Today’s Challenge: Pets and Disasters Preparedness
Food Storage, Gardening, and Self-Reliance for Busy Moms
Most people with pets consider their small charges family and would do anything to keep them safe. A preparedness plan for your pet is very similar to one for your children – you pack the things that are needed to keep them safe, fed, and entertained. Have you made a plan to evacuate your pets during a disaster or to shelter them in place?
My friend Melissa has taken the care of her animal to heart and created a kit for her cat Travis. She is prepared to travel safely with him for extended periods of time and has recently put this to the test, traveling for a month.
Melissa reports that her pet disaster kit is working well and there are several things she has learned:
It may be sacrilegious to say this, but we don’t have any pets at our house right now – so I’m going to let the experts tell us the best way to prepare our pets for a disaster.
All agree that just as you would create a kit for your children, you should also create a 72 hour kit for your pets.
Ready.gov recommends the following items in this downloadable flier – Preparing Your Pets for Emergencies Makes Sense:
Just like Melissa found out the hard way, pets may get very stressed when traveling far from home as most of them thrive on routine and predictability, such as familiar people, environments, smells and noises.
Find out what can calm your pet down BEFORE disaster strikes, and keep those tools and techniques close to you in case of emergency. Also, get your pet accustomed to new environments by taking practice trips by foot and by car.
ASPCA.org has a pets and disasters page with a free emergency pet alert sticker for your home. “This easy-to-use sticker will let people know that pets are inside your home. You can order their free Pet safety Pack here.
Make sure it is visible to rescue workers, and that it includes 1) the types and number of pets in your household; 2) the name of your veterinarian; and 3) your veterinarian’s phone number. If you must evacuate with your pets, and if time allows, write “EVACUATED” across the stickers”. In addition to dogs and cats, they also have information about reptiles and other small animals like hamsters and gerbils.
The HumaneSociety.org has a page devoted to pets and disasters.
Planning for a disaster may seem overwhelming, but The HSUS’s disaster guide will make it easy. We’ll tell you what you can do right now, when disaster strikes, and even after to make sure that you and your pets come through just fine. The first step is to make your disaster plan.”
Large animals and livestock need extra consideration in disaster planning. Disaster preparedness is important for all animals, but it is especially important for livestock because of the size of the animals and their shelter and transportation needs.
GOOD: Read up on the things to add to a 72 hour kit for your pets. Make a plan for each animal- horses to gerbils!
BETTER: Get together 5 things you will need for each animal
BEST: Contact your veterinarian about microchipping and other issues they may have about “your” pet and disasters.
Bear in mind that if your pet is a rescue or was bought from a certified breeder, it might already have a microchip. What’s more, not all pets with a microchip are retrieved and there are some health concerns about microchipping pets, including cancer risk.
Pet microchippig is a growing industry so the messages are oftentimes purposely mixed.
So, do your own research before consulting with a vet on the topic and do not shy away from asking the hard questions, such as
and so on…
If the answers are sketchy or non-existent, you might want to try other forms of pet identification, such as non-invasive GPS tracking devices or the good old ID tag with your home/ hotel address and/or telephone number on it.
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It’s really fun to read your blog. Nice topics and nice information. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Better to be ready than sorry.
[…] Travis for a month last year. You can find her preparations and recommendations on our website https://preparednessmama.com/pets-and-disasters/ Consider downloading the FEMA brochure, Preparing Your Pets for Emergencies Makes Sense for more […]
[…] Many emergency shelters cannot accept animals. Find out which hotels and shelters in your area allow pets if you have to evacuate. It’s best to know this before disaster strikes. My friend Melisa, went on a road trip with her cat Travis, for a month last year. You can find her preparations and recommendations on this post. […]
[…] the Humane Society Website and other pet preparedness ideas in these posts from PreparednessMama: Pets and Disasters | PreparednessMama or Create a Pet Survival Kit | PreparednessMama . Don’t forget your furry […]
[…] Preparedness printable lists for 72 hour kits Preparedness Kits for Pets These printable’s are a wonderful to print off and put in a binder. Family Binder […]
[…] Have a plan – Prepare your evacuation plan, including pets, transportation routes and destinations. Identify local hazards and know your area. What is the […]
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