How to Build an Emergency Pet Kit – My Secret Treehouse

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How to build an emergency pet kit: Figure out what your essentials are and start planning. Pets require a lot of the same items as humans but there are some specific things to think about.

The main focus of this article will be about things you need to consider when planning for emergencies when you have pets. I will provide basic lists for creating home kits and go bags. This way you can get all the lists you need in one place. Each pet should also have their own Pet Information Card with important information on it.

Home Kits

A home kit is just that it is a kit for handling an emergency at home. You may be thinking if I am at home why do I need all this stuff. I mean I am home it is all here … well what if you are trapped in a basement or can’t get to part of your house. What if you are going to be stuck there for 3 – 5 days and you just ran out of pet food and were planning on going to the store. When doing this you want to make sure you have what you need at hand to survive for at least 3-5 days. If you have the room shoot for 7 days. Remember you could be without electricity, water, gas … all the fun stuff.

Go Bags

A go bag again is just that, it is a bag to grab if you have to evacuate quickly. First you want at least a 3 day supply of stuff for everyone in the family including your pets. Second you want to try to find lightweight options since you might have to carry the bag a ways. Third you want to keep these kits close to the door so if you have like an earthquake or fire and have to evacuate with no notice you can grab and go.

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If you have kids please check out this post about How to Prepare for an Emergency with Kids

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Home made kits/bags

Not everyone can afford to purchase a pre-made kit and that is perfectly ok. I have provided a list to help you create your own kit. The nice thing about making your own is you get items your pets like and can purchase and add as you go. If you can’t create it all at once, you just buy a bit here and there till your kit is done. We need to finish stocking the one for the cats but we have at least started it. (I will be including links to examples of some of these products)

To create your home made kit you need a container/bag. We prefer a clear container and lid for our home kit so I can easily see most of what is inside. Also one thing we did as we added items is wrote on the lid what was in there. By doing it this way we could easily look at the lid to see what we had and what we still need.

Now this is my opinion so you may feel other items are more essential or not agree with everything on my list. That is fine 🙂 you put in what YOU feel you and your pets need for your kit. If possible find items that have multi uses to save on space and money.

Essentials ~ Home Kit for PETS

Essentials are those items you really need to have in your kit. Click here for a printable copy of this list.

These are items you should consider IN ADDITION to your basic emergency home kit.

Food ~ sealed, rotate out every 2-3 months
Water ~ pets don’t need as much as humans but keep an extra gallon or two on hand depending on kinds of pets and how many pets you have
Collapsible food & water bowl ~ 1 for each pet
Manual can opener if you are including canned pet food
Medication and medical/shot records
Litter & litter pan ~ find something like Cat’s Pride, Disposable Litter Pan, Includes Pan & Litter All In One
Litter scoop
Garbage bags for waste
Carrier(s) ~ you may need to keep your pet confined due to safety concerns
Blankets/bedding
Toys, treats & grooming supplies
Rescue alert sticker & pet first aid kit
Cleaning supplies ~ paper towels, disinfectant
A current picture of you and your pet(s), description & microchip information ~ this is to help you show others what your pets look like and to help prove they are yours
Written information of your pet’s feeding schedule, medical conditions, behavior issues & veterinary information ~ this way if you have to board them you have this information ready
List of pet friendly places if you have to evacuate

Essentials ~ Go Bag for PETS

You want to look for light weight options because you may have to carry your bag. Make up a bag specifically for the pets in your house. Click here for a printable copy of this list.

Food ~ sealed, rotate out every 2-3 months
Water ~ pets don’t need as much as humans but keep an extra gallon or two on hand depending on kinds of pets and how many pets you have
Collapsible food & water bowl ~ 1 for each pet
Manual can opener if you are including canned pet food
Medication and medical/shot records
Litter & litter pan ~ find something like Cat’s Pride, Disposable Litter Pan, Includes Pan & Litter All In One
Litter scoop
Garbage bags for waste
Carrier(s) ~ you may need to keep your pet confined due to safety concerns
Blankets/bedding
Toys, treats & grooming supplies
Pet first aid kit
Cleaning supplies ~ paper towels, disinfectant
A current picture of you and your pet(s), description & microchip information ~ this is to help you show others what your pets look like and to help prove they are yours
Written information of your pet’s feeding schedule, medical conditions, behavior issues & veterinary information ~ this way if you have to board them you have this information ready
List of pet friendly places if you have to evacuate

Pre-made kits/bags

If you can afford it there are also great pre-made home kits. The nice thing about these is most of the work is done for you. All you need to add are your personal items and any comfort items.
(Click on the images to see these kits)

Final Thoughts

Nobody wants to think about a disaster happening to them or their family. It is not something we want to happen but it is something we can be prepared for. We will never be completely ready but the more prepared we are the better our chances of survival are. I know I only talk about bigger pets like cats and dogs BUT many of these preparations will work for any pet. If you have birds, reptiles, hamsters, etc make a plan for them as well an create kits for them.

* Birds

* Reptiles

If you can think of something that I did not think about please feel free to comment 🙂 I hope this information helps you to be more prepared if you are ever in an emergency.