What do you need to add to your bug out bag for your cat?
If for any reason you need to evacuate, and a cat is a member of your family, there are things you’ll need to consider. You don’t want to be scrambling last minute if you’re not prepared. You don’t want to put yourself in a position where you’re endangering yourself, your family, or your kitty. With foresight and planning, you can avoid that though.
What Do I Need to Bug Out With My Cat?
You heading out the door to evacuate and you grab your cat on the way out. Do you have what they need? You’ll probably start by thinking about the day to day things- food, water, etc. There are additional things you’ll want to consider as well so you can take care of whatever needs you or your cat may have as you’re bugging out. We’ve separated out the list of gear and things you’ll need to bug out with your cat into the following.
Gear Categories for Your Cat’s Bug Out Bag
- Food
- Water
- Tools
- Medicine and First Aid
For people and families I add several categories. Check out our full bug out bag checklist.
Cat Bug Out Bag List
You will want to either add this stuff to your own bug out bag, or make a separate bag just for the cat. You might already have some of this stuff, but ideally you’d want additional separate gear for a bug out situation, already packed and ready to go. If you need to evacuate quick, the less you need to pack the better. It could mean the difference between life and death for you or your cat.
Food for Your Cat Bug Out Bag
Cat Treats
Have a treat that your cat likes if you need to reinforce behavior. Bugging out is stressful, and your pets might be more tense and less obedient. Having a treat will help. Know what your cat likes and have some of that in your bag.
Dry cat food
Wet cat food is heavy. Just like you don’t want cans of wet foods in your pack for yourself, you don’t want the water weight for your pup either. Dry food allows you to carry more, and to carry it easier. If your cat can’t eat dry food for whatever reason, make sure you’ve thought of how to carry the extra weight. I would also look into this freeze dried cat food. It has great amazon reviews, and it only weighs 8 ounces, making it one of the lightest options on the market. It can also be rehydrated with water, if your kitty is a picky eater.
Water for Your Cat Bug Out Bag
Water filter
If you’re planning on a life straw for your own water filtration, how are you going to get clean water for your pets? Yes, dirty water can kill a cat just as easily as a human, even if they likely have a higher tolerance to drinking dirty water than you do. Our recommendation is the platypus water filter. This system is extremely durable, and is a gravity flow system, so it’s very easy to use. It’s our go to water filtration system 99% of the time, for pets and people.
Cat water bottle
Stay mobile with a cat water bottle. This cat bug out bag essential has a bowl built into the bottle, requiring one less piece of equipment. We love these for bugging out, and road trips, but remember, you want a separate one just for bugging out.
Tools for Your Cat Bug Out Bag
Fabric Cat Carrier
Fabric carriers might be harder to clean than a plastic carrier, but they’re also easier to put in a bag, or manipulate in small spaces. This option below is by far the most popular, and highest rated fabric cat carrier on amazon right now, and is the one we’d recommend for bugging out.
Portable Litter Box
Sanitation is so important. Keeping poop away from water, food, and away from your shelter in general is so important. If you’re evacuating in a large group, your preparedness for your cat’s sanitation could mean the difference between your cat getting into an evacuation shelter, and getting turned away, or taken away. This portable kitty litter box is one we don’t put in our bag, but we would recommend putting it right next to your bag.
Medicine and First Aid
I’m not going to give any specifics here, because it varies by your cat. Having a first aid kit that works for a person will cover most first aid needs for your cat as well, you just might want more of it. Additionally, having some antibiotics and some flea and tic treatments is also advisable in your bug out bag. In an evacuation or bug out situation, you’re the vet.
Pre-made cat bug out bag
You can actually buy a bug out bag or evacuation kit for your cat. This kit comes with most everything mentioned. If you just want to have a good enough solution and your primary plan is to bug in instead of bugging out, then you might just want to buy one of these, throw it in the same closet as your other bug out bags, and not worry about it. If your primary goal is to bug out, or your cat has specific needs, you’ll want to build your own kit from the ground up.
Additional Considerations for a Cat in a Bug Out Situation
Wagon
I’ve got relatives that have a smaller dog who’s getting older. They go on walks, but the dog is done getting his exercise before the person is. Because of that, they’ll often take a wagon with them, and its what we recommend for all pet owners in a bug out situation. We recommend a collapsible wagon. If you’re bugging out in a vehicle, its compact and easy to haul, and if you have to walk with your collapsible carrier, litter box, food, all on top of your equipment, you’ll really be glad you have that wagon.
Should you bug out with a cat?
Are they family or are they a tool? If your cat is just there to catch mouse, and its name is “cat,” you’re probably not even reading this article. Odds are fair, if you’re reading this article, your cat is a member of your family. If that’s the case, there really isn’t a question as to whether you should bug out with your cat or not.
What’s the Status of Your Bug Out Bag?
It’s great that you’re thinking of your pets in a bug out situation, but you also need to think of yourself, and your human family members. You need all the right gear in a SHTF scenario, and there is little margin for error. For that reason we put together an extensive bug out bag checklist to help you determine if you’re prepared, should you ever need to get out of dodge.
Keep Learning
Prepping is an ongoing venture. Because of this, we recommend that you subscribe to our bimonthly newsletter to keep prepping, emergency preparedness, and self reliance on your mind. We promise, we’re not spammy, which is why we only email you twice per month. We hope you think about being prepared more than twice per month, but our newsletter is a valuable resource to help you learn new things, and just to keep prepping on your mind. Right now you can also sign up for free. You can also follow our Facebook Page for regular articles and resources.