Prepping for Your Pets | Episode 557

Good morning, it’s James from SurvivalPunk.com, and today we’re talking about a part of preparedness that almost everyone forgets until it’s too late:
your pets.

If the world gets ugly — whether that’s job loss, supply chain issues, natural disasters, or a true SHTF scenario — your animals are completely dependent on you to keep them alive.

They’re family.
They’re security.
They’re companions.
And they need preps just like you do.

Let’s get into how much food you actually need, how to store it, what to avoid, and what long-term options really look like.

Why Pet Prepping Matters More Than You Think

Most people prep food, water, TP, gear, and meds…
…but they don’t put even a minute of thought into their animals.

And yet the logic is simple:
anything that affects you affects your animals.

If you lose your job, they lose their food.
If the grid goes down, they lose their water source.
If stores get bare shelves, they don’t have kibble either.

Your pets don’t have opposable thumbs or Amazon Prime.
They need you dialed in.

Start With a Simple 30-Day Supply

You don’t need a massive ranch-sized operation.
Start with a realistic 30-day stockpile of EXACTLY what your pet eats.

For example, your own monstrous unit of a cat — Berkeley — eats:

• a 3-lb bag of dry food every 2 weeks

• would prefer 2 wet cans per day if he had his way

So for him, 30 days =

• 6 lbs dry food, or

• dry food + supplementing with wet food cans

That’s nothing.
Most people spend more on Starbucks in a week.

Figure out how much your pet eats, multiply by 30, and boom — you’re done.

Store It in Small Batches (This Is Critical)

This is where almost every prepper screws up.

If you buy one giant 40–50-lb bag of food and your animal eats 2–3 lbs a week, that big bag is going to:

• absorb moisture

• grow mold

• go stale

• get infested

• or rot the second a seal fails

You’ve lived this —
you’ve had a bag get wet and go completely rancid, and you had to trash the entire thing.

Instead:

Store in small portions like 3–5 lb increments
inside:

• mylar bags

• 5-gallon buckets

• buckets with gamma lids

• OR
  a metal trash can for rodent-proof storage

Metal trash cans are the GOAT for big-dog owners storing 50–100 lbs of food.

Small packaging =

• maximum freshness

• minimum loss

• easy rotation

Yes, You CAN Copy-Can Animal Food

Just like humans copy-can their pantry, you can absolutely do this with pet food.

Canned cat food lasts a long time.
Canned dog food lasts a long time.

A compromised can?
You’ll know IMMEDIATELY — there is nothing in the world that smells worse than a blown can of cat food. If you walk down a pet aisle and smell Satan’s armpit, that’s what happened.

Dry food?
Repackage it.
Keep oxygen and moisture away.

Your animals deserve better than moldy kibble.

Water for Pets (Yes, You Need to Plan This Too)

Your animal doesn’t need the same standard as Berkey-filtered artesian spring water — but they do need clean water.

Store extra for them.
Rotate it.
Plan for them in your overall water budget.

A big dog?
Yeah, that’s a gallon a day.
A cat is far less — but still needs access 24/7.

Comfort Food and Treats Matter Too

Just like people, animals get stressed in emergencies.

Store:

• a few cans of wet food

• a bag of treats

• a couple of their favorite snacks

This isn’t “spoiling them.”
It’s morale.
It keeps them calm, predictable, happy, and bonded to you when shit is chaotic.

Store Their “Other Needs”

Beyond food and water, your pet may also need:

• flea meds

• grooming tools

• nail clippers

• brushes

• litter (for cats)

• leashes

• spare collars

• medications

Put all of it in a single bin in your shed.

You nailed this point in the recording:
If the collapse isn’t happening tomorrow, spread out the cost — build this slowly.

Thinking Long-Term: Meat Systems, Freeze-Dried Food & Raw Diets

If an emergency lasted longer than a year?
Dry kibble won’t cut it forever.

You talked about several long-term pet-feeding concepts:

Freeze-dried pet food
Doesn’t really exist commercially in #10 cans — but it should.
That’s a solid prepper business idea waiting to happen.

Raw meat systems
Dogs thrive on rabbits and chickens.
You know people who raise rabbits specifically to feed their dogs — and it works.

Cats need taurine
Cooking destroys taurine.
A raw-food system or freeze-dried raw meat keeps cats healthy long-term.
(And prevents the insane deformities caused in those early 1900s studies.)

Rodent breeding
Mice, hamsters — yes, it sounds wild, but it’s biologically correct for feline nutrition.

For 99% of disasters, you don’t need any of this.
But it’s worth knowing if you ever had to feed animals for years without stores.

Final Thoughts

Prepping for pets is not optional — it’s your responsibility.

Start with 30 days.
Break it into 5-lb portions.
Store it dry and protected.
Set aside water.
Add treats, meds, and grooming supplies.
Then slowly build up to 60–90 days.

They’re family.
They’re part of your survival team.
Treat them like it.

This has been James from SurvivalPunk.com — DIY to survive, and prep for your animals like you prep for yourself.

Amazon Item OF The Day

Gamma2 Vittles Vault Dog Food Storage Container with Airtight Lid, holds up to 10-15 Pounds of Dry Pet Food, Cat Kibble and Bird Feed, BPA Free, Made in USA

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