Every year we witness the devastating aftermath of natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes, flash flooding, and forest fires. Other emergency situations like power outages and civil unrest can happen without any warning at all. SMT is here to help you become prepared for different types of situations whether it be a power outage or thinking through your get home plan. But family members that are often overlooked are our fur babies. If you’re like me, then the last thing you want to do is leave your pet behind.

Leaving your pet behind is not an option. Doing so leaves them vulnerable to injury, starvation, sickness, or, even worse, death. And leaving them behind doesn’t always mean you’ll see them again, as pets can easily be lost and displaced. 

Sure, you could get by without power for a day or two, but what if you needed to shelter in place for several days or needed to evacuate quickly? You should feel confident that your pet has been accounted for and understand how your pet plays a role in your preparedness plan. Which leads me to ask, do you have a plan for your pet?

There can be so many different scenarios to think through or different “what-ifs” but let’s just start with the basics you can do now:

• Prepare emergency kits for your pets

  • Keep the emergency kits with your pets carrier (if they have one). Keep this small to-go bag stocked with an extra leash, collar with ID, food, bottled water, and a bowl.

  • If you have a cat, perhaps you keep the to-go bag in a shallow plastic bin (foil roasting pans are a great option for a to-go litter pan) with a small baggy of light-weight litter.

• Create a pet medical emergency kit that includes any first-aid supplies and medications they might need.

• Keep a list of pet-friendly hotels in your area and the surrounding area. Should your home be compromised and you need to stay in a hotel, you'll feel a lot more at ease knowing which hotels allow pets.

• Microchip your animal (keep your contact information up to date with the microchip company), and ensure each pet has some form of identification.

• Identify and coordinate with family and/or neighbors that can watch your pets in your absence.

• Locate emergency veterinary facilities within your home area and also right outside your local area.

These are simple ideas that are relatively cheap and won’t take up much room wherever they are stored. If you can’t be home to take care of your pet, having a pet preparedness plan in place and a pet to-go bag in one easy to find location will make it much easier to communicate to a family member or neighbor.

Pets provide so much to us and are a part of the family. If there is ever an emergency this will be one less thing to worry about.

The ASPCA website is a good reference for creating a more comprehensive plan for your pet.  Also keep in mind that as your pets age, the pet preparedness plan will need to be revised.