EMERGENCYPETPREP

Tool

Pet Emergency Kit Builder

A pet emergency kit is only useful if it fits your animals, your hazard, and the place you are actually going. Tell it what you have, what you are most likely to face, and whether you are heading to a friend’s house, a hotel, or a county pet-friendly shelter, and it builds a tailored checklist from the same Ready.gov, ASPCA, and AVMA guidance the rest of this site runs on, plus the published rules of named counties and named hotel chains, then points each item at the calculator, template, or guide that finishes the job. It is free, nothing you pick is saved, and you can print the list when you are done.

Your pets
Your situation
Kit type

The “Shop it” links in the list below are affiliate links: if you buy through them the site may earn a small commission at no cost to you, which is how these tools stay free. Every item traces to the authorities cited below, not to a sponsor. We compare published specifications and cite named authorities; we are not veterinarians and we do not test products by hand.

What every pet kit needs, and where the list comes from

The builder starts from the checklist the federal and veterinary authorities agree on and adds to it. The non-negotiables, listed by all of them, are a carrier and a leash for every pet, an ID tag plus a microchip you keep registered, at least a week of water, food, a two-week supply of any medication, copies of your vet records, and a recent photo of you with each pet. The Ready.govguidance is to keep a larger kit for sheltering in place and a lighter version to grab and evacuate, and to review both so the food and medicine stay fresh.

One honest note on the food line: the authorities give different day counts, from 3 to 7 days (AVMA) to 7 to 10 (ASPCA) to two weeks (CDC), so the builder gives the range rather than pretending there is one number.

Where you are going changes the list

Species and hazard are the two inputs every packing list uses. The third one decides just as much and almost nobody asks it: where you and the animal are actually going to sleep. Ready.govstates the problem in two sentences: “Many public shelters and hotels do not allow pets inside. Know a safe place where you can take your pets before disasters and emergencies happen.” The same dog needs a crate it can live in at one destination, a noise plan at another, and a room it can be shut into at a third.

There is no national rule to quote here for either shelters or hotels. Co-located shelters are planned and run county by county, and hotel pet rules are set brand by brand and then varied property by property. So what follows quotes named agencies and named chains, says whose rule each one is, and sends you to the county and the hotel that actually govern your night. One county even ranks the three destinations for you. Hillsborough County, Florida states: “Staying with family or friends or at a pet-friendly hotel should always be your first option, as that will be more comfortable than staying at a public shelter,” and says of its own shelters that “they should ONLY be used as a last resort due to limited sheltering space for pets.” That is one county describing its own capacity, not a national ranking.

A friend or family member’s home

The fewest published rules and the most unwritten ones. Hillsborough County, Florida tells you to settle it in advance: “Be sure to include this friend or family member in your plan ahead of time by having a conversation and agreeing on what your evacuation plan looks like together,” and, if the host has animals of their own, “If your friend or family member also has a pet, introduce your pets ahead of time to get them comfortable with one another.” Where that does not work, the same county says to “create a plan that includes where each pet will be contained in the house to prevent fights or injuries.” The South Carolina Emergency Management Division gives the reason the introduction matters, in the During section of its guidance, the part whose instructions open “If you are unable to evacuate with your pets, bring them inside immediately”: “Even if your dogs and cats normally get along, the anxiety of an emergency situation can cause pets to act irrationally.” That section is addressed to animals kept at home rather than animals at a host’s house, and the behavior it describes is stated generally. On choosing a destination at all the same division states plainly, “If you plan to stay with family members or friends, be sure they can accommodate pets.” What that adds to the kit is your own crate for every animal, because the house you are arriving at has exactly as many crates as it has pets of its own.

A pet-friendly hotel

Here the rules are published, specific, and different between chains, which is why a filter on a booking site is not a policy. La Quinta by Wyndham states “no more than two (2) domestic pets are allowed per room” and that “Select locations may have a pet weight limit. Please confirm by calling the hotel at the time of booking.” Drury Hotels publishes both a count and a weight: “No more than 2 pets per room” and “The total combined weight of the pets is not to exceed 80 lbs.” Read that second one as written: it is the animals added together, not each one, which makes it the first line a household with two big dogs should check. On leaving the animal alone the two chains do not say the same thing: Drury states “Pets should not be left alone in your guest room at any time,” while La Quinta’s published rule is that “Pet(s) must remain within your control at all times, either on a leash or in a carrier if outside your room.” Both do keep pets out of the public rooms. Drury states pets “are not permitted in the public gathering areas of the hotel. This includes the lobby, dining area, pool, fitness center, etc.,” and La Quinta states “With the exception of authorized service animals, pets are not allowed in the breakfast area,” with the fitness center and the pool named on the same list. On its own, that only means the animal waits in the guest room while you eat. What puts a person in the room with it is Drury’s separate no-alone rule, so which chain you booked decides who eats when. And noise is the rule that ends a stay: Drury states you are responsible for “the loss of revenue due to noise complaints about your pet” and that “In the event of a problem, you may be asked to leave the hotel without a refund,” while La Quinta states “We count on you to prevent your pet(s) from making excessive noise, being disruptive, or aggressive to other guests.” Cats bring one more line: La Quinta states “If your cat is staying with you, you’ll need to provide a litter box.” Expect a fee as well. Drury states “Rooms with pets will be charged a daily fee,” and La Quinta states that “An optional pet fee may be charged at check-in” and that “If a pet fee is charged, the fee is non-refundable.” Both chains put trained service animals outside the pet rules entirely: Drury states “Service animals are welcome throughout the hotel at no additional charge,” and La Quinta states “Authorized service animals are not subject to a pet fee.” Those are two chains’ own published policies, read on their own sites. Read the one you booked. The pet-friendly hotel evacuation checklist covers finding the room in the first place, and where the line between a service animal and a pet actually falls.

