Thankful Thursday: PetSmart Charities Tips to Keep Your Pet Safe During an Emergency

One of the many things we enjoyed at the BlogPaws Conference this year was meeting the wonderful folks from PetSmart Charities.  We’ve communicated with them by email for a good while, but there is nothing better than coming face to face with such a nice bunch.  PetSmart Charities always has so many great things going on and probably most of us are familiar with their National Adoption Weekends.

Today though, I want to share some of their information on keeping your pets safe during an emergency.  I know what you’re thinking, we’re not planning on an emergency.  EXACTLY!  Emergencies happen with no planning on your part.  We’re already in hurricane season and we all know what kind of havoc those things can create.  What about all of the tornados and wildfires we’ve seen this year?  What if you need to leave your home in a hurry?  What about your humans, do they have a plan in place to make sure you can safely evacuate with them?

With the help of the kind humans at PetSmart Charities, let me show you, with a little thought and effort, how easy it can be to put your plan together.

First, you should have some type of waterproof container that is easy to carry.  Sister Sascha is checking out the one that PetSmart Charities sent us.  Oh, the little trucks they sent along are just for show and are not real emergency vehicles.

Then you need to start gathering all of the items that are important and need to be included in your kit, not to be confused with my Sister Kit.  As you can tell, I’m getting a little impatient waiting on my Dad to help me put this all together.  Here’s some suggestions of the types of things you may want to include:

– You will want to include our routine food, water and any medicines we are taking.  Don’t forget to check your kit on a regular basis to make sure that none of the expiration dates have passed.

– Contact information for your Veterinarian is also import in case we would have to be fostered or boarded somewhere until the all clear sounds.

– Please include our feeding schedules, any medical conditions any of us have and any behavioral problems that someone might need to know about.

– Include a current photo of your pet along with their name, age and breed plus the specific contact information for your humans (address, cell phone number, email address) in case we get lost or separated from you.

– Perhaps an easily transportable pet bed, portable water bowl and our favorite toy can be included to help minimize our stress.

Here’s an idea of what one of our Emergency Kits looks like while we’re putting it together.

Hey, see that flash drive in the top compartment.  We have a photo of each of us along with our important medical history on there as a backup.

Here’s some other things you should consider too:

– Always transport us kitties in carriers so we don’t panic and run away if we get scared and always keep dogs securely leashed for the same reason.

– It doesn’t matter, cat or dog, don’t leave us unattended anywhere we might run off or make a dash for it.

– Do some pre-planning.  Contact hotels and motels in your area and ask them about their pet policies and if they have any specific restrictions on number, size and species.  Also, ask them if a “no pet” policy can be waived in the event of an emergency.  Keep that list in your Emergency Kit so you never have to wonder where you put it.

So, if you don’t have a plan in place, go nudge your humans and help them get started.  As you can see, it’s not that difficult, but it is a must do before an emergency happens.  Please don’t wait until it’s too late.  I’m thankful to our wonderful friends at PetSmart Charities for helping us share this information with you.  You can check all of the terrific information at PetSmartCharities.org.

Remember, adopt cats, we deserve it!!!!!  More Forever Homes More Often!  Purrrrr! Zip!  Later!

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