Build your pet emergency kit

You probably own some of this already: only buy the gaps.

1. Their usual food3 daily rationsEssential

   Pack the food your pet already eats: a sudden change of diet on top of a stressful move can upset their stomach. If they already eat dry food, it is the easiest to carry: lighter than tins and fine without a fridge. If they eat wet food, pack that rather than switching, in single-serve pouches or small tins so nothing opened needs a fridge. Stroud District Council’s pet preparedness plan suggests storing it in an airtight, waterproof container.

   One normal daily ration per pet for each day you want to cover. The Government’s Prepare campaign sets no fixed number of days, but it does say “Don’t forget food for pets”. We use three days as a sensible default, the same as our emergency kit list, and it matches the three days of food Stroud District Council’s pet plan asks for. Add a scoop or measure so whoever feeds them gets the amount right, and a tin opener if any of it is tinned.

2. Water and travel bowlsEssential

   Take your own water and a bowl rather than counting on finding either where you end up: Blue Cross’s flood advice is to take your pet’s food, water, bowls and bedding with you. GOV.UK Prepare notes that pets may need water on top of the household’s own supply, and a collapsible bowl or a travel bottle with a built-in trough takes almost no space.

   PDSA does not give a figure: it says a dog’s needs vary with size, health and activity, and to ask your vet what is normal. As a planning guide, the MSD Veterinary Manual puts the daily need of most mammals, in mild conditions, at roughly 44 to 66 ml per kilogram of bodyweight, so a 20 kg dog needs about 0.9 to 1.3 litres a day and a 4 kg cat about 180 to 260 ml. Pets on wet food get some of that from their food, so they drink less from the bowl. Plan on the top of the range, add more in hot weather, multiply by the days you are covering, and do not ration it: PDSA says never to restrict a dog’s water.

   Travel bowls and water bottles compared →
3. Their medicines, with the dose written downEssential

   Any regular medicine your pet takes, in its original packaging, given exactly as your vet prescribed. Write down the name and dose of each one, as Stroud District Council’s pet plan advises, so a different vet or a friend could carry on if you were separated. Nothing to pack if your pet takes nothing.

   Enough for the days you are covering: Blue Cross’s flood advice includes stocking up on any medication your pet takes. Ask your vet whether you can keep a little spare and how best to store and carry it, and rotate it so it never goes out of date.

4. Vaccination record and microchip number1 waterproof pouchEssential

   The RSPCA’s flood advice is to seal microchip numbers, vaccination details and your vet’s details in a watertight bag, and Blue Cross says the same: a sealed bag, with a current photograph of your pet. Kennels, catteries and some pet-friendly accommodation usually ask for proof of vaccination, and the microchip is how a lost animal is traced back to you.

   One waterproof pouch for the household. Check that the microchip database still has your current phone number and address: microchipping is compulsory for dogs across the UK, and for cats in England since 10 June 2024, and the chip only helps if the details behind it are current. In Northern Ireland every dog also needs a dog licence, and the chip must be in place before you apply.

   Waterproof and fireproof document bags compared →
5. Lead and harness, or a secure carrier1 Essential

   Blue Cross’s advice is that dogs travel on a sturdy lead, and cats, rabbits and other small animals in a suitable carrier. In the car, the Highway Code (rule 57, the same in Northern Ireland’s code) says to make sure dogs and other animals are suitably restrained so they cannot distract you while you drive or injure you, or themselves, if you stop quickly: a seat belt harness, pet carrier, dog cage or dog guard. A frightened animal in an unfamiliar place can bolt, so keep them secured until you are indoors.

   One per animal: a lead and harness for each dog, a carrier for each cat or small pet, and a seat belt harness, crate or dog guard for any dog that would otherwise ride loose in the car. Keep the carrier somewhere you can grab it and get your cat used to going in it long before you need it. Blue Cross suggests a blanket over the carrier on the move, to keep your pet warm and help them feel safe.

   Pet carriers compared →
6. Collar and ID tag with your name and address (dogs)Essential

   By law, a dog in a public place must wear a collar with the owner’s name and address on it or on a tag attached to it, with exemptions for a few working dogs: the Control of Dogs Order 1992 in England, Scotland and Wales, and the same rule in Northern Ireland. A tag lets whoever finds a lost dog contact you straight away, without needing a microchip scanner. Cats are different: Cats Protection says the best way to make sure you are reunited is a microchip, because collars can easily come off or get lost, and if your cat wears one, the safest kind is a quick-release collar.

