Emergency Prep Pt II | The Kit
As a person with Pinterest ambitions and Dopey capabilities, I find expectation v. reality memes to be hilariously relatable (read: free therapy). However, I did not think that I’d be experiencing my own expectation v. reality delta when it came to pet emergency kits. Since I have invested more than 15 hours exploring this rabbit hole, and since we all know that book learning = experiential learning (ha!), I assumed that if the time came, I’d do it perfectly. (Lol! Doing things perfectly is definitely in my track record! :) Also, to be fully honest, I subconsciously assumed that I would not actually ever need this information. Especially not a mere few days after completing the research. Talk about putting what you learned to the test!
Long story short, a neighborhood fire compelled us to evacuate our home, and hell hath no fury like a cat thrust into change! Thankfully, we were safe and together, and when we returned home, all was well. The disaster preparedness research I had geeked out on was not for naught, as Junipurr had her essentials and some favorite emotional comfort items too. But I did learn a few things. If you are thinking about preemptively and thoroughly assembling your furbabies’ emergency kit, please learn from my mistake and just do it!
Without further ado, here is (1) what you should bring, according to veterinarian emergency services experts; (2) what I actually packed and an evaluation of their utility; and, (3) what I wish I had packed, including ideas not mentioned by the experts.
Let’s dive in!
What You Should Bring
I am a visual learner, so I created the following infographic after cross-referencing multiple checklists. It’s modified to remove items Junipurr doesn’t need or I don’t have the physical strength to carry, especially along with her hefty self in her carrier/mansion (alas, I do not have Michelle arms…yet). Feel free to save, print, and share as you assemble your own furbaby emergency kit. Also, the free emergency kit checklist for cats from Pet Porter Pals is by far the most comprehensive list I’ve found. (Checklists are also available for dogs, birds, reptiles, small animals, and fish. Amen to no animals left behind!)
Note:
Medical records. Keep your baby’s medical records physically (in a protected, water-safe bag) AND virtually (in case the situation does not allow for grabbing of papers)
Food, water, and some first aid kit items need to be refreshed periodically. Yup, that includes Band-Aids, which do not technically expire but do lose their adhesiveness
Pet alert stickers. Though these do not go in the kit, placing pet alert stickers visibly near all major points of entry in your home is a part of making your home prepared. Obviously, if at all possible, I plan on being home with Junipurr and taking her out directly with me. But in the event (God forbid!) that I am not home or am not able, I want emergency workers to know that a furbaby lives here and needs to be rescued.
What I Actually Packed: A Reckoning
Medication (i.e. flea med because it was about to be that time of the month) + health records. I did not, alas, remember the first aid kit.
Food - Brought a small mountain for my girl, because my cultural conditioning that food is love took over in the hurry. To be exact, I brought 35 cans and a jar of kibbles for Junipurr, plus one granola bar for FP and I to share. I know, I know! I’m not saying I’m proud of these decisions.
Water - Two bottles of water (33.8 fl oz) only, because I anticipated there’d be plenty of clean water in our evacuation spot. Thankfully, this was an accurate assumption. For the future, though, I am going to get this lightweight collapsible water carrier used by backpackers because regular plastic water bottles are inefficient and insufficient.
1 bowl and 1 spoon - Should have brought two, one for food and one for water! Also, though I stand by ceramic bowls for the home, a lightweight material would have been easier and less accident prone. Again, since backpackers have this down to a science, I ordered these backpacking bowls for pets.
ID records - I packed all of Junipurr’s important papers, and I had my phone, which is literally 72% Juni photos because I’m a stereotypical cat mama #sorrynotsorry
Harness - Her favorite tiger harness, with tag attached. Or so I thought. I forgot that the tag fell off and hadn’t yet been replaced. Bad Mama!
Toy - Her favorite bunny kicker, which she has had since babyhood, so it must be an OG scent diffuser. I thought it was best to not bring a wand toy because of the potential safety hazard. This proved to be incorrect (more below).
