Apartment Emergency · Leave Temporarily
Your pet cannot make a plan.
Evacuating with pets from a house means opening the back door and loading the car. Evacuating with pets from a 10th-floor apartment means getting a panicked animal into a carrier, carrying everything down a dark stairwell, and knowing that most emergency shelters will not take your dog or cat. The plan has to exist before the alarm sounds, because you will not have time to build one while carrying a terrified cat down nine flights of stairs.
The hard part
Getting out of the building with your pet.
The ASPCA puts it simply: if it is not safe for you, it is not safe for your pets. Ready.gov agrees: if you evacuate, take your pets with you. The apartment-specific challenge is the mechanics of doing it.
Cats
Cats are the hardest apartment pets to evacuate. They hide when stressed, they resist carriers, and the fire alarm that tells you to leave is the exact sound that sends them under the bed. The ASPCA recommends noting where your pets like to nap or hide, because that is where they will go when the alarm sounds.
Practice getting your cat into the carrier when everything is calm. Make the carrier a normal part of the apartment by leaving it open with a blanket inside. Feed treats in it. The goal is for the carrier to be familiar, not something that only appears before a vet visit. When the alarm sounds, you need your cat in the carrier in under two minutes, not thirty.
A soft-sided backpack carrier is far easier to manage on stairs than a hard-sided crate. It leaves both hands free for the railing, fits through stairwell doors, and distributes the weight on your back rather than one arm. If you have multiple cats, you need a carrier for each one, and you need to practice the sequence of loading them.
Dogs
Dogs are generally easier to evacuate than cats because most will follow you on a leash. The apartment-specific issue is the stairwell. A large dog on a narrow staircase with other evacuating residents requires control and confidence. Practice walking the stairs with your dog before you need to.
Small dogs benefit from the same backpack carrier approach as cats. If your dog is too large for a carrier, a body strap with a sturdy leash is essential. Collar-only setups risk the dog slipping free when panicked.
Keep a leash and body strap on a hook by the front door, not in a drawer. The ASPCA recommends storing emergency supplies as close to an exit as possible and making sure everyone in the family knows where they are.
Fish, reptiles, birds, and small animals
Birds should have a small travel cage or carrier ready. Cover the cage during transport to reduce stress. Small animals like hamsters, guinea pigs, and rabbits can travel in a secure, ventilated carrier with bedding and food. Reptiles need a secure container and may need a battery-powered heat source depending on the species and the weather.
Fish tanks cannot be evacuated. If you must leave and cannot take your fish, feed them, leave the tank undisturbed, and plan to return as soon as conditions allow. For extended outages, a battery-powered air pump can keep an aquarium viable for a day or two.
The shelter problem
Most emergency shelters will not take your pet.
Ready.gov is clear: many public shelters and hotels do not allow pets inside. Service animals are always permitted, but household pets generally are not. The PETS Act of 2006 requires state and local emergency plans to address household pets, but this does not mean every shelter will accept them. You need to solve this problem before the emergency, not at the shelter door with a carrier in each hand.
Options, in order of preference
- 1.Friends or family outside the affected area. The best option for your pet and for you. Confirm in advance that they can accommodate your animal, including any size, species, or behavioral considerations.
- 2.Pet-friendly hotels. Identify pet-friendly hotels along your evacuation routes and in different directions from your apartment. Call ahead for reservations if an evacuation seems likely. Ready.gov recommends asking whether no-pet policies could be waived during an emergency.
- 3.Boarding kennels and veterinary clinics. The ASPCA recommends contacting your veterinarian for a list of preferred boarding facilities. Some clinics offer emergency boarding during disasters. Keep this list current and call early.
- 4.Emergency animal shelters. During major disasters, local animal shelters and animal welfare organizations sometimes set up temporary pet sheltering alongside or near human shelters. The Red Cross notes that shelter workers will do what they can to accommodate household pets, though pets may need to be housed in a separate location. Contact your local animal shelter or animal control office in advance to learn what resources may be available.
Do not leave them behind
Ready.gov says it directly: if local officials ask you to evacuate, your pet should evacuate too. If you leave your pets behind, they may end up lost, injured, or worse.
This matters especially in apartments because you may not be able to return to the building for days. A house pet left behind might be retrieved by a neighbor. An apartment pet left behind is locked inside a unit in a building that may be sealed by management, declared uninhabitable, or inaccessible due to building system failures.
The reason to solve the shelter problem now, before any emergency, is so that "I have nowhere to take my pet" never becomes the reason you stay in a building that is not safe.
When you are not home
The buddy system.
Ready.gov recommends developing a buddy system: planning with neighbors, friends, or relatives to make sure someone is available to care for or evacuate your pets if you are unable to do so. In an apartment, this is not optional. You may be at work when the fire alarm sounds.
How to set it up
- Give your buddy a key to your apartment. This is the step most people skip and the one that makes everything else work.
- Leave a written card on the inside of your front door or on the refrigerator with your pet's name, species, hiding spots, carrier location, leash location, food location, medications, and your emergency phone number.
- Keep the pet carrier, leash, and a grab bag of supplies in a consistent, obvious location. Your buddy should be able to find them without searching.
- Make it reciprocal. If your buddy has pets, offer to be their backup too. Reciprocity keeps the arrangement maintained.
Who makes a good buddy
The ASPCA recommends choosing someone who lives close to your residence. For apartment residents, a neighbor in the same building is ideal because they can reach your unit without driving. A dog walker or pet sitter who already has a key and knows your pet is an even better choice.
