Pet emergency kit: preparing for your dog or cat (2026)
Official advice on emergencies rightly focuses on people, but for most households a pet is family — and a flood, fire or evacuation is far less stressful if you've thought about them in advance. A small pet emergency kit means your dog or cat has food, water, ID and a way to travel if you have to leave home quickly. Here's what to include.
By Tom Rowland · Updated 18 July 2026 · 6 products, price-tracked
Before you buy
Start with the two things that actually reunite you with a lost pet, because they cost little and matter most: an ID tag with your current phone number, and an up-to-date microchip (checking and updating your details on the microchip database is free, and it's a legal requirement for dogs and now cats in England). In the chaos of an evacuation, ID is what gets your pet home.
Then the means to move and contain them. A correctly-sized carrier is essential for a cat or small animal and reassuring for a nervous dog — soft-sided ones are lighter and store flat. Keep a spare lead and a well-fitting collar or harness with the kit. For nervous pets, a familiar blanket or toy in the carrier reduces stress enormously.
Finally, a few days of their essentials: a supply of their usual food (rotated so it stays in date) and water, collapsible travel bowls, any medication with a copy of the prescription, poo bags or a litter tray, and a recent photo of your pet (on your phone and printed) to prove ownership and help if they're lost. Keep it all with your family grab bag so it leaves when you do.
Top pick: Collapsible Travel Pet Bowls (pair). A cheap, sensible bit of kit that packs flat and weighs almost nothing, so it earns its place in an emergency bag or the car. Food-grade silicone is fine for both food and water, and there is little to go wrong.
| Item | For | Includes | Pieces | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collapsible Travel Pet Bowls (pair)TOP PICK | Dogs and cats (small to medium) | Two food-grade silicone bowls with carabiner clips | 2 | £8.00at usual price | Check price → |
| Pet Emergency Go-Bag | Dogs and cats | Collapsible food/water bowls, 2-3 days of food, blanket, pet first-aid kit, waste bags, spare lead, litter/tray for cats, and copies of vet/microchip records | — | £30.00at usual price | Check price → |
| Pet First Aid Kit | Dogs, cats & small pets | Bandages, gauze, saline pods, antiseptic wipes, tick remover, tweezers, scissors, tape, gloves, foil blanket, collapsible bowl, waste bags | 100 | £13.00at usual price | Check price → |
| Dog Travel Water Bottle | Dogs | Squeeze bottle with integrated flip-up drinking trough/bowl lid and water return | 1 | £11.00at usual price | Check price → |
| Soft-Sided Pet Carrier | Cats & small dogs up to ~7kg | Carrier, removable fleece pad, shoulder strap, inner safety clip | 1 | £25.00at usual price | Check price → |
| Reflective Pet Collar & Lead Safety Set | Dogs | Reflective collar + matching lead | 2 | £12.00at usual price | Check price → |
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Collapsible Travel Pet Bowls (pair)
Who it's for: Keeping a pet fed and watered in a grab bag or car boot without adding bulk or weight.
A cheap, sensible bit of kit that packs flat and weighs almost nothing, so it earns its place in an emergency bag or the car. Food-grade silicone is fine for both food and water, and there is little to go wrong.
- Collapses flat and weighs very little, so it adds negligible bulk to a grab bag or day pack
- Food-grade silicone is dishwasher-safe and copes with both food and water
- Very inexpensive, and having a pair means one for food and one for water
- Thin, flexible walls can tip or fold on uneven ground when full
- Silicone can hold onto smells and pick up grit if not rinsed properly
Don't buy if You have a large or boisterous dog that needs a decent volume of water and will simply knock a lightweight collapsible bowl over. A rigid or non-slip bowl serves better, and if you have no pet at all, skip this entirely.
Pet Emergency Go-Bag
Who it's for: Dog and cat owners who want a ready-to-grab pet kit for an evacuation or short-notice stay away from home.
A pet go-bag is a sensible, low-cost piece of household resilience: a few days of food, water bowls, first aid, waste bags and copies of your pet's records kept in one grabbable bag by the door. Off-the-shelf kits save assembly time, but you will still need to add your own pet's food, any medication and up-to-date paperwork before it is genuinely ready.
- Keeps roughly 72 hours of pet essentials in one place, so nothing is forgotten in a rush.
- Inexpensive, and easy to assemble yourself using the PDSA's free checklist.
- Collapsible bowls and a folded blanket keep it compact enough to store by the front door.
- Pre-made kits rarely include your specific pet's food or medication, so they are never complete straight out of the box.
- Piece counts and quality vary widely between sellers; some 'kits' are little more than a small first-aid pouch.
Don't buy if You are happy to spend ten minutes assembling one yourself. A homemade bag built from a spare lead, collapsible bowls and copies of your pet's records will match most paid kits for less, following the PDSA's free checklist.
Pet First Aid Kit
Who it's for: Dog walkers and multi-pet households wanting a grab-and-go bag for minor scrapes and ticks.
