Companion animals and natural disasters: A systematic review of literature

In 2014, 317 natural disasters were reported, impacting 94 countries, resulting in an estimated 7963 global deaths and costing nearly US$100 billion [28,29]. This issue becomes even more problematic when animal guardianship is considered during disasters. Therefore, this narrative systematic review of literature investigates the impact of companion animal guardianship before, during, and/or after a natural disaster. Nineteen peer-reviewed, empirical articles were included in this review. Articles were located using search terms and inclusion criteria via EBSCOhost, JSTOR, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar. The included articles covered a range of natural disasters in various countries. Findings from the included articles are discussed within methodological streams (mixed methods, qualitative, and quantitative descriptive) as well as synthesized across methodological streams. Findings suggest that companion animal guardianship can impact disaster-relevant decisions, behaviors, psychological symptoms, and willingness to work during a time of disaster. These findings are discussed in terms of their relevance to disaster planning, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. Particularly, implications are discussed for public health and safety, disaster professionals and officials, resiliency, and contextual factors. The review concludes with a discussion of limitations and areas for future research.