Pet Preparedness: Emergency Planning for Dogs, Cats, and Other Animals

The Decision You Need to Make in Advance

Post-Katrina research found that an estimated 44% of people who didn't evacuate did so because they refused to leave their pets. In the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California, hundreds of pets and livestock were left behind by people who evacuated with limited time and no plan.

These aren't failures of love. They're failures of planning. A family that has no plan for their pet makes a decision in real time under extreme stress — and sometimes that decision is the wrong one, in either direction: taking the animal when conditions don't allow it, or leaving the animal when they could have taken it.

The plan removes the decision from crisis time and puts it in the calm, thinking time where it can be made correctly.

Identification and Documentation

If you get separated from your pet during an evacuation, identification is what gets them back.

Microchip: A rice-grain-sized chip implanted under the skin between the shoulder blades. It contains a registration number that any vet or shelter can scan and match to your contact information. Cost: approximately $50 at a veterinary clinic or low-cost clinic.

Requirements:

• The chip is useless if not registered. Register it at the national database (foundanimals.org, HomeAgain, AKC Reunite) and keep your contact information current.
• Know your pet's chip number — write it down in your emergency documents.

Current tags: An ID tag on the collar with your name and current phone number is the immediate, no-technology identification method. Update tags if your number changes.

Photo documentation: Current photos of your pet, stored in your phone AND in a cloud backup. After a disaster, a clear photo of your pet is how you prove ownership if someone finds them. Have photos showing the animal with you for additional verification.

Veterinary records: Kept in your go-bag or easily accessible. Relevant in shelters and in emergency veterinary situations.

The Pet Go-Bag

For dogs:

• Food: 3-7 day supply of their specific food (diet changes plus stress cause GI issues; familiar food reduces one stressor)
• Water: 1-2 gallons specifically for the dog
• Folding bowl: compact, packable
• Leash and collar (and a backup collar with ID tag attached)
• Harness if they typically use one
• Medications: 7-day supply of any current medications
• Medical records (vaccination records specifically — required for most shelters and boarding)
• Waste bags
• Comfort item: a familiar toy or blanket
• Crate or carrier if the dog is crate-trained

For cats:

• Food: 3-7 day supply
• Hard-sided carrier: cats require a carrier for evacuation; a cat loose in a vehicle is a safety hazard. The carrier should be large enough for the cat to stand and turn around.
• Portable litter box and litter (a disposable aluminum roasting pan works)
• Waste bags
• Current medications
• Medical records
• A familiar blanket or item with your scent (cats are particularly stressed by environmental change)

Weight note: The pet go-bag should be pre-packed and ready to grab. If it requires assembly time, it's not ready.

Evacuation Logistics

The carrier problem: Many cat owners discover mid-evacuation that they haven't touched the carrier in two years and the cat won't go in it. Practice this. Leave the carrier out periodically. Make it familiar furniture.

Dogs in vehicles: Most dogs can travel in vehicles without specific equipment. If your dog rides loose in the cargo area, consider a crash-tested harness or crate for safety. An unrestrained dog in an accident becomes a projectile.

Multiple animals: Evacuating three cats, a dog, and two rabbits simultaneously is a logistics problem. Practice the sequence: who goes in the carrier first, where does each carrier go in the vehicle, how long does it take?

Injured or frightened animals: A frightened animal can bite even an owner. Have a muzzle for your dog and thick gloves for cats if you're evacuating under extreme conditions where they might be panicked.

Shelter Considerations

Know your options before you need them:

Pet-friendly emergency shelters: Contact your county emergency management office and ask about pet-friendly shelter options. Most counties now have designated pet shelter capacity or co-located facilities.

Pet-friendly hotels: Research in advance for your evacuation routes. BringFido.com is the most comprehensive database. Know weight limits, species restrictions, and fees for your specific animals.

Fairgrounds and equestrian facilities: Most counties designate fairgrounds or equestrian facilities as large animal and livestock staging areas during disasters. If you have horses, livestock, or large animals, this is your primary option.

At a shelter with pets:

• Pets typically cannot be with you in the main shelter area — they're in a separate adjacent facility
• You are responsible for your animal's feeding, watering, and waste management
• Animals must be current on vaccinations (rabies, for dogs: distemper/parvovirus; for cats: FVRCP, rabies)
• Animals must be in a carrier or on a leash

Livestock and Large Animals

Livestock — horses, cattle, goats, pigs, chickens — require planning at a completely different scale. See the livestock preparedness articles for full coverage. For households with both pets and livestock, the evacuation logistics are significantly more complex:

• Which trailer or transport can take which animals?
• Which animals are prioritized in a short departure window?
• Do you have space at your destination or does livestock need separate staging?

The Animals Left Behind

Sometimes, despite best efforts, animals can't be evacuated. A responsible plan for this scenario:

If you must leave an animal:

• Leave indoors (not in a fenced yard that could be compromised)
• Leave several days' worth of food and water accessible
• Leave a toilet or other large water source available
• Do not leave chained — an animal that can't escape a danger is worse off
• Post a notice on the door/window: "This property contains: [number] of [species]. If found, contact [name/number]."
• Contact your local animal control as soon as you're able to arrange welfare checks

Note for cat owners: Cats in familiar territory sometimes survive extended periods after disasters better than they would in an unfamiliar environment. Leaving a cat indoors (not outside) with food and water access is a better option than many people assume.

Annual Pet Preparedness Review

Each year:

• [ ] Microchip registered and contact information current?
• [ ] ID tags current phone number?
• [ ] Photos current (taken in last 12 months)?
• [ ] Veterinary records in go-bag (vaccinations current)?
• [ ] Pet food in go-bag rotated (still within shelf life)?
• [ ] Medications in go-bag current and not expired?
• [ ] Pet-friendly shelter and hotel options verified?
• [ ] Carrier accessible and animal familiar with it?