The checklist
List adapted from Ready.gov's Prepare Your Pets for Disasters sheet; the "why" notes are ours. Checked November 2026.
What goes in a pet emergency kit?
A pet emergency kit holds several days of food and water, spare medicine, ID and records, a carrier per animal and a few familiar comforts, packed so you can grab it in one trip. That is the short version of Ready.gov's pet guidance. The checklist above is the long version, filtered for the animals you actually have.
If you can lift it and carry the pet at the same time, it is the right size.
How to build a pet emergency kit in 3 steps
- 1
Pack the grab bag (one evening)
Use the checklist above. Start with what is already in the house: the old collar, a spare leash, a bag of food. Most families can tick half the ring on night one.
- 2
Write the plan around the bag (one weekend)
Ready.gov's planning advice in four lines: know where your pet can stay, since many public shelters and hotels do not allow pets inside; set up a buddy who can evacuate your pet if you can't; keep microchip details current with an out-of-area contact; keep numbers for your local emergency management office, animal control and shelters.
- 3
Put a review on the calendar (two minutes)
Food and medicine expire. Pick a review every 3, 6 or 12 months and rotate supplies when it comes round.
Bag first, plan second, reminder third. That order gets finished.
Honest limits of this checklist
- It does not know your pet. Animals on prescription diets or daily medicine need a vet's view on what to pack and how much.
- It does not find shelters for you. "Pet-friendly shelter near me" depends on your county; your local emergency management office is the source.
- Ticks on this page are not saved. Close the tab and they are gone, on purpose: we do not store anything about you here.
- Horses and livestock need a different plan. Ready.gov has separate guidance for large animals.
A mini story: the 9 p.m. evacuation notice
A neighbor knocks: the road may close overnight. The dog's leash is on its hook, but the spare medicine is in a kitchen drawer, the vaccination records are in a filing box, and the cat is under the bed. Twenty minutes go to searching instead of driving.
The fix is boring and works: one bag by the door with the medicine, a printed copy of the records, the carrier stored where the cat already sleeps, and a buddy two streets away with a key. The kit is not the hard part. Knowing where everything is, written down once, is.
An emergency is the worst time to look for paperwork.
Pet emergency checklist options compared
| Ready.gov PDF | This page | Family Ready app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free | Kit checklist free |
| Filters by pet type | No | Dog, cat, small pet | Optional pets section |
| Saves your progress | Paper | No | Yes, on your iPhone |
| Holds the pet's details | No | No | Dependants and pets section |
| Review reminders | No | No | 3, 6 or 12-month schedule |
Paper to grab, the app to keep it current. Most homes need both.
Who Family Ready is not for
We make Family Ready. It organizes what you type in. It is not a pet tracker, a lost-pet network or a vet record service, and it does not contact anyone for you. If you want GPS on the collar or reminders for vaccinations, a dedicated pet app will fit better. If you want one place for the whole household, people and animals, with a free kit checklist and an offline Emergency Card, that is what we built.
Free covers the Emergency Card, Emergency Mode, the household plan, the kit checklist, encrypted backup and the Emergency Snapshot PDF. Family Ready Plus, a monthly or annual subscription, adds things like trusted-person invitations, a Pet-Sitter printable pack, household sync and important-date reminders.
Inside Family Ready
Pet emergency kit questions
What goes in a pet emergency kit?
Ready.gov's list: several days of food and water with a bowl, extra medicine, a pet first aid kit, a backup collar with ID tag and a leash, copies of registration and vaccination records, a carrier or crate for each pet, grooming items, a photo of you with your pet, sanitation supplies such as litter and trash bags, and familiar items like toys or bedding.
How many days of food should a pet emergency kit have?
Ready.gov says to keep several days' supply of both food and water. Check expiry dates when you change your clocks or update your own kit, and swap in fresh food.
How do I find pet-friendly shelters near me?
Ready.gov notes that many public shelters and hotels do not allow pets inside, so identify a safe place before a disaster. Call your local emergency management office or animal control, and list pet-friendly hotels or friends outside your area in your plan.
Should my pet be microchipped?
Ready.gov recommends it, and asks you to keep your address and phone number current with the chip registry and to list an emergency contact outside your immediate area.
What is a pet buddy system?
An arrangement with a neighbor, friend or relative who can care for or evacuate your pet if you cannot get home. Give them a key and a copy of your pet's details.
Does Family Ready have a pet checklist?
Yes. Family Ready's free kit checklist is based on Ready.gov and Get Prepared (Canada) guidance and has optional sections for children, older adults, pets and rural homes. You can edit it.
Pack the bag tonight, keep the list in your pocket
Open Family Ready in the App Store to keep your kit checklist and pet details in one plan.
Updated November 2026
Related
- Family Ready: a family emergency plan on your iPhoneA family emergency plan you build at your own pace: a free offline Emergency Card, household plan sections and a kit checklist. Free on iPhone.
- Emergency plan for single parents: the first weekWhen you are the only adult at home, the plan has to cover you being the emergency. A 7-day first-week plan for single parents, one small task a day.
- File of Life vs Medical ID, hour by hourA fridge packet, an iPhone Medical ID or an app card: one morning with an older parent shows where each works, where each fails, and why to keep two.
- How to teach kids your family emergency planTeach kids your family emergency plan in small pieces: one contact, two meeting places, one paper copy. Plus a 20-second drill to play tonight.