Pet Evacuation Kit

A few folks may chuckle at this, but ever since I saw the footage of pets that people left behind during Katrina. I have been bouncing around the idea of an Evac. kit for my pet.

This kit is for a cat, but it could be tweaked to suit any pet.

I'll store it on a shelf next to his pet carrier, which has bedding, leash and harness in it.



1. 15qt Sterilite (stores the kit and becomes the litter box)
2. Food
3. Water
4. Litter (small 10 lb bag)
5. Baking Soda (odor control!!!!)
6. Litter scoop
7. Hand sanitizer
8. Bungee cords
9. Small ziplock bags for waste
10. Food and water dish

Packed



Sealed up ready to go!



The brat the kit is for.

Great post!

Some additional suggestions, based on real-world experience:

RFID for pets,

Good photos of pet,

Photos of you with pet (handy to show ownership),

Copies of licenses, especially vaccinations, and "Certificate of Health,"

Contact info for vet,

Collars with IDs, even on cats, at least when evacuating,

Harnesses are more secure than collars,

A hard-sided, airline approved pet carrier, fully labeled, is extremely handy in evacuation situations, and is often required in "pet friendly" or "pets only" shelters,

Pill fob on collar with your temporary evacuation location/contact information and family contact info, copy of vaccinations and registration.

There are even "shelf stable" food packs that can be purchased for this reason. Don't remember the shel life but it was long. We keep dog/cat food extra, but must rotate like everything else. It to will "grow stuff".

Wouldn't canned cat food store for a very long time? Since I have four, plus two dogs, the OP has inspired me. We do reserves on hand, but there's room for improvement.

We used the vacuum sealer to make our own pet food packs. It seems to work ok so far.

According to the cans of 9 Lives in my kit, they are good until Nov. 2011, but my plan is to switch them out every other month and feed him them, while replacing with new.

Good stuff! His carrier will have a harness and leash, but the pictures and copies of paperwork are going in their now!!!

A leash may keep a pet from "Escaping", when attached to the harness. But a pet carrier is better

"...A leash may keep a pet from "Escaping", when attached to the harness..."

My daughters cat, the dumbest cat in the world, can slip out of any harness you put him in. He is now old, fat and lazy (sounds kinda familiar) now, but he can still do it in seconds...

Ditto on the hard sided cat carrier - $25 at local Petcos, one for every cat. Two cats in a carrier are bound to cause issues, especially in a bugout event.

Choose the food your cat will eat, buy at least one bag ahead, and just rotate it into everyday use.

all good ideas..i would take dry and not wet food..it might be easier to dole out small meals of dry in case your out longer than planned..and in case you have to eat it the dry would go down better than that nasty canned stuff-----

Harnesses are not worth crap with cats. Or with dogs, now that I think about it. I'd take a choke chain collar.

Not that it's really your concern, but maybe a cheap small back of Benadryl or Loratidine in the carrier too. Lots of folks are allergic to cats, and if you're stuck in a shelter with someone, they might appreciate the thoughtfulness.

Granted, you shouldn't be "giving" drugs away, but if they ask for one, it's another matter.

Maybe some band-aids too. Cats can get a bit irritated, just like people, in new situations.

something for the cat to calm it down might be a good idea..
i know they make stuff to give to cats that are going to travel..
try Foster and Smith..i have seen "pet drugs" in their catalog.

If your cat does not like carriers or harnesses, may I suggest a pair of gloves to keep handy? Perhaps kevlar… with little ceramic trauma plates…

You mean like a rubber mallet?

Neither one tastes good. Never loose a bet with an empty wallet.

I happen to know that 50 joules of electricity delivered trans-thoracically will calm a small, annoying and highly agitated dog down, like all the way down. Wasn't me, but don't ask.

Catnip works for mine. Doppy, sleepy, drooly little nipheads.

If he or she won't take the carrier... Sucks to be in that car. But it is that, or leave them behind, too dangerous to leave a cat loose in car. Or a dog.

Why is it that catnip is a 50/50 thing? One of our cats looks like she has been hitting the smoke with Tommy Chong and the other looks like he had to dig his way out of Peruvian Marching Powder.

That's on my list, I was waiting to talk to my Vet. before buying anything.

HAHA, actually, he's declawed and pretty passive. Even under stress, he usually wants me to hold him.

