Pet disaster preparedness for four emergencies

Written from the sources below on 17 October 2026. How we use sources.

A hurricane, a flood, a wildfire and a winter storm each put a pet at risk in a different way. The plan starts the same way every time: a place to go, a kit by the door, a tag and a microchip that work, and a carrier your pet already knows.

This guide covers the four emergencies owners ask about most. The source is named in each sentence and listed at the bottom. For the packing list, use the printable pet emergency kit checklist or the one-page PDF.

Start here: what every emergency needs

• Your pet leaves when you do. Ready.gov says that if local officials order an evacuation, pets should evacuate too. The ASPCA puts it this way: if it is not safe for you, it is not safe for your pets.
• Find a place that takes pets before you need one. Ready.gov warns that many public shelters and hotels do not allow pets inside. The Government of Canada says most evacuation shelters accept only service animals. The American Red Cross says its shelter workers will do all they can to accommodate household pets, but pets may be housed in a different place.
• The ASPCA lists four choices: boarding kennels your vet recommends, a local animal shelter that offers emergency shelter or foster care, pet-friendly hotels outside your area, and friends or relatives outside your area.
• Call hotels along your route ahead of time and ask whether a no-pet rule can be waived in an emergency (American Red Cross).
• Keep two kits, says Ready.gov: a larger one for staying home and a light one for leaving in a hurry.
• Make sure a lost pet can be traced to you. The ASPCA says a tag should show your pet's name, your phone number and any urgent medical needs, and it recommends a microchip. Ready.gov adds: keep the chip's address and phone number current, and list an emergency contact outside your area.
• Name a backup person. The ASPCA suggests a neighbor who is usually home during the day and has a key.
• Practice. Ready.gov says to leave the carrier out and open, put treats and a familiar blanket inside, and note where your pets hide so you can find them fast. The AVMA says to keep a list of your animals and their favorite hiding spots with your evacuation supplies.
• Put a rescue alert sticker on or near your front door, with the kinds and number of pets and your vet's name and number (ASPCA). You can print one with our wallet card and window sticker.

Hurricane

Ready.gov says that if you live in a mandatory evacuation zone and local officials tell you to evacuate, do so immediately. Learn your routes ahead of time, practice them with your household and pets, and decide where you will stay.

• Put pet supplies in your go bag or car trunk (Ready.gov).
• Bring pets indoors at the first sign or warning of a storm. The ASPCA says pets can become disoriented and wander away from home in a crisis. The CDC says never to leave a pet chained outdoors.
• If you stay home, pick an interior room with few or no windows. The CDC says to remove toxic chemicals and plants and to close off small spaces where a frightened cat could get stuck. The ASPCA suggests easy-to-clean rooms such as utility rooms and bathrooms, and filling bathtubs and sinks with water ahead of time if the power may go out.
• After the storm, keep your pet under your direct control. The Red Cross says fences and gates may be damaged and that a pet's behavior can change dramatically, becoming aggressive or defensive. Watch for debris and spilled chemicals at nose and paw level. Ready.gov notes that floodwater after a hurricane can contain debris, chemicals, waste and wildlife.

See also Hurricane awareness tips.

Flood

• Ready.gov says to include your pets in your household flood plan, so everyone knows what to do and where to go.
• The ASPCA says that if you live where floods happen, plan for them and always evacuate early.
• Do not walk, swim or drive through floodwater, says Ready.gov. Six inches of moving water can knock you down, and one foot can sweep a vehicle away. Do not drive around barricades.
• If you cannot leave, the ASPCA says to go to the highest place in your home, or to a room with counters or high shelves where your animals can climb.
• After a flood, keep pets away from standing water. The CDC says to avoid stagnant water and not to let pets play in or drink contaminated water. It says leptospirosis spreads through contact with infected urine or with contaminated water, soil and food, and that you should wash your hands after contact with urine.
• Keep your pet in a carrier or on a leash and away from wildlife and stray animals (CDC). Ready.gov adds that snakes and other animals may be in your house.

Wildfire

• Ready.gov says to evacuate immediately if authorities tell you to, to learn your evacuation routes in advance and to know where you will go. It also says to practice with your pets.
• Do not return home until authorities say it is safe (Ready.gov).
• The EPA's fact sheet on pets and wildfire smoke says to have each pet permanently identified, for example with a microchip, and to know where your pets will be allowed to go, since not all emergency shelters accept pets. Know where your pets hide when stressed, and get them used to their carriers.
• The EPA says covering a carrier with a sheet during transport may calm a nervous pet. If you must leave a pet behind, never tie it up.

Smoke at home

The EPA says smoke can irritate a pet's eyes and airways. Older and younger animals, pregnant animals, and animals with heart or lung disease are especially at risk and should be watched closely. It advises talking to your vet about how to manage a smoke event.

