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Pet Preparedness

Different pets sitting together

Pet Preparedness

A dog laying under an umbrella in the rain.

About Pet Preparedness

Your pets are an important member of your family, so they need to be included in your family’s emergency plan. To prepare for the unexpected follow these tips with your pets in mind:

  1. Make a plan.
  2. Build an emergency kit.
  3. Stay informed.

Make A Plan

If you have a plan in place for you and your pets, you will likely encounter less difficulty, stress and worry when you need to make a decision during an emergency. If local officials ask you to evacuate, that means your pet should evacuate too. If you leave your pets behind, they may end up lost, injured or worse.

Things to include in your plan:

  • Have an evacuation plan for your pet. Many public shelters and hotels do not allow pets inside. Know a safe place where you can take your pets before disasters and emergencies happen.
  • Develop a buddy system. Plan with neighbors, friends or relatives to make sure that someone is available to care for or evacuate your pets if you are unable to do so.
  • Have your pet microchipped. Make sure to keep your address and phone number up-to-date and include contact information for an emergency contact outside of your immediate area.
  • Contact your local emergency management office, animal shelter or animal control office to get additional advice and information if you’re unsure how to care for your pet in case of an emergency.

Build a Kit for Your Pet

Include basic survival items and items to keep your pet happy and comfortable.

Use this list to build your pet emergency preparedness kit.

Prepare Pets for Travel

When evacuating your home, it’s important to bring your pets. Because you may need to put your cat or dog into a pet carrier, it’s important that they’re comfortable with the experience. Follow these tips to reduce their stress:

  • Leave the carrier out in places your pet frequently visits
  • Leave the carrier open
  • Feed them treats near the carrier – you can even try putting a few treats inside the carrier
  • Add a favorite blanket or small bed inside the carrier so it smells familiar
  • Make note of where your pets hide, so you can easily find them in case you have to leave your house quickly.

Tips For Large Animals

If you have large animals such as horses, cattle, sheep, goats or pigs on your property, be sure to prepare before a disaster.

  • Ensure all animals have some form of identification.
  • Evacuate animals whenever possible. Map out primary and secondary routes in advance.
  • Make available vehicles and trailers needed for transporting and supporting each type of animal. Also make available experienced handlers and drivers.
  • Ensure destinations have food, water, veterinary care and handling equipment.
  • If evacuation is not possible, animal owners must decide whether to move large animals to shelter or turn them outside.

Take extra time to observe livestock, looking for early signs of disease and injury. Severe cold-weather injuries or death primarily occur in the very young or in animals that are already debilitated.

Animals suffering from frostbite don’t exhibit pain. It may be up to two weeks before the injury becomes evident as the damaged tissue starts to slough away. At that point, the injury should be treated as an open wound and a veterinarian should be consulted.

Make sure your livestock has the following to help prevent cold-weather problems:

  • Plenty of dry bedding to insulate vulnerable udders, genitals and legs from the frozen ground and frigid winds
  • Windbreaks to keep animals safe from frigid conditions
  • Plenty of food and water

Stay Informed

Being prepared and staying informed of current conditions. Here are some ways you can stay informed:

  • Pay attention to wireless emergency alerts for local alerts and warnings sent by state and local public safety officials.
  • Listen to local officials when told to evacuate or shelter in place.
  • Download the FEMA app and get weather alerts from the National Weather Service, for up to five different locations anywhere in the United States.
  • Always bring pets indoors at the first sign or warning of a storm or disaster.

Additional Resources

Pet Emergency Preparedness Kit Checklist (PDF)
Pet Preparedness Poster (PDF)
MIReady Pet Preparedness Video
Prep & Parey Coloring Book Featuring Twister & Storm (PDF)
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) (link)
American Humane Association (link)
FEMA Preparing makes sense for Pet owners(video)