A cat kit for the kit-cat!

Even if your cat is a house cat, get him vaccinated against rabies, if he hasn't been. If a person is bitten by a pet animal and the animal has ever had a rabies vaccination (proof required), it is placed in quarantine for 10-14 days. If the animal has never been vaccinated, the animal is euthanized and its brain checked for rabies. This is directly from my vet.

Is the carrier large enough to accomodate both the litter box AND the cat? If not, consider a larger carrier, or a folding wire dog crate (and probably a tarp and cord).

A sturdy pillow case makes an excellent emergency cat carrier, tied with a shoelace. They can breathe through it just fine.

For dogs, be sure to take a tie-out cable, preferably vinyl-jacketed aircraft cable, with a sturdy clip on both ends, and one of those spiral stakes that you twist into the ground (not the dollar store version).

First aid kit for dogs: Hydrogen Peroxide, bandages & gauze (or cling wrap), antibiotic cream (Neosporin), scissors, latex gloves, muzzle, Benedryl (capsule or liquid for insect bites or to calm), PeptoBismol, Immodium.

Sue

We keep an extra radar-dish collar in our BOV dog kit, the kind used when you bring a pet home after surgery to keep them from getting at the stitches. You can get them for next to nothing from the vet. If your pet gets an injury where you will need bandages, more than likely, you will need the hood too.

Include a topical fleacide in the first aid kit.

Fat man with two German Shepherds scratching their ears walks by to ask
a quick thread hijacking question:

Has anyone (especially in Texas) noticed a HUGE increase in the flea population? For the first time in 14 years we have recently had a flea problem. Chris' idea above is a darn good idea and got me thinking.

Fat man and GSD's amble on by for another dog bath and flea treatment.

He just got his shots updated last month during his Senior Pet Checkup!

Even though he is declawed and does not go outside, we have strays that roam the neighborhood so we keep his shots up just in case.

The pillow case thing is a good idea!

I totally neglected bugging out with pets.
We've got 3 cats and 1 Lab/English Mastiff dog.
We can't leave them behind, they are family too.

I got a large plastic box (15-20 gal size), with a lid, for my pet's BoB and 2 Pet Carriers.

I keep the following in the Pet's BoB:
20LBS-Kibbles and Bits
Medical records (their's)
Medications (their's)
1 tennis ball (the older dog's)
1 chew toy (the younger dog)
Doggie FAK (I found this @ my local Feed & Seed store)
2 food & 2 water bowls

I do have to add the following if their BoB is needed:
2 leashes (their's)
1 Stake Out Pin
2 Doggie Beds (their's)
More tennis balls (older dog)
More chew toys (younger dog)
Puppy Cow (younger dog, if he still eats it when BoB's needed)

I keep a big fluffy towel in each of the Pet Carriers

DEFICIENCIES:
I need to add a package of bed chucks

Note:
Nighttime sleeping arrangements are that the younger dog puts my DD1 (severely handicapped) to bed & sleeps with her (it's his job); The older dog sleeps with me and my DW.

I am looking for some packs that would fit the dogs, although they are small (Boston Terrier mixed breeds), they can carry some of their own gear.

Give me some time for packs as I may have a source if I can find her. Kinda flaky lady but makes good quality gear when she isn't sampling the 'shrooms and going to the latest "convention". Really worried about asking what the "convention" is.

Since Boston Terriers are kinda small it's hard to find ready made stuff, but try REI if I fail.

Thanks!!!!

Yep one of my BOG's is a cat evac with food, litter, first aid kit (pet specific), litter box, and dishes.

Their vaccine and health records are with our other important papers for evac.

I thought pets weren't allowed in shelters?

Kelty makes a dog pack that fits my JRT who's about 22 lbs and 8-10" high at the shoulder. One thing I've read is that dogs shouldn't carry more than 10% of their body weight. My dog's pack carries a couple days of food, waste bags and a spare leash. I carry an extra water bottle with a built in trough for the dog.

By the way, a little dog with a backpack really makes women go "Oh, isn't he cute?", the dog, not me...

That sounds good. 2 water bottles and some food would do my older dog (the KING of our animal kingdom) and would also be right for the younger dog (the Court Jester, Heir to the Throne of our animal kingdom)!!

