Airline Pet Carriers

Smart families plan for emergency evacuation in case of weather or other severe local events. Our cats and dogs are part of our families, too. Disaster evacuation plans should always include our pets.

Never plan on simply leaving food and water for your pet at home. If you must evacuate for safety, so should your pets. Leaving them locked in your home could result in their loss or death, and will certainly result in severe discomfort, injury, and the potential for disease. If you and your human family members should leave for safety reasons, so should your animals.

Plan in advance for a safe place for your pets. If you may have to go to a community shelter, such as during a hurricane or other severe weather event, do not count on being permitted to bring your pets along unless they are service animals for people with disabilities.

If you plan to evacuate with your pets, call ahead to hotels or motels where you will likely be staying and inquire about their pet policies. Keep a list of pet-friendly options with your evacuation kit. When you first receive notice of an impending need for evacuation, plan to leave early, ahead of the crowd, and call ahead for reservations. If you wait, there will be no room at the inn.

Boarding kennels, animal shelters and veterinarians are often overwhelmed with small animal refugees during evacuation events, so do not plan to board your animals locally. If the evacuation order is widespread, your pets may be no safer in a local kennel than they would be in your home.

Ask friends and relatives in the area you plan to evacuate to whether they would be willing to give shelter to your pets, even if they don’t have room for your whole family. If you have several animals you may have to plan on splitting them up for the duration of your time away from home.

Make sure you have an evacuation supplies kit for each animal, in case you do have to split them up. Each kit should contain:

1. Medical records, medications, a first aid kit, a feeding schedule, name and number of the animal’s veterinarian, and a current photo of the animal stored in a waterproof container;

2. Leash or harness AND a carrier. A carrier alone is not sufficient if your animal will be leaving the carrier to relieve itself;

3. Litter, litter pan and liners for cats;

4. Food, drinking water, bowls and a can opener;

5. Familiar bedding and small toys if there is space.

These items should be ready to go in sturdy containers than can be carried easily, such as a covered pail or duffel bag.

Every animal should at all times wear a collar with current tags and a phone number where someone outside the evacuation area knows the animals.

In advance of an evacuation order be sure that all your pets are indoors so you don’t have to search for them at the last minute. Do not count on even the most even-tempered animal behaving normally during a time of stress. Be sure that dogs are always leashed securely, and that cats are contained in carriers. Keep an eye on younger children so that they do not permit their pets to get loose, as they can easily become lost in a chaotic situation.

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