Pet Preparedness

Ensuring the family pets are prepared for emergencies and disasters will help give everyone peace of mind when disaster strikes. This page will help you learn more about being prepared for:

Everyday emergencies
Long-Term emergencies or evacuation
Pet emergency kits
Severe weather (heat / cold)
Resources

Be Ready for Everyday Emergencies

There may be times when weather or other circumstances may prevent us from getting home to care for our pet. If we plan ahead, we can make sure they are taken care of.

Identify a family member, friend, or neighbor you trust who can serve as a backup caretaker and vice versa.
- Give them a spare key.
Prepare detailed instructions about your pet and store it in an accessible place for your backup caretaker.
- Feeding schedule
- Medications – schedule and instruction
- Favorite hiding place
- Habits
If you use a pet-sitting service, find out in advance if they will be able to help in case of an emergency.

Preparing for Disasters

Plan ahead! Pets should be included in the family emergency plan and have their own emergency kit.

Prepare for Long-Term Emergencies or Evacuation

In the event that you will need to evacuate or manage during a long-term emergency, have a plan for your pet. Most shelters cannot accommodate pets. It is important to identify out-of-town relatives or friends, kennels, or pet-friendly hotels where you could stay during an emergency. Here are a few helpful sites:

For more information and tips for evacuating with pets, read the Humane Society’s article “Find a safe place to stay ahead of time.”

Put Together an Emergency Kit for Each of Your Pets

Pets are not that different from people, they will need food, water, and medications (if any) during an emergency. Items to pack away with the family emergency kit include:

Food, water, and medicine
Extra collar, leash, and ID tag
Photo of your pet
Sanitation items (kitty litter and box, trash bags, etc.)
Grooming items
Toys, bedding, and/or treats that will help make them more comfortable

Check out these helpful checklists for cats and dogs.

Preparing for Severe Weather Conditions

Severe weather conditions do not just affect people, they affect pets too.

Heat

Follow these tips for keeping pets safe in the heat:

Limit exercise on hot days.
Provide ample shade and water. On a 87-degree day, during peak heat (2pm-4pm), pavement temperatures can soar to over 140 degrees. Avoid walking pets on pavement during the hottest periods of the day.
Cool your pet inside and out. Provide ample, cool water – add a few ice cubes to keep the water cool. Purchase or make pupsicles. Soak a cooling body wrap, vest, or mat in cool water to help keep pets from overheating.
Don’t rely on a fan. Pets respond differently to heat than humans do. (Dogs, for instance, sweat primarily through their feet.) And fans don't cool off pets as effectively as they do people.
Learn the signs and watch for heatstroke. Some signs of heatstroke are heavy panting, glazed eyes, a rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, excessive thirst, lethargy, fever, dizziness, lack of coordination, profuse salivation, vomiting, a deep red or purple tongue, seizure and unconsciousness. If they are exhibiting these signs, move your pet into the shade or an air-conditioned area. Apply ice packs or cold towels to their head, neck and chest or run cool (not cold) water over them. Let them drink small amounts of cool water or lick ice cubes. Take them directly to a veterinarian.
Watch the humidity. According to Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association vet, Dr. Barry Kellogg, "Animals pant to evaporate moisture from their lungs, which takes heat away from their body. If the humidity is too high, they are unable to cool themselves and their temperature will skyrocket to dangerous levels—very quickly."
Never leave pets in a parked car. On an 85-degree day, the temperature inside a car with the windows opened slightly can reach 102 degrees within 10 minutes and 120 degrees after 30 minutes. Your pet may suffer irreversible organ damage or die. It is also against state law to leave animals in a vehicle or enclosed space if they could be harmed or killed by exposure to excessive heat, cold, lack of ventilation or water.
Check-in on your neighbors with pets. Stop by to see if they or their pets need help getting cool.

Information pulled from the Human Society of the United State article “Keep Pets Safe in the Heat.” Read more here.

Cold

Follow these tips for keeping pets safe when it is cold:

Bring outdoor pets inside.
Bundle up and wipe down. Animals are also susceptible to frostbite and hypothermia. Make sure to wipe down paws that have been exposed to snow or rock salt/snow melt chemicals.
Keep coats long and provide a few extra calories.
Prepare for power outages.
Check-in on your neighbors with pets. Stop by to see if they or their pets need help staying warm.

For more tips on keeping pets safe during cold snaps, read American Humane’s “Cold-Weather Pet Tips.”