Since Katrina, most of the agencies have some designated "pet friendly" shelters

The "Pets Evacuation and Transport Standards Act of 2006" or PETS Act of 2006 requires "plans that take into account the needs of individuals with pets and service animals prior to, during and following a major disaster or emergency".

This is another example of the increasing awareness of "special needs" and a migration towards an "all populuations" hazard. "Special Needs" has been renamed "Universal Access" in Connecticut because of this. Note that "Special Needs" includes:



http://www.ncd.gov/newsroom/publications/2005/saving_lives.htm

Gotta jump in before reading the entire thread.

Bear_Claw_Chris_Lapp - don't worry about the chuckles. It is a real issue. To me, family is family no matter how many legs, fins, wings, or scales one has.

We have adapted all kits to contain some dog items. All cars have grooming aids, leads, 2 stainless steel bowls, and extra collars AND harnesses.

We have a Bug Out Bag which includes all of those items, 4 SS bowls, as well as a couple of sweaters (dog is VERY short-haired & doesn't have much fur, a floatation vest, a couple LED collars, some FAK items, tick-key, and both outdoor and indoor TOYS...the latter is very important for keeping stress down. We also have a couple of small fleece blankets as well as carry more blankets in each car. We have a colding crate for times when we'll need to be away from home. Our dog has full run of the house at home. We can't count on that on the road. Also add some cleaning liquid in a secure bottle and some sponges so we can wash stuff.

We bought a good number of tags with info from http://www.pettags.com/ . They last a LONG time and work well as zipper pulls in addition to ID on harnesses and collars. We have them on the BOB as well as on each of our own and the car kits. We get the plastic ones and round-shaped. More text can be put onto the round plastic shapes than any of the others. We get them printed on BOTH sides with pertinent info (different each side). VERY handy indeed though thankfully we haven't had to fully test the system. BTW, those tags are also handy for HUMAN info on your other items.

We're in the process of putting together a first aid meds kit which will also include things like heartguard and frontline. I abhor plastic so I'm looking for smaller containers which might be a metal that wouldn't react with meds.

Bags for dog cleanup. Even if you're out away from folks, if you don't cleanup, those night walks could be messy...as well as tent re-entry or going back into the car/hotel/house.

We have an Elizabethan collar (neck cone) in there as well just in case an injury or rash or something might make the dog chew, excessively lick, chew out stitches, etc.

We love the Guyot Designs standard bottles (http://www.guyotdesigns.com/stainlessbottles) and not only do we use them DAILY but we have one packed for pooch and a water carrier should it be needed. A little overkill, but something SERIOUS would have to happen before a Guyot bottle was rendered unusable.

We do find ourselves robbing/using the kits fairly regularly as we frequently change plans and may stay somewhere or need a water bowl, etc.

BTW, many of the above do have multiple functions/uses built-in. ..even for the two-legged crowd.

I'm working on pictures for the cars and BOBs now. I've been taking shots of all sides and anywhere there is a mark or spot. I'll evaluate and make composite sheets with printed text. A friend suggested a "missing" poster/page ready to go wih a little fill-in-the-blank info to be added later. I hadn't considered it before but it seems like it would be very good for both the house and the kits since time is a real issue.

Regarding packs for dogs to wear: Please don't attempt to put packs on breeds known for spinal problems, like Dachshunds and Cocker Spaniels. Try to keep the majority of the weight near the shoulders.

And get them used to wearing one before actual need arises.

Sue

Wise advice,,,thanks, Sue.

I forgot to mention that if we have to Bug Out, I also put the dogs' shirts and coats into the BoB, during the winter.

We store their shirts and coats in their BoB box during the warm months.

Keep in mind that changing a pet's food can result in "unpleasant" side effects under normal conditions, much less a stressed situation. Those side effects can add to your own stress also. I send this as one of my German Shepherds just left me a airborne "gift".

+1 on the diet change.

I know many people buy food according to advertising or price tag. Reading the ingredients can be a help. The cheap foods start their ingredient list with things like corn, corn meal, wheat, barley, etc. That kind of stuff is really chicken feed, filler, not dog food, and they tend to pass through undigested. Those ingredients tend to produce a lot of "airborne gifts" and large, ploppy stools, maybe not what you would want in limited survival quarters. FWIW.

Sue

+1 sue...premium foods mean healthier animals and FAR less cleanup as well as other...<AHEM> "issues". Plus you feed less, carry less food, and buy far less often.

