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Guides/Family

Pets in
an emergency

People go back into floods and fires for their pets. The way to stop that is to make leaving with the animal the easy option: a carrier by the door, a bag that clips onto yours, and a relative who will have you both.

4 min readChecked against RSPCA and gov.uk guidanceUpdated November 2026Print this guide
Todayonce

Make leaving with them easy

  1. Keep the cat carrier where you can reach it in the dark, not in the loft. Keep the dog's lead on the hook by the door, and the Scout bag under it.
  2. Microchip details: check they are up to date today. It is the law for dogs and, in England, for cats. The pet card in the Scout's window carries the number, the vet and a photo.
  3. Ask your council now whether its rest centres take animals; many do, some don't. Then make the real plan a friend or relative who will take you and the animal, and write them on the family plan card.
  4. Fill the Scout's canister with three days of their own food from the bag you already buy, and swap it every three months. A sudden change of food is one more upset you don't need.
Leavingin a hurry

Them first, then the bag

  1. Cats hide when frightened. Shut the doors to the rooms they hide in as soon as a warning comes, and get them into the carrier early, before the sirens.
  2. Dogs: lead on, then the Scout clipped onto the front of your Operator. The soft muzzle in the dog kit goes on if the dog is hurt or panicking; vets will ask for it.
  3. Water from the pet's own pouches, in the collapsible bowl, at every stop. Dogs overheat and dehydrate faster than people.
  4. At the rest centre or the relative's, the familiar blanket from the grey pouch and a quiet corner do more than anything else.

Never

Never go back into a flood, a fire or a storm for a pet. Make the plan so you never have to choose.

Ifyou can't take them

Never leave them locked in

  1. If you truly cannot take an animal, leave it loose in the house with food and water, not shut in a crate or a room that may flood. Put a note on the door saying what is inside, and ring the RSPCA.
  2. Never leave an animal in a car. Not in a flood, not in a heatwave, not for an hour.
  3. Flood water is as poisonous to pets as to people. Dry and wash a dog that has been in it before it licks its coat.
  4. When you are back, check paws, coat and appetite, and call the vet if anything is off. Then restock the Scout.

Sources, checked November 2026