   One per dog, with your current address and a phone number. Nothing to buy if your dog already wears one: check the tag is readable and the details are current when you check the microchip record. Blue Cross’s flood advice includes the same check, that your pet’s microchip and identity tag are up to date.

7. Litter and a tray (cats)Optional

   A cat kept indoors in an unfamiliar room for a day or two needs somewhere to go. A small tray, a bag of the litter they know and a scoop are all it takes, and a disposable tray saves carrying a full-size one.

   Enough litter for the days you are covering. Stroud District Council’s pet plan lists pet litter and a tray among the supplies to keep ready; dog-only households can skip it.

8. Poo bagsOptional

   Wherever you end up, you will still be clearing up after your dog, and a roll weighs nothing. Ordinary shopping, not specialist kit.

   What a normal few days uses, which for most dogs is a single roll. Stroud District Council’s pet plan lists plastic bags among the sanitation supplies to keep ready; there is no official quantity.

9. A blanket, familiar bedding and a favourite toy1 Optional

   The RSPCA suggests keeping favourite toys dry in a flood because they may comfort your pet, and Blue Cross says the same of familiar bedding: animals under stress welcome something that smells of home. A blanket also covers a carrier on the move, and PDSA lists one in a pet first aid kit to use as a stretcher.

   One per animal. Use what they already sleep on; there is nothing to buy.

10. Pet first aid kit1 Optional

    First aid for a pet buys time; it does not replace the vet. PDSA’s advice is that once you have given your pet first aid, you should take them to your vet for a check-up as soon as possible. A small kit lets you cover a wound on the way, or remove a tick.

    One for the household. PDSA’s list includes bandages, blunt-ended scissors, wound wash, cotton wool, tweezers and tick tweezers, dressings and self-adhesive tape, vinyl gloves, antiseptic wipes and a foil blanket. Buy a ready-made pet kit or add the missing pieces to the first aid kit you already have. If you share a kit, keep the human painkillers apart: PDSA’s advice is to only ever give your pet medicines your vet has prescribed, and ibuprofen is toxic to cats and dogs.

    Pet emergency kits compared →
11. A recent photo of each pet1 Essential

    If you are separated, a clear photo is how you describe your animal to a rescue centre, a vet or a neighbour. The RSPCA puts it in the same watertight bag as the microchip and vaccination details, and Blue Cross says to include a current photograph in case they get lost.

    One per animal, printed and on your phone. It costs nothing and takes a minute.

12. Your vet’s number and the out-of-hours numberEssential

    PDSA’s first aid advice ends with getting your pet to the vet, so have the number to hand. Many practices hand nights and weekends to a separate out-of-hours provider, so check which number yours uses, save it, and write both on paper in case your phone is flat.

    Not a purchase. Stroud District Council’s pet plan lists your vet’s and your kennels’ or cattery’s numbers among the things to keep ready; add them to your household emergency plan and check them once a year, because out-of-hours arrangements can change.

    Household emergency plan →
13. Somewhere to go that will take themEssential

    There is no single national rule on pets at council-run rest centres: some councils say theirs cannot take pets at all, others that you may not be able to bring them inside, and assistance animals are usually the exception. So do not plan on turning up with a dog and a cat carrier. Agree now on a friend or relative who lives outside the area at risk, as Blue Cross suggests, and note a pet-friendly hotel, boarding kennels or a cattery as a fallback.

    One agreed place and one fallback, with their phone numbers, written into your household emergency plan. Check your own council’s rest-centre page now rather than at the door.

    Household emergency plan →
14. Rabbits, guinea pigs and other small petsOptional

    Rabbits and guinea pigs do not fit the daily-ration model: they need hay and water available all the time, plus a small measured daily portion of their usual pellets or nuggets. Any small pet needs a secure carrier they know, ideally covered, and some of their own bedding for the smell of home; Blue Cross says birds should travel in a secure cage. Get them into their carrier early, while there is time, because small animals are hard to catch once everyone is rushing.

    We do not size this line because needs vary so much by species and size, but the charities do publish daily amounts for the common ones. PDSA’s guide for a rabbit is hay and grass, ideally unlimited but at least a bundle as big as the rabbit each day, one tablespoon of nuggets once a day (twice if they weigh over 3.5 kg), and constant access to fresh water. Guinea pigs need a fresh portion of guinea-pig pellets every day for vitamin C, so the RSPCA says not to just top up the bowl. Pack a few days of their usual hay and pellets and a bottle or heavy bowl: keep hay and water topped up, and measure the pellets as normal. For hamsters, rats, birds, reptiles and fish, ask your vet what they need on the move.