To give you an idea on the amount of savings possible look to this example....

My mother-in-law adopted a German Shepherd that was headed for euthanasia that day. She started her on "W4l-M4r7" store brand until I could get up there to take a look at her. Once I moved her to a high quality diet that was actually 3 times (or more) the cost for a same size bag the overall food bill went down. The pup didn't need as much kibble to get the nutrients she needed and the "full" feeling she wanted.

It may be counterintuitive, but QUALITY food that is more expensive will in the long run reduce your food bill. Unless you have a Siberian Husky like my wife's dog. She does not understand when to say when. Looks like a grey and white fluffy sausage with legs.

We have "strange" dietary requirements for out cats

The two "Old" cats have chronic renal failure (CRF), and have to have CRF food, Saussi is/was a very picky eater, particularly when stressed - in fact, he almost died when we brought him home in October due to not eating. Saussi and Suiki - brothers - belonged to my wife's best friend, who was also MY best Friends Mom (yes, my wife's best friend was older than any of our parents). Helen died the last week of September, and we took he cats (as we promised to do 5 years ago when she adopted the kittens)

Anyway, cat food wise, we have the special CRF food, the regular kibble (which all 4 cats love - even though the fun is keeping the 2 old cats out of it, while allowing Saussi 24/7 access), plus Saussi's canned food (which his brother loves too) - along with a ringers lactate set to do sub-q fluids on the old cats

I had the opposite problem - I could not keep the 2 well cats out of the CRF food. So they all ate it, mixed with regular food. Now 2 out of the 3 need the CRF, so it all worked out - no dietary changes.
On another note, that brings to mind that not only might you need to have your pets medicine in a pet kit, but also provisions for refrigerating some of that medicine. Last week I started giving twice daily insulin shots to one of the cats. That insulin needs to be refrigerated or it dies. And since it has a relatively short shelf life, you can't just get some and keep it on hand for an extended "just in case" scenario.

Bo,

Uh, Uhem, well ya see...

I don't think we will be seeing the flaky lady for a while. Seems to have fallen off the face of the planet. While not unusual, there were remnants of crime scene tape on the door to her accommodations. I suspect she was "cooking" in addition to sewing (always suspected something) and got caught. Either that or something worse happened which would be sad, but not unusual for that area.

Try REI online

Mylar blanket to retain body heat during cold weather, and deflect heat in hot weather.

Fan and spray bottle of water.

Pets got very hot while evac'ing Rita. Temps were high 90s, maybe even 100s; traffic was very slow or not moving at all, so no wind to cool them, and the truck overheated if running the AC while in park for long periods of time. I sprayed their tummies and used a small towel to apply water to their ears, then fanned them. We sprayed ourselves a lot too. My dog-show friend is the one that suggested the mylar blankets.

There's a new poster on the forum. Welcome, please stick around for a while.

Welcome to the board, Shreela!

Good idea on the spray bottle. Dogs can only really cool themselves by panting and through the pads of their feet. In hot weather, I fill a rigid plastic wading pool in a usually-shady spot. My dog jumps into it and stands there to drink. Multi-purpose: water bowl and foot cooler.

Sue

Sue,

We used to have a Collie/Chesapeake Retriever mix that had long, black fur. She was always hot (panting) when we went to the cottage (no a/c). She did not like the water (lake) but sometimes she would walk in up to her belly and drink (even bigger water bowl).

Now I know why she did that (cool her feet). Thanks for the info!

I hadn't even thought of that but having been trapped on a freeway for HOURS, it makes a lot of sense.

BTW, when you mention a fan...I assume you mean a folding hand fan or something similar, correct?

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread.

One thing that I always have with me when traveling with dogs is a muzzle. Yes I know how to improvise one and have done so, but a nylon muzzle like a Miki muzzle is cheap, easy to carry, more effective, and more comfortable for the dog.

If your dog is injured, a muzzle can literally be a life saver for the dog. In a disaster or rescue situation it is more likely for your dog to be allowed in a transport vehicle or shelter if he can be securely muzzled. Some agencies/pilots require that we muzzle our SAR dogs for transport. These are the same agencies/pilots that will be providing transport in a disaster or rescue.

Muzzles aren't EDC, but they go wherever the dogs go. Plus backups in the disaster kit and BOBs.