Best Pet Emergency Kits, Scored Against the Ready.gov Checklist

No pre-made pet emergency kit is a complete answer, and the gap is time. All four kits here are built around a 72-hour food and water supply. The CDC recommends two weeks (PetMD says the same for dogs), the ASPCA’s Evac-Pack list says 7-10 days of food, the AVMA lists 3-7 days, and Ready.gov asks only for several days. Buy a kit for the carrier, first-aid basics or sanitation gear it includes, then add the food, water and medication yourself.

Pet Evac Pak and Ready America are trademarks of their respective owners; EmergencyPetPrep is not affiliated with or endorsed by either.

Which Kit for Whom

• Multi-pet household: Pet Evac Pak Cat & Dog
• Dog 30-70 lbs: Pet Evac Pak Big Dog
• Cat, carrier included: Ready America Cat Evacuation Kit
• Small dog, carrier included: Ready America Small Dog Evacuation Kit
• Building your own dog bag instead of buying a kit: our best dog go-bags guide

What a Complete Pet Emergency Kit Needs

Ready.gov’s pet kit list includes:

• Food, several days’ supply in an airtight, waterproof container
• Water, several days’ supply, plus a water bowl
• Medicine, an extra supply of whatever your pet takes (Ready.gov puts no day count on it)
• A first aid kit
• A collar with an ID tag and a harness or leash, plus a backup leash, collar and ID tag
• Documentation: copies of registration information and other relevant documents, in a waterproof container and available electronically
• A traveling bag, crate or sturdy carrier, ideally one for each pet
• Grooming items, such as pet shampoo and conditioner
• Sanitation supplies: pet litter and litter box if appropriate, newspapers, paper towels, plastic trash bags, household chlorine bleach
• A picture of you and your pet together, to document ownership if you are separated
• Familiar items: favorite toys, treats or bedding, to reduce your pet’s stress
• Two kits total: one larger kit for sheltering in place, one lightweight kit for evacuation

The other authorities set tighter numbers:

• ASPCA: 7-10 days of food, at least 7 days of bottled water per pet, and a 2-week supply of any medication. Our per-dog water math breaks the daily water figure down by body weight.
• AVMA: 3-7 days of food, at least 7 days of water, and a two-week supply of medicine, kept in an easy-to-carry, waterproof container near an exit. It also asks for an emergency contact list with your veterinarian and pharmacy, including addresses and 24-hour numbers if available.
• CDC: a 2-week supply of food, water and any medications per animal, plus a 1-month supply of flea, tick and heartworm preventative. None of the four kits here lists a preventative.
• PetMD (veterinarian-reviewed) gives the same two-week figure for dogs as the CDC.

No single number emerges: the range runs from Ready.gov’s “several days” to the CDC’s two weeks. We reconcile the four authorities in our duration standard table. Both Pet Evac Pak and Ready America state the 72-hour duration plainly on their product pages, so treat every kit here as a starting point, not a finished plan.

How These Picks Were Judged

EmergencyPetPrep does not sell kits or take sponsorships, and did not pack, carry or field-test any of the four kits below. The picks come from spec-and-evidence analysis: every claim about contents, dimensions, weight and duration comes from the manufacturer’s own product page or from the health authorities above. Where a manufacturer does not publish a number, the page says so. No customer-review data is used, and commissions do not affect the ranking.

How many kits does your household need? Ready.gov’s list calls for a carrier or crate for each pet, and food, water and medicine scale per animal, so a two-pet home either buys two kits or doubles what is inside one. Only the Pet Evac Pak Cat & Dog kit is built for two animals in one bag, within its stated weight limits. For the per-animal math beyond that, see our multi-pet emergency planning hub and multi-pet go-bag math guide.

Coverage-Gap Table: What Each Kit Covers vs. the Checklist

This table scores each kit against Ready.gov’s checklist items, with one added row for the CDC’s flea, tick and heartworm preventative.

