1. A mix of DEFRA advice & my own notes:

   In general, a cat owner should check that all areas which they regularly use, or where they are kept (such as gardens, pens) are flood free before letting their pet out. Cats that live outdoors may need alternative sleeping arrangements or shelter. Remember, cats that are penned (either outdoors or indoors) cannot escape to higher ground if waters rise and cats have drowned as a result of this.

   Most cats avoid water and few owners take their cats for walks on a leash, but if you do take your cat for a walk, avoid floods and don’t let it off the leash near flooding as there can be strong currents which may put it at risk. I’ve known of cats that were overtaken by flood water and later found high up in trees.

   Make sure your cat is microchipped, tattooed or wears an ID collar. If it escapes to high ground or is stranded, its rescuers can more easily trace you (though this may be delayed if you yourself have been evacuated). Make sure you have enough cat carriers, preferably waterproof (wet cardboard disintegrates), for all the cats you need to move. I also have a collapsible kittening pen/hospital cage so that cats can be confined in it (short term) if moved to an emergency shelter.

   DEFRA’s advice to the public as applicable to cats:

   If you are at risk of flooding you should:

   • move your pet’s bedding, litter tray, food, water bowls and so on to a higher area, or upstairs
   • ensure that you have extra food for your pet and any other necessary supplies
   • ensure that, where necessary, you have a suitable carrier for your pet in case you need to leave the house
   • explore options for alternative accommodation for your pet if the area becomes unsafe for them due to flood water
   • if you keep pets in your garden, move them where possible to the highest ground in the garden
   • contact your local vet if you need advice and more information; if your pet is on prescription medication, you should also check availability (you may need to obtain an extra supply in case you can’t get through floodwater to the vet for a while)

   If you need to evacuate your property you should:

   • ensure the location you are travelling to accepts pets before leaving home
   • take with you pet food, medication, bedding, litter trays and so on where possible
   • transport your pet, where necessary, in an appropriate carrier

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   • Wow, thank you very much, Sarah, for taking the time to add some real information to this picture post! That was very nice of you. It’s certainly needed a little bit of solid information. Hope you are keeping well.

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     • wow michael hope your ok over there. This is just getting worse day by day. Yes its good to make sure that our animals are safe. I love what sarah wrote it was very so true and a good reminder that we will always have disasters We often have over here alot of disasters more than usual. Our summer has been very wet but not as bad as its been over there. It be interesting how the winter will go. Mother nature sure lets us know

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       • How Kylee. Apparently, the UK is now the seventh most likely country to be flooded according to a survey. That assessment was made on the basis that we have a dense population of people in the country that live near rivers and on floodplains and of course there appears to be a change in the climate.

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         • well prob not as bad as its been in u.k. Yea your right, must of been half asleep when i wrote that.

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2. Frightening and that too in London, the World’s No 1 City. We humans can never ever control “NATURE” irrespective of our human achievements. Sadly, natures fury devastates everything in its path.In Cambodia and visited the unique “FLOODED FOREST AND FLOATING VILLAGE” on the Tonle Sap river in Siem Reap, the only type in the World.The forest remains submerged during the flooded monsoon and again becomes a motorable road during the summer months . Bizarre and a wonder of nature. The river Thames in this photo resembles the “Flooded Forest” on the Tonle Sap river in Cambodia.Check this video of the flooded forest.:-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6rrMUl6Dv8.

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   • I had thought that it was only in India where they had the monsoon. Apparently not. We’ve had more or less continual rain for over two months in the South and South West of England. I think I now know how the people of Bangladesh feel. Fortunately, for the past two days, it has been reasonably dry and we now hope that the flooding will abate.

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3. Mother Nature used to be seen as a magical princess. Now, we know that she can really be a bitch too!

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   • Yes, nature needs to remind us that she is bigger and better than us. Nature created us and we should respect nature more. Because, as you say, she can be a bitch when she wants to be. Perhaps, if this extreme weather is due to global warming, it might be a good thing for us, to remind us who is boss.

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4. Not good for any living thing.

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5. That looks really bad! Is it still flooded now Michael? Thank goodness there are people concerned about animals as well as humans.

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   • Ruth, the river is still rising even though we have had good weather today and yesterday was not too bad. They say that the river will go on rising for awhile. It needs an extended period of settled and dry weather for real progress to be made in respect of an abatement of flooding.

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     • I hope it stays dry now then.

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6. Oh dear me how awful, yes it affects cats and dogs as well as people, I just hope everyone is looking out for their pets and keeping them safe, I heard that a lot of wildlife like badgers and hedgehogs have been drowned, so sad.

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