A sensible, low-cost way to keep the basics — bandages, saline, a tick remover — together for walks, the car or the caravan. It handles minor mishaps, but it is a stopgap on the way to a vet, not a substitute for one.
- Inexpensive and covers everyday minor injuries — grazes, small cuts and ticks
- Compact enough for a rucksack, car or caravan, and suits most pets
- A decent tick remover and saline pods are genuinely useful on UK walks
- Advertised piece counts are inflated by cheap consumables — plasters and swabs stick poorly to fur
- Scissors and tweezers are often basic, and there is no first-aid know-how in the box
Don't buy if Don't buy if you already keep a decent household first aid kit — adding a pet tick remover, vet wrap and a foil blanket to it costs less and works just as well.
Dog Travel Water Bottle
Who it's for: Offering your dog water on walks, hikes and hot-day car journeys without carrying a separate bowl.
A cheap, genuinely useful bit of kit: the flip-out trough lets you give your dog a drink one-handed and tip the leftover back into the bottle, so nothing is wasted. Generic quality varies, but at this price a leak-proof one earns its place in a car or day pack.
- Lightweight and one-handed to use; the lid doubles as the bowl so there's nothing extra to carry
- Water-return feature means unused water flows back in rather than being tipped away
- Inexpensive and widely stocked, so easy to replace if the lid wears out
- Build quality is inconsistent across unbranded sellers; some develop leaks or stiff buttons over time
- 350-550ml is fine for a walk but not enough as your only water source on a long, hot day out
Don't buy if Don't buy if you already carry a normal water bottle and a collapsible bowl, or if you have a large dog on all-day hikes — you'll want a bigger flask or a dedicated container rather than a small squeeze bottle.
Soft-Sided Pet Carrier
Who it's for: Getting a cat or small dog out the door quickly if you have to leave home.
A light, foldable carrier that earns its place in a pet grab-bag: it packs flat, sits comfortably over the shoulder, and is fine for a short journey to a car, vet or relative's. It is a sensible, low-cost choice rather than a rugged one, so treat it as your evacuation option, not your everyday transport for a large or anxious animal.
- Folds flat and weighs little, so it stores in a cupboard or grab-bag without taking space
- Mesh panels give good ventilation and let a nervous pet see out, which most animals settle into better
- The removable fleece pad wipes down or washes, and the shoulder strap frees your hands during an evacuation
- Soft sides and zips offer far less protection than a hard carrier in a car or if the pet is dropped
- A determined cat can claw or push at the mesh, and cheaper zips can be worked open by a stressed animal
Don't buy if Don't buy this if your pet is large, strong, or panics easily, or if it's your main way of travelling by car. A rigid, top-loading carrier is more secure and safer in a collision. This is a grab-and-go bag, not a crash-tested crate.
Reflective Pet Collar & Lead Safety Set
Who it's for: Keeping a dog visible to drivers on dark-hour or power-cut walks.
A low-cost, sensible addition to a pet emergency kit: the reflective webbing makes your dog far easier for drivers to spot when a torch or headlights catch it. Build quality on generic sets varies, so check the clip and stitching before relying on it.
- Inexpensive and a genuinely useful bit of household preparedness for winter walks, power cuts or an evacuation on foot
- Reflective material lights up clearly under headlights or a torch, improving roadside visibility
- Matching collar and lead in one purchase keeps things simple and consistent
- Reflective, not self-illuminating - it only shows up when a light source hits it, so it does nothing in pitch dark with no cars or torch around
- Generic sets vary in quality; clips and stitching may not suit a large or strong-pulling dog
Don't buy if Don't buy if you have a big, strong puller - choose a heavier-duty rated collar and lead instead - or if you want active glow in total darkness, in which case a battery LED collar is the better call.
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Common questions
What should be in a pet emergency kit?
A correctly-sized carrier, a few days of their usual food and water, collapsible travel bowls, an ID tag and spare lead, any medication with a copy of the prescription, poo bags or a litter tray, and a recent photo of your pet.
What's the most important thing for pet safety in an emergency?
Identification — an ID tag with your current number and up-to-date microchip details. Updating the microchip database is free, and it's what reunites you with your pet if you're separated during a flood, fire or evacuation.
Do I need to buy a pre-made pet emergency kit?
No — most of what your pet needs you already own, so assembling your own is cheaper and better tailored. The worthwhile buys are a sturdy carrier, collapsible bowls and up-to-date ID; improvise the rest from what you have.
How much pet food should I store for an emergency?
A few days of their usual food, rotated so it stays in date, along with water and collapsible travel bowls. Keeping to their normal food avoids upsetting their stomach at an already stressful time.
What kind of carrier is best for emergencies?
A correctly-sized, sturdy carrier — essential for a cat or small animal and reassuring for a nervous dog. Soft-sided carriers are lighter and store flat, and a familiar blanket or toy inside helps a stressed pet settle.
Is microchipping required in the UK?
Yes — microchipping is a legal requirement for dogs, and now for owned cats in England too. Keep the details registered on the database current, since an out-of-date chip can't reunite you with a lost pet.