Three ways to save your cat's nine lives

In the aftermath of a disaster — a time when people and pets often become separated for reasons beyond their control — it's easy to worry about how to respond when lives are at risk.

That's especially true for cat owners, whose pets tend to hide at the best of times and are even more likely to do so during an emergency. Leaving them behind seems unthinkable, but if you are staring down a fire, flood or tornado, you may have no option if your cat can't be found.

It doesn't have to be that way. You can teach your cat three habits that may save its life, not only during an emergency but in day-to-day living. Here's how.

When my husband and I acquired our first two cats, we didn't know the conventional wisdom that "cats can't be trained." So we taught them to come to a whistle. Every time we fed them, we whistled a particular refrain. Soon we could whistle at any time of day, from any place in the house, and our cats would come running.

If you can't just put your lips together and blow, use another signal, such as ringing a bell, blowing a whistle or crinkling a treat bag. Always give a reward when your cat responds.

Cats don't work for free, after all.

Every cat owner, at one time or another, has wrestled a cat into a carrier. No one likes it — least of all the cat.

The key to carrier contentment is to give cats a positive association with it. Leave it out in your living room or wherever your cat likes to spend time. That will allow your ever-curious cat to explore its carrier at leisure.

Enhance its attractiveness as a hidey hole or resting spot by: leaving treats inside for your cat to find, with a trail of treats leading up to it; feeding meals in it (always leave the door open); lining it with comfortable bedding; placing catnip or silver vine in it; and applying a feline pheromone product to elicit calm feelings.

When transporting your cat in its carrier, hold it in both arms, close to your body, so your cat isn't swinging at your side. Place the carrier on the floor of the car behind the passenger seat, where it won't move excessively while the car is in motion. Play cat-specific music during the drive. Take your cat for rides to places other than the veterinary clinic.

It's easy to understand how coming when called and going into a carrier could help save a cat. But using a scratching post? You bet.

Up to 42 percent of behavior complaints about cats involve destructive scratching, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. Cats that don't scratch destructively are more likely to stay in their homes for life and to be welcome in homes or hotels if their people have to evacuate.

• Never punish or frighten your cat while it's using the post.

• If you see it scratching where it shouldn't, gently redirect it to the post, using a feather or fishing pole toy as a lure. Run your fingers up and down the post. The sound and motion will attract your cat's attention and encourage it to scratch.

• Attract your cat to the post with catnip, silver vine or a product such as Feliway Feliscratch.