A county pet-friendly shelter

The most demanding destination, and the one where turning up short is hardest to fix. Hillsborough County, Florida states: “You will need to bring all the supplies needed to care for your pet with you to the shelter,” and that “A carrier or crate that your pet is able to stand up and turn around in is a must. They will be kept in the carrier/crate during their stay.” Mississippi’s Board of Animal Health words the size requirement the same way, as a “Carrier or cage of sufficient size for the animal to stand, stretch and turn around,” adds “Written proof of vaccinations from your veterinarian” and “Proper ID on all belongings,” and states as a footnote to its own list that “Water, food and medicines are the owner responsibility.” The part people do not expect is the separation: Hillsborough states “You will not be able to stay with your pet while at the pet-friendly shelter,” that you feed, walk and medicate during times staff set, and that “the designated times could be spaced out up to six hours apart.” A crate sized for a car ride is not sized for that, and a medication that has to land at a fixed hour is a conversation to have with your veterinarian before the season. One kind of animal is carved out of that separation rule, and the county states it in the same answer: “Only service animals that are specifically trained to perform a function (not including emotional support animals) will be able to stay with their owners at the pet-friendly shelter.” The South Carolina Emergency Management Division draws the line the same way, stating that most emergency shelters will not accept pets “(with the exception of service animals)” and that “Service animals are allowed on all means of public transportation and in all human shelters.” If your animal is a trained service animal, the separation rule above is not the one that governs your night. Species eligibility is county-level too. Hillsborough states “Only domesticated pets are allowed in pet-friendly shelters in Hillsborough County. Livestock like horses, cows, chickens, and pigs are not allowed,” and Mississippi points exotics somewhere else entirely: “If you have exotic pets or pets that require intensive medical care, it is recommended that you find a veterinary clinic in which to board your animals through the duration of the event.” A county and a state agency, two different lists, and neither is yours. Start with your own county through thestate pet shelter policy finder, readwhat a pet shelter checks at intake for the paperwork side, and see whether pet-friendly shelters exist near you for how registration, eligibility and the service-animal exception work. If your county has none, there is a plan for that case.

The tools each item points to

The builder is the front door. When an item needs a number or a form, it hands you off: thesupply calculator for exact water and food amounts, thecarrier fit finder for the right carrier by weight, therefill calculator for when to reorder medication, thestate pet shelter policy finder when the destination is a county shelter, and the printable emergency plan,wallet card, andsitter instructions for the paperwork.

Free checklist

Get the printable pet go-bag checklist

The complete go-bag list from this site, mapped to Ready.gov and ASPCA guidance with per-animal quantities, as a print-ready PDF. One email to confirm it's you, then the checklist — plus occasional new guides. Unsubscribe any time.

Submitting this form starts your email signup. We send a confirmation link first, and only clicking that link subscribes you. See our Privacy Policy for what we collect and how long we keep it.

Frequently asked questions

How is this different from a generic kit list?

A generic list gives everyone the same items. This one changes with your household: it counts carriers by how many pets you have, adds litter and a calming pillowcase only if you have cats, adds waste bags only if you have dogs, swaps in the items that actually matter for your hazard, whether that is a waterproof container for a flood or clean-air steps for wildfire smoke, and then changes again depending on whether you are heading to a friend’s house, a hotel, or a county pet-friendly shelter. Every item traces to Ready.gov, the ASPCA, the AVMA, the CDC, the Red Cross, or the named county or hotel chain quoted in the item note.

Why does the builder ask where I am going?

Because the destination changes the kit more than the hazard does, and the rules are published by whoever runs the destination rather than by any national body. Hillsborough County, Florida states of a co-located shelter that “A carrier or crate that your pet is able to stand up and turn around in is a must. They will be kept in the carrier/crate during their stay,” and that “You will not be able to stay with your pet while at the pet-friendly shelter.” A hotel is a different set of rules again: Drury Hotels states “Pets should not be left alone in your guest room at any time,” and La Quinta by Wyndham states “If your cat is staying with you, you’ll need to provide a litter box.” A friend’s home has almost no published rules and one large unwritten one, which Hillsborough County words as “create a plan that includes where each pet will be contained in the house to prevent fights or injuries.” Those are those agencies’ and chains’ own words about their own facilities. Your county and the hotel you book publish their own, and theirs are the ones that govern your night. The question only applies if you are leaving, so a stay-at-home kit sets the destination list aside.

Why doesn’t it give one exact number of days of food?

Because the authorities don’t agree on one. The AVMA says 3 to 7 days, the ASPCA says 7 to 10, and the CDC recommends two weeks, so the list gives the range and lets you plan to the high end. For an exact per-pet amount, the supply calculator does the math.

Are the hazard notes medical advice?

No. The wildfire and heat notes tell you what to watch for, like coughing or heavy panting, and to call your vet. They never tell you how to treat a pet. Follow your veterinarian for anything medical.

Does it save my list or what I typed?

No. The builder runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you select is stored or sent anywhere, so check off items and print the list in one sitting, or come back and rebuild it.

What about livestock, or exotic pets?

This builder covers dogs, cats, and common small pets like birds, reptiles, and small mammals, and points you to the ASPCA’s species-specific lists for those. Horses and livestock need their own evacuation planning, which the ASPCA and Ready.gov both cover separately.

Sources