10 Things to Put in Your Pet Emergency Kit (And Where to Keep It)

Things to put in a pet emergency kit need to cover a hurried departure as well as ordinary care away from home. Food and dressings help, but so do a carrier that closes properly, current contacts and supplies for toileting.

Pack for each animal, including the pet who needs a different diet or cannot share a carrier. Keep a manageable departure bag beside a larger home reserve when carrying the whole supply would be impractical.

Ten things to put in a pet emergency kit

1. Current contact and care information

Include your contact details, a backup carer, the regular vet and the out-of-hours clinic. Add the pet's species, identifying details, known conditions and current veterinary instructions. Keep a printed copy in a waterproof sleeve.

Use a contact number that reaches someone who can answer. Add access instructions for a helper who may collect the pet when you are away, without displaying private home-security details on the outside of the bag.

2. Identification records and recent photographs

Pack microchip details, the database contact and copies of ownership or adoption records. Include a clear recent photograph of each pet, showing distinctive markings. Keep the same images accessible offline on your phone.

A photograph of you with the animal can help explain a connection if you are separated. Check tag and database contacts whenever your address or telephone number changes.

3. The pet's usual food

Use food the animal can already eat, with the current feeding instructions. Pack the opener or serving tool needed for that packaging. Check expiry and after-opening storage requirements rather than assuming an unopened tin solves every meal.

CDC's disaster-kit checklist recommends a two-week food reserve for each animal. Treat that as a disaster-preparation target, with a portable portion and a replenishment plan if the full supply is too heavy to carry.

4. Drinking water and usable bowls

Store water and bowls you can clean and use at the destination. CDC also recommends a two-week water reserve. Work out the storage and transport with your household's needs and veterinary advice; do not interpret one bottle as a universal supply.

Keep bowls accessible during the trip, not under the rest of the kit. Check that a folding bowl remains stable and that the pet can drink from it before relying on it.

5. Prescribed medicines and their instructions

Ask the prescribing practice how to prepare an emergency supply, including storage and refill arrangements. Keep original labels and the current instructions. Include the equipment the team has told you to use.

The CDC reserve recommendation does not authorise stockpiling or changing treatment. Medicines needing temperature control require a plan agreed with the veterinary team, particularly during power cuts or evacuation.

6. A carrier or secure transport arrangement

Prepare a carrier for each animal who needs one, or a fit-checked vehicle restraint for a dog where that is the chosen setup. Inspect handles, fastenings and attachment points. Label the carrier with contact details.

Keep carriers near the departure supplies. Do not assume unfamiliar pets can share a carrier in a crisis. Ask your vet about moving an animal with pain or mobility limitations.

7. Spare walking and containment equipment

Pack a spare lead and the collar or harness the dog can safely wear. Choose equipment by secure fit and the animal's behaviour. An unfamiliar slip lead is not a universal escape-proof substitute.

For other species, ask about safe containment at the temporary destination. Test portable pens or barriers before use and avoid placing a small animal within reach of unfamiliar dogs or cats.

8. Toilet and cleaning supplies

Dogs need waste bags and a planned toilet route. Cats need a tray, familiar litter and a scoop. Other species may require different bedding or waste arrangements; pack those instead of using a dog-and-cat list unchanged.

Add paper towels, disposal bags, gloves and pet-safe cleaning supplies used according to their labels. Keep chemicals sealed apart from food. Clean temporary accommodation without exposing the animal to wet product or fumes.

9. Basic first-aid materials

Ask your vet what belongs in the kit for your pet and which skills you should learn. Clean gauze, non-stick dressings, gloves and a towel can be useful starting materials. Pack items you know how to use.

Do not add human medicines or another animal's prescriptions. Bandages, thermometers and handling tools need individual guidance; the presence of a tool should not encourage an unfamiliar procedure during a crisis.

10. Familiar comfort items and practical lighting

Add bedding the pet uses comfortably, a familiar safe toy and a small torch for loading or finding supplies. Choose washable items without loose filling or pieces the animal may swallow. Check batteries and closures.

Keep comfort items separate from wet cleanup supplies. A familiar blanket can make a temporary resting place easier to use, but it does not replace secure containment or a quiet place away from other animals.

Separate the departure bag from the home reserve

Location	Keep ready	Check before relying on it
Departure bag	Contacts, copies, portable food and water, bowls, cleanup and agreed care supplies	One person can lift it and reach essential items
Carrier area	Transport equipment, spare restraint and familiar bedding	Every animal has a safe loading arrangement
Home reserve	Larger disaster supplies stored under label conditions	Food, water and medicines can be rotated and replenished
Separate cold-storage plan	Any prescribed item that cannot stay in the bag	The veterinary team's storage and transport instructions are clear

Leave a visible collection reminder for items stored elsewhere. Name the item and location rather than writing “get medication”. Tell the backup carer which supplies travel with the animal and which remain in the home reserve.

Run a practical collection check

1. Find the bag and carriers without relying on a phone connection.
2. Check that the printed information describes the current care plan.
3. Locate any last-minute collection items.
4. Carry the supplies to the vehicle without leaving an exterior door open.
5. Check loading and restraint with calm practice, not a rushed animal.
6. Put everything back and replace anything used.

For example, Ellis has a dog and a cat. Their food portions and instructions sit in separate labelled pouches. The cat's carrier is beside the bag, while the dog's restraint is already fitted in the vehicle.

The first collection check reveals that the litter scoop is stored in a different room and the reserve water cannot be carried in one trip. Ellis adds a scoop to the bag and splits the portable water into manageable containers.

Keep the kit ready after care changes

• Replace food before it expires or exceeds its storage instructions.
• Update prescriptions and instructions when the veterinary plan changes.
• Replace used dressings and damaged restraints.
• Refresh photographs when appearance changes.
• Check contacts after a move or clinic change.
• Review species-specific supplies when another pet joins the household.

Avoid packing a bag so heavily that nobody can move it, or leaving the only instructions online. Keep the kit accessible to the people using it, while keeping food, chemicals and sharp items away from animals and children.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much food should an emergency kit contain?

CDC recommends a two-week disaster reserve. Separate that reserve from the portion you can carry, follow food-storage instructions and plan replenishment. Your pet's dietary and medical needs may require additional arrangements.

Does each cat need a separate carrier?

Plan safe transport for each animal. Do not rely on pets sharing a carrier simply because they live together. Check carrier size and discuss any individual transport needs with your vet.

Can prescribed medicine remain in the bag?

Only if its storage instructions allow it. Ask the prescribing team about heat, cold, expiry and emergency refills. Use a collection reminder for medicines stored separately.

Should I pack every first-aid tool I see recommended?

Choose supplies with your vet and learn their use. A smaller kit of usable materials is more helpful than unfamiliar tools that could lead to unsafe handling or treatment.

Resources & Links

These sources help you choose supplies for evacuation, disrupted care and safe first aid.

• CDC: Pet Disaster Preparedness Kit — Use the disaster supply checklist and reserve guidance when choosing what to pack.
• FDA: Take Care of Your Pets Before Disaster Strikes — Plan identification, evacuation destinations and the food and medicines pets may need.
• PDSA: First Aid for Pets — Check the uses and limits of basic first-aid supplies before adding them to the bag.

Keep your emergency care information together with the Pet Emergency and Care Info Kit. Get the Pet Emergency and Care Info Kit →