Don’t Overlook This Step In Your Prep!

(SurvivalDaily.com) – While not everyone is willing to embrace a full-blown prepper lifestyle, many people have seen the value of keeping emergency stores of food, water, and essential supplies. Unfortunately, there are a few members of the family who often get overlooked – pets.

These four-legged companions will need their basic necessities taken care of during an emergency as well. A litter box far overdue to be changed or a howling pet that wants to be fed can make a bad situation unbearable.

Let’s look at suggestions from Yosemite Prepper and see just how far from pet prepped some of us really are:

Because there are numerous animals kept as pets, for the sake of this article, we’ll look at prepping for dogs and cats. The following list contains necessary items for both animals in an emergency or SHTF scenario:

Water. Dogs need a minimum of 1 ounce of water for each pound of weight. Cats require less water, about 1 cup a day, more if they are only consuming dry food.
Food. Dogs should have a stockpile of food equivalent to your food supply. It should be 15-30 percent high protein. Cats, on the other hand, need to consume meat.
Food containers keep stockpiles of animal food secure.
Flea treatments and any medications either animal may need also should be on your list.
Cat litter is essential for feline owners who don’t want to be driven out of their homes by a smelly litterbox.

When facing a truly devastating emergency, and bugging in is not an option, you will need the above-mentioned pet preps as well as some other items. We will consider dogs first:

Leash. The last thing you will want is your dog running off. You need to be in control of your pet.
Dog boots and Vaseline. This may sound odd, but prolonged travel in different elements of weather could cause the pads on their feet to become dry, cracked or sore. Layer their pads with Vaseline and slip the boots on to protect them.
Toys. Use this as a way to improve mental health and boost their sense of security.
Dog-safe bug repellant and a tick-removing tool will help keep your furry companion safe from external parasites.

Cats tend to be a bit simpler to bug out with. Transport them in a pet carrier. When you let them out for exercise or a bathroom break, put them on a leash. They’ll be in a new environment, scared and may try to run off. Just like with canines, bring along toys to help reduce your cat’s stress level.

To take this a step further for Fido, a dedicated prepper can create a bug out bag for their pup. To see how this is done, and what it should contain, check out this article.