Emergency! How to Evacuate with a Cat

You never know what will happen that will require you to evacuate from your home. There’s the big stuff that most people think about: the hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes. But it can also be something local: a riot, a forest fire, or a flood. Or hyper local like a gas leak or house fire. It is critical that you have a plan to evacuate with your cat in case of an emergency.

Forty-four percent of people who didn’t evacuate as requested when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans didn’t leave because they couldn’t take their pets. It didn’t result in people making evacuation plans for their cats though. Thirty-one percent of people still don’t have an evacuation plan for their pets.

How to Make a Cat Evacuation Plan

• Keep your car gassed up and your devices charged when there is a risk of evacuation.
• Know what the evacuation route is in your area. Learn where the municipal shelters are likely to be in your area and which ones are going to be pet friendly.
• Scope out a few pet friendly hotels.
• It’s helpful to have a plan to head to family or friends beyond your general area if possible. It is likely to have less demand than the immediate evacuation area. 
• Don’t leave your cats at home. If it isn’t safe for you to stay there in an emergency, it isn’t safe for them either. 
• Put pet alert stickers on your windows so first responders know there are cats in the home. Write evacuated on your sticker when you leave with your cats so the emergency workers don’t waste time looking for them.

Click here to discover more about how to keep Kitty safe in extreme weather.

How Do You Evacuate with a Cat in an Emergency?

Cats are creatures of routine. They like their familiar spaces with scents that they know. An emergency evacuation will be really stressful for them. The most important thing you can do is stay calm. Kitty will read your body language and energy. The more you can stay relaxed the more Kitty will feel safe and calm.

How do you evacuate with a cat in an emergency and keep them as comfortable as you can? You can’t give them home, but try to keep things as home-like as possible.

• Provide a bed or a t-shirt that smells familiar
• Feliway spray
• Rescue Remedy
• Favorite small catnip toys
• Favorite treats
• Keep mealtime routines as normal as possible

How to Prepare Your Cat for an Emergency Evacuation

Teach your cat to love her carrier 

Don’t keep your cat carriers unassembled in a pile somewhere. They may take up less room that way but you’ll lose valuable time when you have to prepare to evacuate. You want the cats to get right in. Keep your carriers out and available at all times. Line them with a carrier mat or towel. Toss in treats or favorite toys to keep her interested.

Your cat’s carrier can become her safe space. It becomes the place that provides her emotional security as well as physical safety if you have to evacuate with your cat.

Train your kitties to a harness and leash. Don’t count on it instead of your carriers, but it can help keep Kitty safe in an emergency.

Train Kitty to come when called

Teach your cats to come when you call them. Alternatively, train them to respond to a whistle.

Have a treat they can’t resist that they only get in when they come to you and get in their carriers.

A good solid recall won’t just keep Kitty safe if you have to evacuate in an emergency, but it will help prevent her from getting lost if she slips her leash on an adventure or sneaks out the door.

Know your cat’s favorite hiding place

Know where your cats hide when they get scared or stressed. They’ll head there in an emergency. If they don’t respond to your call, look there first.

Practice your evacuation plan.

Call them, find them if they don’t come, grab your go bags, and load your car. How long did it take you? Would you be able to do it in an actual emergency? What worked and what didn’t? Are there changes that you could make to make your evacuation plan easier for you and your kitties?

How to Evacuate with Multiple Cats

This is hard. And the more cats you have, the harder it is. I have 12 cats. I have a plan that would work to get them out in a weather emergency or forest fire type emergency. I’m confident I could get them out in most situations. But I honestly don’t know if I could get them all out in an organized fashion in a house fire situation if I’m home alone.

It is even more important that you train your cats to come when you call or whistle for them and cooperate with getting in their carriers if you have multiple cats to get out of the house. Leash training can help you get out without needing to carry many carriers. Be sure you have a way to contain them in the car. I have a show shelter in the back of my car all the time.

Don’t wait! Get your cats in their carriers, or at least restrict them to a small space where you can grab them, if there’s the hint of an emergency.

We aren’t in a particularly tornado-prone area; but if I hear there is a risk that one is heading my way I load my tough cats into their carriers. I load our go bags in the car. My cats that are used to traveling often put themselves in their carriers when I take the bags to the car. 

My cats might spend some time stuck in their carriers while we wait to see if we need to leave. But if that is the worst thing that happens in an emergency it is worth it to me.

What to Put in Your Cat’s Emergency Go Bag

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Keep your cat emergency evacuation kit and your go bag somewhere you can literally grab it and go. 

You can buy a commercial cat emergency evacuation kit and customize it or gather everything together yourself. If you want to go with a starter kit, I like this one. It is pretty comprehensive, you even get toys, a leash, and a comfortable blanket.

Making your own bug out bag lets you be sure you have the things your kitties need and the type of emergencies you are most likely to face in your area. 

Be careful how much you pack. This is to provide the essential items to take care of Kitty until you get to safety. Remember that you have to carry the bag out of your house and into a shelter or hotel.

Do you have a first aid kit ready for Kitty? Click here to find out what you need.

Your cat evacuation kit should contain:

• Carriers. You’ll need to get your cat out of the emergency.
• A leash, harness, and ID tags.
• A go bag to put all the things you need in.  
• Identification information for your cat in a waterproof bag. Include a recent photo of Kitty you could use to make a lost cat flyer. Include another photo of you and Kitty together. It will prove ownership. Don’t count on your phone to be functioning. PRINT the photos. Kitty’s name, sex, age, breed, and identifying markings. Copies of your adoption records or breed registration information if available. Microchip information and your contact information.
• Copies of your vet records in your waterproof bag: vaccination records and information on any health conditions.
• 3-5 days worth of prescription medicines.
• 3-5 days supply of food and water. Bring packets of wet food instead of cans. They weigh less, take less space and you don’t have to bring a can opener in case your can lids fail.
• A collapsible bowl.
• A portable litterbox, litter, a scoop, and a roll of doggie poop bags.
• Your first aid kit
• Favorite bedding, perhaps a t-shirt that smells like you, and a few toys to keep them occupied.

Review your products to make sure nothing expired or needs updating. The beginning of the year is a good time, just like you check your smoke alarms and CO2 monitors.

Is your cat microchipped? It is another way to keep her safe. Read here to learn more.

Hopefully these tips have helped you make a plan in case you have to evacuate with a cat in an emergency. An evacuation will never be fun or stress-free, but it can end up with you and Kitty safe and sound and back home again after the event with some care and preparation.