How much water do pets need in an emergency?
The short answer
Plan on about 1 fluid ounce of water per pound of body weight per day for a dog, and about 4 fluid ounces per 5 pounds for a cat. For 2 weeks, a 50-lb dog needs about 5.5 gallons and a 10-lb cat just under 1 gallon. The CDC says to store extra water for pets on top of the 1 gallon per person per day.
Pet water calculator
5.5gallons
For your pets for 2 weeks. That's about 50 fl oz a day.
Add your pets to your household planHow much water dogs need
A common vet guideline is about 1 fluid ounce of water per pound of body weight per day. A 128-ounce gallon goes a long way for a small dog and fast for a big one:
| Dog weight | Per day | 3 days | 2 weeks | 1 month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 lb | 10 fl oz | 0.2 gal | 1.1 gal | 2.3 gal |
| 25 lb | 25 fl oz | 0.6 gal | 2.7 gal | 5.9 gal |
| 50 lb | 50 fl oz | 1.2 gal | 5.5 gal | 11.7 gal |
| 75 lb | 75 fl oz | 1.8 gal | 8.2 gal | 17.6 gal |
| 100 lb | 100 fl oz | 2.3 gal | 10.9 gal | 23.4 gal |
Two dogs? Add their weights together. A 30-lb dog and a 20-lb dog need the same water as one 50-lb dog.
How much water cats need
Cats need about 4 fluid ounces of water per 5 pounds of lean body weight per day. For a typical 10-lb cat, that's about 8 fluid ounces, or 1 cup:
| Per day | 3 days | 2 weeks | 1 month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 fl oz | 0.2 gal | 0.9 gal | 1.9 gal |
That figure is total water, including the water in their food. A cat on wet food drinks less from the bowl, but plan to store the full amount in case you have to switch to dry food.
Round up, not down
- Heat and activity. Like people, pets need more water when it's hot or when they're working hard. If you live somewhere hot, add a cushion.
- Cleaning up. Bowls, accidents and litter boxes all use a little water too.
- Their own supply. Keep pet water with your pet supplies so nobody has to decide between a drink for the dog and a drink for the kids.
Store it the same way
Pet water follows the same rules as yours: food-grade containers with tight lids, somewhere cool and dark, and fresh water every 6 months if you fill the containers yourself. A collapsible bowl in your emergency kit makes it easy to use. See how long stored water lasts and which containers to use.
Add your pets to your household plan
The water storage calculator adds your pets to everyone else's water, with weight, containers and a replace-by date. Use the button in the pet calculator above to open it with your pets already filled in.