up to date for us to be able to contact you. You can call Council to check if your details are up to date.
Create a safe space for your pet, somewhere safe and secure with a favourite toy or blanket. Don’t tie animals up outside or leave pets in vehicles as this can lead to injuries.
Keep your outside dogs safe in a waterproof kennel or laundry or garage overnight.
Regularly check and fix your fence, if you know your dog digs or can jump.
If you are home, engage them in normal play activities, and reward calm behaviour with treats or toys. Along with other household sounds such as radio and TV, this is a great distraction for your pet during storms.
Provide adequate food and water. Outside bowls should be heavy or weighed down, to make sure they aren’t able to be tipped out.
Don’t let your pets loose in the yard until you have had a chance to examine the area very carefully. This is particularly important if you and your pet have only recently moved into the house. Carefully walk the yard to verify the fence is intact and there is nothing that poses a risk or opportunity for escape in the yard. Ensure pets will be adequately contained and cannot escape through a broken fence, or gate.
What if my pet goes missing during a storm?
If your pet escapes during a storm, they may be impounded at the Animal Management Centre. Council provides an impounding service to care for lost, abandoned, and wandering animals to enable owners to locate and claim them. Our officers are active in the community to respond to calls for lost, found and wandering animals. The number of animals lost and found during storm season increases.
If your animal is found by the public, they may deliver them to a local vet or keep them at home during the storm. We encourage you to check your local community Facebook groups as these are a great source of information.
Your pet may even be dropped into one of our afterhours pens at the Animal Management Centre. The afterhours pens are checked every morning and throughout the day. The pens provide temporary shelter for lost animals and have fresh water available. We encourage pet owners to check for their animals with their local vets.
All impounded animals have access to quality food and fresh water, a clean warm space which includes fresh blankets and are regularly cleaned by our specialised team of animal attendants.
We will make every effort to reunite animals with their owners when they are impounded. Cats and dogs must be microchipped and registered. This assists us in identifying them if they are impounded. Did you know? All impounded cats and dogs that are desexed, microchipped, and registered are released free on their first impounding.
However, we can only notify you that your animal has been impounded, if your pet is identifiable with a current registration tag on a collar and up to date microchip information. Images of all impounded animals are uploaded on business days to our Impounded and lost animals page. This page is updated multiple times a day. You can also visit the Animal Management Centre, 213 Queens Road, Kingston, to look for your lost animal.
Logan City Council recognises that there may be some situations that result in an animal escaping on a one-off occasion. This may be a result of a storm, particularly if the fence becomes damaged or gates blow open. During a storm or other natural disaster, Council can consider a free release of the impounded animal in certain situations.
We understand there may be some animals that become impounded and may not cope as well in a shelter environment as some younger, healthier animals, particularly if they are older or not of great health. In these cases, we encourage you to contact Council’s 24 hours a day 7 days a week call centre on 3412 3412, so arrangements can be made to get your pet back to you promptly. Council can only release animals during business hours however we can consider certain situations on a case-by-case basis, but it may not always be possible to reunite you with your pet outside of business hours. The Animal Management Centre is open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm and Saturday 9:00am to 2:00pm.