Scent comforters - In the form of a sweater each from FP and me
Brush - One thing I brought that is not mentioned in the experts’ kits - a cat parenting stroke of genius! - is Junipurr’s favorite brush. Babygirl LOVES being brushed, and being brushed did indeed bring her comfort during the stressful few days we were away from home.
5 Things I wish I Had Brought:
To paraphrase 1900: Why why why why why … did I not bring these?! Sigh. Life is learning, eh?
Litterbox - Not only was buying a new litterbox, hood, and bag of litter to replicate our system at home an unnecessary expense, but having her own litterbox would have been such an incredible scent emanate-r. And cats, as we know, are primarily anchored by their sense of smell. To quote Jackson Galaxy: “scent signposts and scent soakers [are what] give them a sense of security,” and the litterbox is “the king of all signposts and the mother of all scent soakers.”
Blanket - Specifically Juni’s beloved pink microfiber which she makes biscuits on and cuddles with every night. In my haste, I brought two sweaters, one of her FP and one of mine, thinking she’d find it comforting to smell us. Nope, she finds it more comforting to smell herself. Also, importantly, our evacuation spot was much colder than our usual home temperature. #parentingfail
Wand/string toy - I intentionally chose to not bring a wand toy, despite their being Juni’s favorite form of play, for fear of their pointy ends. Oops! The kicker toy I brought didn’t give Juni the joyful release of chasing something around, which would have helped immensely with the anxiety management everyday. Lesson learned: bring a toy that is more likely to have your furbaby moving and grooving! Side note: does exercise release dopamine for cats too?
Can food lid - If your cat also eats less than a full can per meal, a reusable food lid weighs very little and is good to bring. I have multiple of these (love them!) but for some reason thought that I could just hold the opened cans in my palms between meal time and use ESP to keep the remaining food clean and safe…?
Microwaveable heat pad - This is neither mentioned by the experts nor something Juni uses in her daily life at home. However, bringing her heated bed would have been bulky and challenging, so maybe bringing my heat pad and placing it under a blanket could have served as a comfy proxy? Just an idea, not something I’ve tried. What do you think?
There you have it, friend! Everything I’ve learned about the Pet Emergency Prep Kit from both book learning and real life experience. If you missed the first part of this Emergency Preparedness for Pets series, make sure to check out Pt 1 for Mindset & Foundations. Upcoming: The Map, The Network, and the Daily Rituals.
If you found this guide helpful, please do let me know in the comments below and share it with a friend! If you have your own lessons learned, do tell! Stay safe and well, friend :)
P.s. If you are like many of us and tend to put others, especially our furbaby first, this is a gentle reminder to get your own survival kit too. I found these US Gov and Red Cross guides informative.
REFERENCES
Mims, Carmel. Pet Disaster Preparedness. Pasadena Humane Society, 16 Sep 2020. Webinar. (No public link available; recording may be available upon request from Pasadena Humane Society)
“Natural Disaster Preparedness For Pets!” Veterinary Advice, Animal News & Views. 1 Sep 2017, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/veterinary-advice-animal-news-views-hosts-dr-roger/id365643318?i=1000391728644
“Deconstruct This: Preparing for Disasters.” VetFolio Voice, 17 Sep 2020, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/vetfolio-voice/id1058677996?i=1000491564450
Shaw, Hannah. “Prepping for a Disaster: Is Your Cat Ready?” YouTube, uploaded by Kitten Lady, 8 Aug 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i3idDDcPx8
Mims, Carmel. Pet Porter Pals Emergency Kit Checklists. https://www.petporterpals.com/petdisasterpreparedness. Accessed 16 Sep 2020.
Pasadena Humane. Pet Emergency Prep. 8 Sep 2020. https://pasadenahumane.org/pet-emergency/. Accessed 1 Oct 2020.
Galaxy, Jackson and Mikel Maria Delgado. Total Cat Mojo: The Ultimate Guide to Life with Your Cat. New York: TarcherPerigee, 2017.