Whoever you choose should be comfortable handling your specific animal. A neighbor who is afraid of dogs is not the right buddy for your 70-pound Labrador, no matter how close they live.
Have a backup buddy. If your primary person is at work or out of town, you need a second option.
If you get separated
Identification is the reunion plan.
During the chaos of an apartment evacuation, pets bolt through open stairwell doors, slip out of carriers, and pull free from panicked hands. If your pet gets loose, identification is what brings them back.
Microchip
The ASPCA recommends microchipping as a more permanent form of identification. A microchip is implanted under the skin and can be read by a scanner at most animal shelters and veterinary offices. Keep your registration current with your address and phone number, and include an emergency contact outside your immediate area.
Collar and ID tag
Ready.gov recommends a collar with ID tag plus a backup collar, leash, and ID tag in your pet's emergency kit. The tag should include your pet's name, your phone number, and any urgent medical needs. Write your pet's name, your name, and contact information on the carrier as well.
Photo of you with your pet
Keep a recent photo of you with your pet on your phone and in your go-bag. This serves two purposes: it proves ownership if you need to reclaim your pet from a shelter, and it provides a clear image for lost-pet notices. A photo of the pet alone is useful. A photo with you is proof.
Ready to grab
Your pet's go-bag.
Ready.gov and the CDC both recommend a pet emergency kit built around the basics of survival: food, water, and medicine. For apartment residents, this kit needs to be lightweight, compact, and stored where you can grab it on the way out the door along with your own go-bag and the carrier.
What goes in it
- 3 to 5 days of food in an airtight, waterproof container. If you use wet food, include pop-top cans or a manual opener.
- Water and a portable bowl. Several days' supply, or at minimum enough for the first day plus a collapsible bowl.
- Medications your pet takes regularly, in a waterproof container, plus a copy of prescriptions.
- Vaccination records. Boarding facilities and pet-friendly shelters may require proof of current vaccinations. Keep copies in the kit and in cloud storage.
- Backup collar, leash, and ID tag. Ready.gov recommends keeping spares in the emergency kit.
- Waste bags or cat litter and a small disposable litter pan. Ready.gov includes these in the recommended pet kit.
- A familiar item. A favorite toy, treats, or a small blanket. Ready.gov recommends this specifically to help reduce your pet's stress in an unfamiliar environment.
Apartment-specific tips
- Store the pet kit inside or right beside the carrier. When you grab the carrier, the supplies come with it.
- Use a small stuff sack or drawstring bag rather than a separate backpack. You are already carrying your own go-bag and the carrier. A third full-sized bag is one too many for the stairwell.
- Rotate food and water every six months to prevent expiration. Set a phone reminder.
- If you have multiple pets, label each kit clearly with the pet's name and any specific medications or dietary needs. In a chaotic situation, anyone helping you should be able to match the right supplies to the right animal.
When you stay
Sheltering in place with pets.
Not every emergency requires evacuation. During a power outage, winter storm, or shelter-in-place order, you and your pet may stay in the apartment together for days. Pets have needs during these situations that are easy to overlook.
What changes for your pet
- Water. If the building loses water pressure, your pet needs water from your stored supply too. Plan for your pet's water consumption when calculating how much to store.
- Temperature. Pets are affected by extreme heat and cold just as people are. Brachycephalic breeds (pugs, bulldogs, Persian cats) are especially vulnerable to heat. Elderly and very young animals are more sensitive to cold.
- Dog walks. During a shelter-in-place order, extended outage, or ice storm, getting a dog outside for bathroom breaks may be difficult or impossible. Indoor solutions for small dogs include pee pads or a patch of sod on a balcony. For large dogs, brief outdoor trips may be necessary, but keep them leashed and quick.
- Stress. Pets sense your stress and respond to disruptions in routine. Maintain feeding times as closely as possible. A familiar toy or blanket helps. Cats may hide for extended periods during building alarms or construction; this is normal behavior, not a medical emergency.
Medications and medical needs
If your pet takes daily medication, a multi-day outage or evacuation can interrupt their treatment. Keep a 7-day backup supply stored with the pet emergency kit. Ready.gov recommends keeping medications in a waterproof container and checking them during your regular kit rotation.
If your pet relies on refrigerated medication (such as insulin), a power outage creates a time-sensitive problem. Know how long the medication remains viable at room temperature (consult your veterinarian in advance) and have a plan for obtaining ice or finding a powered location if the outage extends past that window.
Keep the number and address of a local emergency veterinary clinic saved in your phone. During a disaster, your regular vet may be closed. Know the nearest alternative.
Sources
Primary sources cited on this page
- Ready.gov, Pets (updated March 2026). Evacuate with pets; buddy system; microchipping; pet supply kit contents; pet-friendly shelter planning; service animal policy.
- ASPCA, Disaster Preparedness. Arrange safe haven in advance; do not leave pets behind; identify boarding, shelters, hotels, and friends; choose a caregiver who lives close.
- ASPCA, Fire Safety and Your Pets. Know hiding spots; practice crating; store carrier and leash near exit; microchip as permanent ID; photo for identification.
- American Red Cross, Pet Disaster Preparedness and Recovery. Not all shelters accept pets; service animals always welcome; shelter workers will accommodate where possible; pets may be housed separately.
- CDC, Build a Pet Disaster Preparedness Kit. Kit checklist: food, water, medications, first aid, collar/ID, vaccination records, contact information.
- U.S. Congress, Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act (PETS) (2006). Requires state and local emergency plans to accommodate pets and service animals.
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