In previous blogs, we’ve addressed how to prepare your human family members for disaster. In this post, we’ll look at the special steps you can take to prepare your furry, feathery, and scaly family members for disaster.
Make a Pet Emergency Plan
- ID your pet. Make sure your pet’s tags are up-to-date and securely fastened to your pet’s collar. If possible, attach the address and/or phone number of your evacuation site. If your pet gets lost, his tag is his ticket home. Also consider microchipping your pets.
- Make sure you have a current photo of your pet for identification purposes.
- Make a pet emergency kit. Here’s a short list of things your four-legged family members will need:
- Pet food
- Bottled water
- Medications
- Veterinary records
- Cat litter/pan
- Manual can opener
- Food dishes
- First aid kit and other supplies
- For a full list of items to include in your pet’s kit, Download Preparing Makes Sense for Pet Owners
- Identify shelters. For public health reasons, many emergency shelters cannot accept pets. Find out which motels and hotels in the area you plan to evacuate to allow pets well in advance of needing them. There are also a number of guides that list hotels/motels that permit pets and could serve as a starting point. Include your local animal shelter’s number in your list of emergency numbers.
- Make sure you have a secure pet carrier, leash or harness for your pet so that if he panics, he can’t escape.
source: https://www.ready.gov/animals
For preparedness tips tailored toward homeowners, as well as special considerations for birds, reptiles, and small mammals, check out the ASPCA’s five step Preparedness Plan.