Provide For Your Pet If Something Happens to You

Give at least two or three friends, relatives or neighbors keys to your house, feeding and care instructions for your pet(s), the name and phone number of your regular veterinarian and an after-hours emergency vet clinic. It would also help if the people with keys have each other’s phone numbers.

Carry a “pet alert card” in your wallet that lists the names and phone numbers of the emergency caregivers. A good place would be beside your emergency information card.

Have removable “in case of emergency” stickers on your doors or windows specifying how many and what types of pets you have. Don’t use hard-to-remove stickers or else rescue personnel might assume it’s from a previous resident.

Place a visible list inside your house containing your emergency caregivers’ names and phone numbers.

In case of your death, provide for your pet in a will and name a primary and alternate beneficiary after first discussing it with them. Or you can set up a trust, which is legal in certain states and will also provide for your pet in the event of your long-term illness. You can also name your pet as a beneficiary in your life insurance policy.