Keeping Pets Safe During Tornadoes and Severe Thunderstorms

Keeping Pets Safe During Tornadoes and Severe Thunderstorms

May 15, 2025

Staying Safe Includes Your Pets Too

Lucy Drury

A friend of mind recently posted a picture of some ominous low-hanging clouds and the comment, “Tornado Warning!” She further commented that she had all the cats in their carriers and had headed to her safe spot. About half an hour later, she posted that the all-clear had been given and there was no damage in her area. The news media subsequently reported that a couple of EF-1 tornados had, in fact, touched down, causing some minor damage.

This caused me more than a little disquiet. I was not prepared to deal with a tornado when it came to our cats, and I was not one to take tornados or severe thunderstorms lightly. As a life-long Missourian (most of it spent in the metropolitan St. Louis area), I take these weather events very seriously. Even though I’ve never experienced a direct hit from a tornado, I have a newer roof thanks to some very large hailstones, and some of my screens still bear the scars from them. My parents and grandparents lived in this area as well, and I had heard their personal stories of the killer EF-4 tornados of 1896 and 1927. My earliest childhood memory is of waking up in the basement in February of 1959, while another killer tornado passed just to the north of our house. It was so strong that it toppled buildings and took out part of the roof of a large arena.

A tornado was also responsible for the most frightening moment I have ever experienced in my life. As a college undergrad, I was returning from class on foot when a dark storm front overtook the campus. Underestimating how far away it was, I thought I had time to get back to my dorm – but I was wrong. When I was about halfway home, the wind picked up and the sirens sounded. I was only about a block from my dorm when the wind began blowing so hard I had difficultly running against it. The sky was now a dark greenish black. I got to the glass doors of the dorm’s entry foyer, and found I could not open them … The drop in air pressure and high winds were holding them closed! Fortunately, two men in the foyer saw my plight, and with the two of them pushing and me pulling, we managed to get the door open and me safely inside. I found out later that a funnel cloud had indeed passed over the campus, touching down in a trailer park just beyond it.

With memories like this, I chided myself for not having a current tornado/storm plan for the cats: a plan which had not morphed with the number of cats I now had. Before we had pedigreed show cats, we would just haul our two neutered rescue cats into the basement with us and close the door. I have intact males and females in the house now, and sometimes kittens, so just throwing everyone together in the basement is not an option.

In short, my friend’s post convinced me it was time to take action and put a plan together for my current situation. Here are some of the tips and tricks I found on how to prepare and what to do during and after a severe weather event:

Microchip your cats. Ok, I know a lot of us don’t like to chip our cats. They are indoor cats, it’s a hassle … the list goes on. But consider all the stories of pets separated from their owners during natural disasters. You may have a great shelter and plan to care for them if a tornado should damage your home, but what if you are not there? A few hailstones or a strong gust of wind can break out a window, allowing your cat to escape.
Have a plan, write it down, and rehearse it. This is crucial if you have more cats than people. If you do not display some level of confidence and are scrambling to catch your cats, they will likely go running off looking for higher ground or a place to hide. When you only have a few minutes to secure everyone, you do not want to waste time playing hide and seek.

Confine your cats to a small secure area, preferably with no windows. There is no one-size-fits- all for this one; it simply depends on the nature of your home and how many cats you have. You should have three main objectives when considering how to confine them. First, you need a way to prevent them from running off if the house is damaged. Next, you need to keep them out of the way of flying glass and debris. Finally, you should have a way to transport them if you have to leave. Think about your vehicle and what will fit into it. Also, make sure your area of shelter is safe for your pets, as basement areas often contain toxic chemicals, sharp objects or other potential hazards to you and your pets.Do not allow pets to run loose in the secure area, even if it is sheltered from the storm. A large, foldup metal dog kennel or two can create a safe habitat in just a few minutes – but make sure you open the box and learn how to assemble the kennel quickly!
Have food, water, litter and any other essential supplies stored in your safe area. While an actual tornado or severe thunderstorm is usually a short event, the threats and warnings may go on for many hours. Your shelter could also be damaged enough to destroy your daily supply of food and water, or make it inaccessible. For those who feed primarily or exclusively raw, you will need to consider how you will properly store your raw food in your safe area, particularly if your power is out for an extended period.
Keep an easy-to-transport backpack or duffle packed with a three-day supply of food, water, and other essentials. A copy of your pet’s vaccination records is also recommended if you have to shelter somewhere that requires proof of vaccination. It would be a good idea to have one packed for the humans in your household, too.
Do not be too quick to release your pets after the storm has passed – thoroughly inspect your home for damage! There are stories of people in well-protected lower levels who breathe a sigh of relief and head upstairs, only to open the door and find the roof missing, or discover that a tree has fallen on the far end of the house and left a gaping hole in their bedroom.

Remember, there is no one “right plan” – you need a plan that is right for you and your housing situation. Put your plan together, rehearse it a few times, then execute it as a review every time you hear a warning, even if you are not directly in harm’s way. In my area, that would be multiple times in any given year. You and your pets will become accustomed to the routine, and this will greatly reduce anxiety in both humans and cats. Quick and decisive action during these types of weather events can save the lives of your pets and possibly your own.