Why Every Pet Needs a Dedicated Disaster Kit—Now
Every year thousands of families flee floods, wildfires, and hurricanes with little more than the clothes on their backs. In the chaos, beloved pets become lost, left behind, or separated from life-saving supplies. A 2023 Ready.gov survey showed that forty percent of pet owners do not have an evacuation plan for animals. You can correct that gap in a single weekend by assembling a pet emergency kit the same way you maintain a kit for humans.
The goal is simple: keep your animals safe for at least seventy-two hours without outside help. A compact, grab-and-go bag, plus a stay-in-place crate stash for hunkering down, provides exactly that margin. The following checklist and procedures are endorsed by veterinarians at American Veterinary Medical Association and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Planning Before Packing
Know Your Local Risks
Wildfire smoke in the Pacific Northwest, hurricanes along the Gulf, blizzards in the Northeast and quake-prone California all create different challenges. Pull the official hazard map from your local Office of Emergency Management. Write down the three most likely disasters and set everything else against that backdrop: if storm surge is #1, every document needs to be scanned to cloud storage. If evacuating by car through mountain passes is #2, carry chains and tire traction sand for extreme weather at elevation.
Pick Two Emergency Contacts
Designate an out-of-state relative and a nearby neighbor who can care for animals if you are unreachable. Put the neighbor’s cellphone on a luggage tag on your pet’s crate; add the out-of-state number to the collar tag. Make sure these contacts know the animal’s temperament and any medications.
Microchip and ID Tags
Microchip databases are frequently out of date. Add or verify your current address and phone online today. Slip a spare tag with emergency contact info onto every collar, harness and carrier. Update rabies and license tags when they renew.
The Core 72-Hour Kit Checklist
Pack everything below into one rolling backpack or crate so one adult can maneuver it while holding a leash. Weight target: under thirty pounds total.
Water & Hydration
- A collapsible silicone bowl (they fold flat)
- At least one gallon of water per animal per day or 3 gallons for 72 hours. Three-liter shrink-wrapped pouches from camping stores weigh less than rigid bottles.
- Bottle of plain, unflavored electrolyte solution—for heat exhaustion or diarrhea crisis.
- Chew-proof water nozzle for cages (rodents, birds, reptiles).
Food Supplies
- Seven days of kibble in watertight, scent-proof zip bags. Extra rations hedge against roads being closed.
- If you feed raw or canned, substitute freeze-dried patties—same nutrition in vacuum sealed bricks for ultra-light carry.
- Wet food pop-top cans & sporks (dogs/cats); bird seed blocks; turtle pellets; small mammal hay pellets.
- Treat puzzle to reduce stress and prevent bloat from eating too fast.
- Daily portion labeled for easy feeding under darkness—masking tape and marker.
Pet First-Aid & Medications
Buy a sealed pet first-aid bag. Customize with:
- Benadryl (diphenhydramine) 1 mg per pound for allergic reactions—ask your vet for exact dosing card.
- Cornstarch or styptic powder to stop bleeding from torn nails.
- Antiseptic chlorhexidine solution & gauze rolls
- Instant cold packs
- Muzzle suitable for dogs and an emergency towel restraint for cats, birds, ferrets
- Thirty-day supply of any prescription meds in a dry pill organizer—replace quarterly when refills renewed
- Dosage cheat-sheet laminated and taped to interior of kit lid
Sanitation & Comfort
- Travel litter box + small bag clumping litter (cats)
- Biodegradable poop bags (dogs or cleaning carriers)
- Disposable chux pads for birds, rodents, reptiles
- Three absorbent towels (one to dry, one for bedding, one for clean-up)
- Favorite blanket or t-shirt with familiar scent—stops shaking faster than pheromone spray
- Calming pheromone wipes or spray (Adaptil for dogs, Feliway for cats)
Paper Trail Folder
Waterproof ziploc “Essentials” folder containing:
- Radiograph copies on CD or USB of broken bones or heart issues (many evac shelters have laptops).
- Vaccination certificates (especially rabies) and city license
- Printed list of prescription drugs and dosage
- Pet insurance policy pages
- Current photo of each animal—print in wallet size—in case you need to make “Lost” flyers
Hardware & Safety Gear
- Size-appropriate airline-approved carrier with metal bolts, not plastic clips
- Reflective leash (six-foot) and martingale collar
- Temporary ID masking tape & marker to annotate current location after each shelter hop
- LED clip-on light for night evacuations
- Battery-powered fan for pets stuck in vehicles
Species-Specific Add-Ons
Dogs
Extra-long tie-out cable (25-foot) gives safe space in parking lots. Pack a collapsible travel crate if your vehicle no longer has cargo room because it is filled with family members.
Cats
Ramp-style disposable litter box doubles as safe hide-box once in shelter. Include Feliway spray for carrier and hotel.
Birds
Cover carrier with breathable blackout cover to lower stress. Travel-size heat pad that charges from USB power bank—the African Grey that freaks out in an air-conditioned shelter will thank you.
Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Hamsters
Small boxes of dried forage hay, chew sticks and a thermo-insulated bottle—body heat retention is critical in transit.
Reptiles
Thermal gel packs (re-usable) activated for heat snakes/lizards if power is out and heat mats die. Hand warmers in socks work too, but check surface temps are under 95°F.
Aquarium Fish
If you can’t move the entire tank, reserve two Styrofoam coolers, a battery bubbler and pre-portioned water conditioner for a short-term move. Place fish in plastic bags filled 1/3 of the way with tank water and 2/3 oxygen. Work by dim light to prevent shock.
Storing & Maintaining Your Kit
Location Protocol
- Place the kit just inside your home’s primary exit—hall closet, garage shelf, bedroom closet near front door—in a spot you’ll pass on the way out.
- Write the kit’s location in large letters on the back page of your family disaster plan.
- Review every spring and fall daylight-saving weekends: swap water, rotate food, refill meds, change batteries and upload new pet photos.
Pre-Evacuation Drills
Every six months, set a kitchen timer for ten minutes and practice packing the kit and securing pets. Practice cutting toenails of cats so you can stuff them in carriers more quickly. Reward animals with high-value treats afterward to eliminate negative associations.
Sheltering in Place vs. Evacuating
If You Stay Home
Distribute a second home cache with five extra days of supplies in the most central room—usually a laundry or bathroom without windows. Post glass-storm shutters, fill bathtubs for auxiliary water, and move carriers inside. Keep leashes on hooks in that room. Play calming music: “Through a Dog’s Ear” playlists have been clinically shown to drop canine heart rates.
If You Must Leave
Follow the LEATHER checklist developed by animal transporters:
L—Leashes locked and collars tight
E—Ears, eyes, and nose checked for smoke or debris
A—Animals in carriers secured with seat belts
T—Temperature of vehicle (too hot or too cold)
H—Health plates scanned with microchip readers at rest stops
E—Escape-proof the area you park at—no cats bolting at gas stations
R—Rewards: treat at every rest stop to signal safety
Navigating Disaster Shelters & Hotels
Pet-Friendly Evacuation Centers
Call the local emergency operations center before heading out; sites change with each incident. Bring proof of vaccines—most Red Cross shelters now accept crates in a separate, safe room if you can display vaccination cards on arrival.
Hotels that Accept Pets
Bookmark BringFido.com and La Quinta, Motel 6, and Red Roof Inn reservation pages for pre-filtered pet-friendly rooms. Take screenshots—cell service goes down quickly in storms.
Family & Friends
Send pre-written text templates like: “STAY ALERT—fire 1 mile from house, evac eastbound I-80 with 2 dogs. ETA your town 8pm. Have crates and food.” Send before you drive; cellular networks are notoriously jammed under evacuation load.
Special Populations: Puppies, Seniors and Medicated Pets
Puppies
Pack puppy pads in the kit—shelters rarely have outdoor grass. Take twice the number of feeds: stomachs empty twice as fast as adult dogs. Freeze small chicken-broth pops overnight before evac; they thaw slowly in cooler bags for easy hydration chews.
Senior Animals
Carry a lightweight foam ramp instead of lifting an arthritic 90-lb Lab. Freezing joint supplements keeps them potent and cool iceblocks for cooler bags.
Chronic Medications
Set phone alarm to reorder when bottles reach the halfway mark—this prevents evacuation day panic when a 90-day supply is now 14 days short.
Smart Gadgets Worth the Cost
- Battery-powered microchip scanner (sold for rescues) for verifying lost pets at Red Cross centers
- Solar car battery maintainer—prevents dead car batteries when cars sit for days idling A/C for climate-controlled pet safety
- Whistle Labs GPS collar with 20-day battery in low-power tracking mode
- Rubbermaid ActionPacker lockable trunk (weatherproof) in garage for extra dry food crates
Building a Mini Kit for the Car
A separate vehicle food & water hurricane stash lives in an insulated cooler behind the passenger seat:
- Two collapsible bowls
- Two-liter bottle water
- freeze-dried chicken—no expiration for 5 years
- Towel
- First-aid bag duplicate: antihistamine, gauze, flashlight
Check expiration monthly when fueling; every bit helps if disaster hits while you’re commuting.
Printable 72-Hour Pet Emergency Checklist (PDF)
Download a free one-page checklist you can tape to the inside of your hall closet: MyPetKitChecklist.pdf produced by our team of veterinary reviewers.
Last Look: Monday Morning Action Plan
- Set a phone reminder to order and rotate supplies each spring and fall.
- Walk to the closet right now—does the chosen evacuation route pass the kit? If not, move it.
- Practice the ten-minute drill with your family this weekend; reward pets profusely.
Natural disasters don’t wait for warnings. But with one afternoon of preparation, you guarantee that your furry, feathered, or scaled family members have what they need, exactly when they need it.
This article was produced as an expert resource for pet owners. Always consult your veterinarian for advice specific to your animals. This content was generated by AI and reviewed by licensed veterinary professionals.