• Keep pets indoors as much as you can, with doors and windows closed if you can stay cool. Keep outdoor bathroom breaks short, and make water available at all times (EPA).
• Keep indoor air clean. The EPA says that frying, broiling, vacuuming, candles, fireplaces and smoking or vaping add particles to your home.
• Short-nosed dogs, such as pugs and bulldogs, can have trouble breathing in smoke or heat. Pet birds are particularly susceptible to smoke, so keep them inside, in a cleaner air room if possible (EPA).
• Ready.gov says to pick a room you can close off from outdoor air and run a portable air cleaner in it. The EPA points to the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map for air quality.
• Call your vet if you see excessive coughing or gagging, trouble breathing, red or watery eyes, excessive panting, or fatigue, weakness or stumbling (EPA). The EPA adds that cats may be restless, look for a cool spot, pant, drool and have sweaty paws.

Winter storm

• Ready.gov lists pets among those at greater risk in a winter storm and says to remember their needs. The AVMA says to be ready for gas, electricity, phone, internet and local food, water and fuel to be cut off for extended periods. Its evacuation kit holds a 2-week supply of food and of water, and the CDC lists the same.
• Keep pets inside. The ASPCA says that if it is too cold for you, it is probably too cold for your pet, and that pets left outside can freeze, become disoriented, lost, stolen, injured or killed.
• Give your pet a warm sleeping spot off the floor and away from drafts, with a bed and blanket. The ASPCA says pets burn more energy staying warm, so feed a little extra and make sure they have plenty of water.
• If a pet cannot come indoors, the Red Cross passes on advice from the Humane Society of the United States: a dry, draft-free enclosure big enough to sit and lie down in but small enough to hold in body heat, with the floor raised a few inches and covered with cedar shavings or straw, turned away from the wind, with the doorway covered in waterproof burlap or heavy plastic. Make sure food and water are not blocked by snow drifts or ice.
• Never let a dog off the leash on snow or ice, especially in a snowstorm, says the ASPCA. Dogs can lose their scent and get lost. Make sure your dog always wears an ID tag.
• Do not leave a pet alone in a car in cold weather. The ASPCA says a car can act like a refrigerator and cause animals to freeze.
• The Red Cross says that salt and other chemicals used to melt snow and ice can irritate paws, so wipe them with a damp towel before your pet licks them. Antifreeze is a deadly poison: wipe up spills and keep it out of reach. If you think a pet swallowed antifreeze or another toxin, the ASPCA says to contact your vet or ASPCA Poison Control right away. The number is on the ASPCA cold weather page.
• If you run a generator in an outage, Ready.gov says to use generators and fuel outdoors, at least 20 feet from windows, doors and attached garages, and to put carbon monoxide detectors on every level of your home. It calls carbon monoxide a colorless, odorless gas that can kill you, your family and pets.

After any emergency

• When you let animals out of carriers, release cats, dogs and other small animals indoors only. The AVMA says they could meet dangerous wildlife and debris outside. It also says to let animals rest and sleep undisturbed so they can recover from the stress.
• The Red Cross says to call your vet if behavior problems last.
• If a pet is lost, the AVMA says to check animal control and animal shelters in person every day, post waterproof lost animal notices, tell law enforcement, animal control, vets and neighbors, and tell the microchip registry if your pet has a chip. Find local help lists organizations by province, territory and state.

Print and keep

• Printable pet emergency kit checklist, with the source of each item.
• Pet emergency kit checklist as a free PDF, one page in Letter or A4.
• Pet emergency wallet card and window sticker, to fill in by hand.

Questions people ask

What should I do with my pet during a hurricane?

Bring pets indoors at the first sign or warning of a storm (ASPCA), and never leave a pet chained outdoors (CDC). If local officials tell you to evacuate, go: Ready.gov says pets should evacuate too. If you stay home, pick an interior room with few or no windows, and remove toxic chemicals and plants (CDC).

What is the evacuation plan for a hurricane?

Ready.gov says to learn your evacuation routes ahead of time, practice them with your household and pets, and decide where you will stay. If you live in a mandatory evacuation zone and local officials tell you to evacuate, do so immediately. Put pet supplies in your go bag or car trunk.

What happens to pets during an evacuation?

It depends on where you go. Ready.gov warns that many public shelters and hotels do not allow pets inside. The Government of Canada says most evacuation shelters accept only service animals. The American Red Cross says its shelter workers will do all they can to accommodate household pets, but pets may be housed in a different place. So find a place that takes pets before you need one. For US state laws, see Pet-friendly evacuation by state.

How can someone find my pet if we get separated?

The ASPCA says a tag should show your pet's name, your phone number and any urgent medical needs, and it recommends a microchip. Ready.gov adds: keep the chip's address and phone number current, and list an emergency contact outside your area.