How Do I Evacuate With My Pet?
Resources for Your Pet
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Take your pet with you — always. Load your pet emergency kit, secure your pet in a carrier or harness, and head to a pet-friendly location you identified ahead of time. If you're evacuating, conditions aren't safe for your pet either.
Where can my pet and I go?
- Pet-friendly hotels along your evacuation routes (identify these before disaster season)
- Boarding facilities, animal shelters, or veterinary clinics offering temporary housing
- Friends or family outside the affected area willing to host you both
How do I transport my pet safely?
Decide the method before you need it. In your own vehicle, keep carriers, restraints, and blankets stocked. If you'd rely on public transportation, check its pet policies now — many systems restrict animals during normal operations but relax rules in declared emergencies. Practice loading your pet quickly; a cat who's never seen the carrier may cost you twenty minutes you may not have.
How do I keep my pet calm during an evacuation?
Familiarity is the tool: practice evacuation runs using different routes, get your pet comfortable with the carrier or leash long before an emergency, and pack a comfort item that smells like home.
