What Does My Pet Actually Need in an Emergency?

The short answer: pets need their own three-day supply of water, food, and medications, their records, a secure carrier or leash, and...this is the part most people miss, a plan for where they'll go, because many emergency shelters can't accept them.

Their water and food is extra, not included

The standard guideline of one gallon of water per person per day covers exactly that, people. Your pets need their own supply on top of it. A rough rule for dogs is about one ounce of water per pound of body weight per day; cats need roughly a cup a day. Store at least three days of their regular food in an airtight container, and swap it out on the same schedule you refresh their records. Familiar food matters, because a stressed pet with an upset stomach makes a hard week harder.

The paperwork that matters more than you'd think

If you ever need to board your pet, or a shelter or pet-friendly hotel takes you in, the first thing they'll ask for is proof of vaccinations. Keep a copy with your emergency documents. Add a photo of you together with your pet, it's the fastest proof of ownership if you're ever separated, and make sure the microchip registration has your current phone number. These three items cost nothing and solve the problems that are genuinely hard to solve after the fact.

Comfort and containment

Frightened pets bolt, even the ones who never would. A carrier for each cat, a sturdy leash for each dog, and a familiar blanket or toy turn chaos into something manageable. Add waste bags, and litter and a small pan for cats. If you're sheltering at home during an outage, that litter does double duty (see our question on sanitation).

Know where they'll go before you need to

Many public emergency shelters can't take animals. The calm move is to solve this on an ordinary Tuesday: identify a pet-friendly hotel or two along your evacuation routes, and ask a friend or family member outside your immediate area whether they'd take your crew in a pinch. Write it into your family plan so nobody is making that call from the driveway.

Our pet emergency kits cover the supply side for dogs and cats, and our pet bundles include the Pet Emergency Action Plan. A fill-in guide that walks you through the records, contacts, and where-they'll-go decisions above.

For the full picture, our article on building a 72-hour plan for your pet goes deeper.