Preparedness blog

Survival Pet Food Storage: Cats & Dogs

By Nicole from Ready Store
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Emergency Preparedness for your Pet

Survival food storage for pets is an absolute necessity when preparing for a crisis or natural disaster. In my household, Rocco, our Australian Shepherd, is considered just as much a part of the family as anyone else. When we sat down to create our emergency preparedness plan, we knew that his health and safety was a huge priority. At the time, we were already buying an extra bag of food. However, we quickly realized, that wasn't enough to give peace of mind. At Ready Store, we have created a list of ideas for all of you pet lovers. Thankfully, they require their nutrition from the same food groups as we do. This makes it easier for preppers to build their needs into a short or long term food storage plan. Take a look at your options below:

Survival Food for Cats

Cats require less food than dogs. If needed, they can hunt for birds and other rodents.  For cats that have been declawed and are indoors full time, try this healthy survival food recipe that'll last you for a week:

4 – 5 cans of tuna

¾ cup cooked rice

3/8 lb. chopped chicken liver; or other meat

Tuna is fairly cheap and easy to come by at any local grocery store. We recommend purchasing in bulk and rotating your tuna with other short-term food storage. When preparing your survival food storage plan for any pets, always have rice in stock.  Luckily, you can buy rice in bulk for a great cost. If properly stored, this recipe may last up to three months.

Survival Pet Food Storage: DogsSurvival Food for Dogs

6 Cups of water

1 lb. ground chicken, turkey or  other meat

2 cups of brown rice 16 oz. broccoli, cauliflower, and/or carrots (you can use freeze-dried veggies too!)

To prepare, it’s pretty simple. Bring the water to a boil and place the meat and rice in the pot. Once cooked, let it simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, add the vegetables and cook for an additional 5 minutes. If stored properly, this may last up to three months. The great thing about this recipe is that you can use freeze-dried ingredients from your food storage! Just calculate how much they’ll need per month.

Long Term Survival Food for Your Dogs

If you’d like to take the stress out of preparing survival dog food in advance, there is another great option in place. Ready Store now offers PetPrep buckets for dogs. Stored tightly in a 17-gallon bucket, PetPrep guarantees a 15-year shelf-life. Your dog will love the fresh taste and nutrients today, or years from now. This has been a popular option with emergency preparedness folks since it is easy to store with the rest of their long-term food storage.

What ideas do you have for survival food for your pets?

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8 years ago
Comments
wendy
8 years ago at 6:23 AM
I have several large dogs. I keep extra bags of dry food but my plan if I need a longer-term solution is I have the big buckets of instant rice and instant oatmeal. Freeze-dried meat is too costly so I'll combine the rice and oatmeal with TVP and veggies. I'd probably vary the carbs with some pasta and potatoes too. Not a perfect solution but it'll work.
Cheryl Olson
8 years ago at 6:44 AM
I can a lot of dog and cat food additives all year long. I can up things like chicken skin, fatty parts off beef or pork, and things like starchy peas that got too big, carrots that were less than perfect from the garden, as well as adding green beans. In the winter when it's often 30 below zero up here, the barn cats REALLY appreciate a warm meal. I make a big batch of rice or oatmeal. (I store extra of those things specifically for the animals) When I was a kid we fed our outdoor pets rice or oatmeal with canned things exclusively and never had an issue with health. They all lived to be an old age like many other's dogs and cats we knew. I always pressure can, of course. I even add chicken bones to the jars before processing in the pressure canner. When processed like that, the bones will crumble like a cracker when the jar is opened. NO sharp points or issues ever with those. People miss out a lot on things that they waste that could be put to good use. Especially in an emergency. Home made pet food is something few ever consider, and it's a shame. Cheryl of the Northwoods
Bryan Kyler
6 years ago at 6:10 PM
It states when stored properly, but doesn't state how it should be stored? For survival food I am not thinking that this is refrigerated. Would this keep if vacuum sealed? I am familiar with canning, but that isn't survival food situations as jars are heavy and breakable.
Rebecca Call Me No text
6 years ago at 10:19 PM
I want to buy 2 buckets dog food yours is sold out. 580-212-7647 tythank you
Rebel Lee
4 years ago at 12:11 PM
Hi - could you share some of your homemade dog food and cat food recipes with me or tell me how much you would charge for some recipes. My pets are my life and want them to have food if something happens. Thank you Rebel Lee Anderson Buffalo Gap, TX 79508
Pawz and Petz
4 years ago at 10:40 PM
Fantastic goods from you, man. I've understand your stuff previous to and you're just extremely fantastic. I really like what you've acquired here, really like what you're stating and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still take cate of to keep it wise
cat rescue mom
4 years ago at 4:08 PM
TUNA is NOT good for cats, especially the recipe posted. PLEASE people do some research! Pemmican would be better.