Whether it is a natural disaster or some other catastrophic event that sees you need to leave your home, don’t forget to make sure you have prepped for your pet.
The following is a very generic guide as to what you may need to think about. Different pets will have their own needs i.e., prepping for your German Shepherd dog will have both the same and also very different considerations than prepping for your cat or pet rat.
We have included relevant, more in-depth pet specific links at the foot of this blog.
As one website says: Don’t let your pet be a victim. Disaster prepping should involve your entire family – including pets.
So, let’s take a look at some of those prepping issues that involve both the human and animal members of your family:
1. Food and water
Pets need to be fed and watered just as any other member of your family. Prepping for any future emergency, therefore, will need the appropriate stockpiling of food and water:
Food
- many types of pet food come in cans – and these might be your most convenient option for storage;
- alternatively, you may buy dry food which you can buy in bulk – for more convenient and safer storage put the dried food into individual zip-lock plastic bags (Amazon stocks the well-known Mylar brand) and store these in food-grade plastic buckets or barrels to keep it doubly safe;
Water
- the amount of water you need to store for your pets of course depends on the type of animal, its size, weight, exercise, diet, and normal habits;
- as a rule of thumb, Calder Vets in the UK recommend 1 to 2ml of water per kilogram of body weight every hour (in other words, around 25 to 50ml per kilo of body weight every 24 hours);
- if you are storing water in plastic bottles – whether for human or animal consumption – remember that the plastic will deteriorate (within six to 24 months, depending on the type), so be prepared to rebottle as necessary;
- you’ll be saved that chore, of course, if you store it in a water butt – which is made to last for years at a time.
2. First aid and health care
Pets and humans can share many of your first aid items – such as bandages.
But there will also be more specialised items you’ll need for the health care of certain pets – and these might include:
- flea and tick control sprays or collars for dogs or cats;
- any medications your pet is on, plus a copy prescription from your vet.
3. Waste
Dealing with human and animal waste can be a problem wherever you have taken refuge.
If you are in a relatively rural or remote environment with easy access to the great outdoors, waste from all your family members can be buried and composted without a great deal of effort or expense.
If you are taking refuge indoors or within a city environment, the disposal of human and animal waste can prove a much bigger problem. If mains supplies are disrupted, you will not want to use valuable water for flushing any toilet by using the sewerage system.
Separating liquid and faecal waste – a so-called “two-bucket system” – will help, since liquid waste is far more safely disposed of on open ground. But all buckets used to collect both human and animal waste will still need to be emptied sometime.
You might save on the use of precious buckets if you use extra garbage bags for dog waste, stock up well on cat litter, and have plenty of newspaper to hand (on which dogs can urinate or which can be torn into strips for bespoke cat litter).
4. Evacuation
If you are forced to evacuate your home during a crisis or emergency, do you take your pet with you? In the face of an imminent disaster, it can be an agonising decision and, of course, you’ll want to do everything in your power to keep your pets safely with you. But:
- if you evacuate, there’s only a slim chance your place of refuge will also accept pets – find out in advance whether it is a possibility;
- if not, you’ll need to have made prior arrangements with an animal shelter, boarding facility, or vets practice – establish your options well in advance;
- you may be in a part of the country where only you are affected – if you have friends and families around the country, make prior plans for being able to leave your pet in their care if need be;
- if you are arranging your own bugout location, make sure you have taken your pets’ needs into account;
- prepping will also involve you giving some thought to how you will be transporting your pets – you’ll need to keep any carriers, boxes, or cages, ever-ready, of course; and
- if all else fails and you need to abandon your pet at home, make sure to put a “pet alert” sticker in the window or on the front door asking the emergency services to rescue the animal or animals when they have the chance.
5. Your pet’s bugout bag
We’ve talked at length about bugout bags – see our blog on the 22nd of September 2021, for example.
Every member of your family will need a bugout bag – personalised for their own use – and that goes for the animal members and not just the humans. Keep your pet’s bugout bag packed and alongside any pet carrier – ready to go at a moment’s notice.
Just as you’ll personalise bugout bags for family members, your pet’s bugout bag will be similarly personalised with:
- any medications your pet may be on;
- the appropriate food packets or cans for at least the next 2-3 weeks;
- water and collapsible pet bowls;
- water purification tablets – just as you’d use for other family members;
- a collar, lead, and – if necessary – muzzle (you may also want to consider a cat harness which you will need to get your cat/s introduced to gradually well before any disaster);
- additional collar tags; and
- a favourite toy – for the comfort of familiarity in a chaotic situation.
6. Identification and documentation
In the chaos of an emergency or disaster, proving your identity can be critical – and that goes equally for your pets. In this case:
- any microchip details;
- photo-ID and description of your pet;
- your contact details – plus an alternative contact if you cannot be found immediately;
- vaccination and brief medical history; and
- any specific boarding needs or requirements.
7. Pet prepping and training
Reflect for a moment about just how stressed you will be in the face of a disaster, as you look for a place of refuge, check your bugout bag, fear for the safety of every family member, and pray that you’ve faithfully prepped for any conceivable eventuality.
Your pets will be suffering the same – if not greater – stress and confusion.
You might be able to help somewhat by trying to desensitise your pets to the sudden shocks and surprises most likely to worry them in the chaos of a disaster – loud noises, crowds, fire, smoke, and the like.
By encouraging self-calming behaviours, you might also teach your dog, for example, when to bark and when not to bark – there will be situations when either is appropriate. Similarly, you’ll want to impress on your pet the importance of responding to a command to stay – you don’t want to have the pet running off into a crowd and getting lost.
Summary
Effective prepping is all about making sure that every member of your family is looked after and will cope with the stresses, strains, and extra challenges of an emergency or crisis situation. Every pet is also a family member. It follows that effective prepping must take their needs and requirements equally into account.
Further reading
Prepping for your dogs and cats
Prepping with pets (includes prepping for farm animals)
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