The one who can't pack for itself

When an evacuation order comes, the family packs in minutes. The dog waits by the door. The cat hides under the bed. Neither can pack for itself, and neither understands why the house suddenly feels frightening. That is why the pet's bag must be packed long before the day it is needed.

The ASPCA puts the rule in one sentence: do not leave your pets behind, because if it isn't safe for you, it isn't safe for your pets. Animals left behind can be trapped, can escape into hazards they cannot judge, or can simply be forgotten in the confusion of a fast evacuation. A go-bag for your pet is not an extra. It is part of the family's plan, in the same way as the bag for the children. Our family go-bag guide covers the household kit the pet's bag sits alongside.

Start with the plan, not the bag

The bag is the easy part. The hard part is knowing where your pet will go, and that has to be decided before disaster strikes. Most emergency shelters do not accept pets — the American Red Cross is clear that its shelters generally cannot take animals, with service animals as the exception. Finding that out at the shelter door, with a carrier in your hand and an evacuation order behind you, is too late.

So make the safe haven part of the plan now. Identify a pet-friendly shelter in your area, or a boarding kennel or veterinary practice that takes animals in an emergency. Find hotels or motels outside your immediate area that accept pets, and keep the list with your family communication plan. Ask family or friends outside the danger zone whether they could take your pet for a few days. Write all of it down, with phone numbers, and keep a copy in the go-bag itself.

Build a buddy system as well. Ready.gov recommends planning with a neighbour, friend or relative who can care for or evacuate your pets if you are not home when disaster strikes — someone with a key, who knows where the carrier is kept, and who your pet will go with. If you live alone, this is not optional: it is the whole plan.

One small step: the ASPCA recommends a rescue alert sticker on a front window, listing your pets and your vet's number. If you evacuate with them, write "EVACUATED" across it so responders don't search an empty house.

What goes in the pet emergency go-bag

The Red Cross and the ASPCA agree on the contents, and most of them are probably already in your home. Pack them in a sturdy, easy-to-carry container and store it near an exit, clearly labelled, where everyone in the family knows where it is. The ASPCA's rule is simple: keep the kit and leashes as close to an exit as possible.

Food and water come first. The ASPCA recommends seven to ten days of your pet's normal food — a stressed stomach should not also cope with a new diet — and at least seven days of bottled water per person and pet. Rotate food every two months and replace water on the same schedule, or the kit quietly goes stale. Pack bowls, and a manual can opener for canned food.

Medicine and records go in a waterproof container. Keep a two-week supply of any medicine your pet takes regularly, with the instructions, and copies of medical records and vaccination proof — boarding kennels, vets and pet-friendly shelters will ask for them before they take your animal in. Add a note with feeding schedules, medical conditions, behaviour problems, and the name and number of your veterinarian, in case someone else has to care for your pet.

Then transport and daily care: a sturdy carrier or crate, ideally one per pet, plus an extra collar, harness and leash. A pet first aid kit — ask your vet what to include. For cats, litter and a tray; for any pet, waste bags and cleaning supplies. Add a familiar blanket or toy: comfort keeps a frightened animal calm enough to handle.

Finally, a photo of you with your pet. Ready.gov lists it for a reason: if you are separated, that photo is proof of ownership and helps others identify your animal. Keep a printed copy in the bag as well as one on your phone.

ID: the ticket home

A lost pet with no identification is a lost pet. Make sure every animal wears a collar with an up-to-date tag — name, your telephone number, and any urgent medical needs. The ASPCA recommends microchipping as the more permanent form of identification: a chip under the skin that a scanner at most shelters can read. But a chip only works if the registration is current, so check that your address and phone number are up to date, and do it now, not after a disaster.

If your pet is found by someone else, the tag is the ticket home. If the tag is missing and the chip details are years out of date, that ticket is gone. A five-minute check once a year is all it takes.

When the warning comes

Always bring pets indoors at the first sign or warning of a storm or disaster. Animals sense weather changes and will often hide or run when they are afraid — bringing them inside early stops them from running away before you can catch them. Keep them in a room where you can reach them quickly, with the carrier already open and ready. In cold weather, a winter power outage can cut the heating while you wait out a storm, so keep the pet's bag by the door, not buried in a cupboard.

When it is time to go, take the go-bag, take the pet, and go. Do not go back for the bag once you have left, and do not leave the pet with a plan to return for it later — conditions change faster than plans do. If you are told to evacuate, the order applies to every member of the family, including the four-legged ones. If you have to drive to your safe haven, watch for black ice on the road.

If you become separated, contact your local animal shelter and animal control office straight away, with the photo of you and your pet. Tell them where you were last together. Then keep checking: animals are often found days after the event.

After the disaster: don't rush back to normal

When you return, check the house before letting your pet roam. Floodwater inside can hide hazards and may be contaminated — don't let pets drink it, and keep them from standing water until officials say the supply is safe. Watch for broken glass, exposed wires, spilled chemicals and damaged fences: a stressed animal slips through gaps a calm one would ignore.

Expect behaviour changes. A calm animal may turn anxious, clingy or unwilling to eat for days after a frightening experience. Keep routines normal, keep them close, and call your vet if the change lasts, or if they were injured, exposed to contaminated water, or went without medicine.

And rebuild the bag. Replace anything you used, re-check the expiry dates, and update the records and the safe-haven list. Check it against the family go-bag guide so nothing is missed. The next emergency will not wait for you to restock.

What our records show, and what they miss

Our incident records cover live disasters and official warnings as they happen, and they show the same pattern again and again: evacuations announced with little notice, families leaving in minutes, and pets caught in the confusion. What the records cannot show is how many animals were left behind, because that is rarely counted in official figures. This guide fills that gap with the official kit list, so the decision is made before the warning, not during it.

The short version

  • Never leave pets behind in an evacuation — if it isn't safe for you, it isn't safe for them.
  • Find a pet-friendly place in advance: most emergency shelters do not take animals, so know your kennel, hotel or family option before you need it.
  • Pack at least 7 days of food and water per pet, a two-week supply of medicine, and copies of vet records in a waterproof container.
  • One sturdy carrier per pet, plus leash, harness, bowls, litter and waste bags, a pet first aid kit, and a familiar blanket.
  • Keep tags and microchip details up to date, carry a photo of you with your pet, and bring pets indoors at the first warning.