Be prepared to act when you find an injured or lost pet while driving. Gather this list of items and keep them in your trunk or in a weather-proof tub in the back of your pickup.
Roadside Rescue Kit
- Mobile phone
- Wallet Card (downloadable), complete with animal emergency phone numbers, if you are out of service for some reason
- Bottled water, 2 qts., leaving room for ice expansion in winter if applicable
- Cat food, 2 qts., in plastic bowl with lid (sample food packets available from some pet stores stay fresh longer)
- Plastic bowl for water to nest with the above
- Squeeze bulb or syringe, to squirt water into a thirsty pet’s mouth, if it is too stricken to lap water
- Tarp, plastic, large enough to cover your vehicle seat and back cushion, or to serve as a sling
- Blanket, warm, clean, and tightly woven
- Bandanas, keep several handy for soft restraints, tourniquets, towels, etc.
- Gloves, padded, long-wristed, to protect you from bites and scratches
- Muzzle, soft nylon, to protect you from bites
- Flares or glowsticks, to protect your vehicle from traffic at night or to signal a location
- Flashlight, headlamp style, for hands-free use, batteries removed but in the kit
- Wet wipes
- Small notebook and pencil
- Tote to contain the above (a big kitty litter tote with handle works well)