Checklist item	Pet Evac Pak Cat & Dog	Pet Evac Pak Big Dog	Ready America Cat Kit	Ready America Small Dog Kit
Food & water (2-week target)	72-hour supply only	72-hour supply only	72-hour supply, thin allotment	72-hour supply, thin allotment
Medicine (ASPCA/CDC: 2-week supply)	Not included	Not included	Not included	Not included
First aid kit	Structured pouch included	Structured pouch included	Basic contents, per manufacturer listing	Basic contents, per manufacturer listing
Collar/ID + backup leash	2 ID tags + 2 slip leads	ID tag + slip lead	Collar and ID tag, no leash listed	ID tag + tie-out leash, no collar listed
Documentation storage	Waterproof ID card holder	Waterproof pouch for documents and medication	Not specified	Not specified
Carrier or crate	Backpack carry, no separate carrier	Backpack carry, no separate carrier	Soft-sided carrier, rated to 25 lbs	Soft-sided carrier, rated to 25 lbs
Grooming items	Not specified	Not specified	Pet wipes included	Pet wipes included
Sanitation supplies	Collapsible litter box, litter, waste bags	Waste disposal bag roll only	Litter pan, litter, scoop	6 waste bags only
Owner+pet photo slot	Not specified	Not specified	Not specified	Not specified
Familiar items (toys/treats/bedding)	Rope toy + cat toys	Large rope toy	Treats + collar with toy mouse	Rawhide bone + chew rope
Flea/tick/heartworm supply (CDC)	Not included	Not included	Not included	Not included

“Not specified” or “not included” means the manufacturer’s product page does not list the item. If you buy any of these kits, plan to add a 2-week medication supply if your pet takes one, a preventative supply, grooming basics, and your own printed and digital vet records. That is the gap between what a commercial kit ships at this price point and what the full checklists ask for.

Multi-Pet Households: Where One Kit Is Not Enough

The Pet Evac Pak Cat & Dog kit is the only product here built to serve two species from one bag, with food, bowls and supplies sized for a cat up to 22 lbs and a dog up to 40 lbs. For one cat and one dog under those limits, it comes closest to full contents coverage, even with the 72-hour ceiling.

Past two animals, or past those weight limits, a single kit stops being the right tool. Two Ready America kits, one per pet, give you two carriers, though only the cat kit brings a litter setup, and you now manage two separate 72-hour supplies and two documentation gaps. For scaling supplies, carriers and grab-order priority across three or more pets, see our multi-pet go-bag math guide.

Poison Exposure: Who to Call

If a pet swallows something toxic during an emergency, call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. The ASPCA’s site says it is available 24/7, and that a consultation fee may apply. You can also call your veterinarian. The ASPCA says to call if you think your pet may have swallowed a poisonous substance. Follow the poison line’s or your veterinarian’s instructions rather than treating it at home. None of the kits’ contents lists includes this number, so write it on an index card and keep it inside whichever kit you buy.

Carrier Safety: What Kit Carriers Are Not Rated For

Both Ready America kits ship with the same carrier: soft-sided nylon, rated by Ready America for pets up to 25 lbs. Carrier crash-safety certification is voluntary. The Center for Pet Safety says that participation in its certified program is a voluntary commitment by the manufacturer to meet independently developed safety standards, and that it does not accept funding from pet product manufacturers.

Neither Ready America kit’s product page claims a Center for Pet Safety certification, and as of September 29, 2026, neither kit appeared on the CPS certified list. If you need a carrier validated for vehicle travel, check that as a separate spec before you buy. Our best cat evacuation carriers page is the place to start.

Prop 65 Warning on the Ready America Kits

Both Ready America product pages carry the same California Proposition 65 warning for chemical exposure, including lead. It applies to both kits, so it does not single one out. Prop 65 warnings appear on a wide range of consumer goods. If it concerns your household, read the manufacturer’s disclosure before buying.

Building on What You Buy

Treat a pre-made kit as the fastest way to cover a carrier, first-aid basics and (for the Ready America kits) sanitation gear in one purchase. Then add what is missing: a real 2-week food and water supply, your pet’s actual medications, printed and digital copies of vaccine records, and a preventative supply if your vet has your pet on one. Our DIY pet go-bag checklist walks through building the fuller kit item by item if you would rather build than buy.

Want the full go-bag list on paper to check your kit against? Get the free printable go-bag checklist.

Whichever kit you choose, it starts aging the day it is packed. Food and water reach their dates, medication expires, and batteries go flat in a bin. Our pet emergency kit rotation checklist sets the monthly, seasonal and yearly intervals that keep it current.