They left their cats behind???

[mom of 4]

I live in tornado alley, though this was a very slow year for us. Very unusual. I am not afraid of tornados, even though they have been within 2 blocks of where I lived. We simply have a plan in place and follow it.

As soon as we are in a warning, even though the tornado is miles away, Zoey goes in the carrier and the dogs get their leashes attached. It can be inconvenient to do so, but I value my furries.

I think I would have done something similar as soon as the fires seemed to be heading my way or getting closer.

 

[kittkatt]

I guess I'd have to be in those fire victims shoes before I could pass judgment, but I know if I had to evacuate, I would have prepared myself way in advance so I had plenty of time to gather my cats. There's NO WAY I would have left w/o them

They would have to literally drag me away, kicking & screaming the entire time!

I don't think I could ever live w/ myself if I intentionally left them behind: to me, that would be like leaving your kids behind - I just couldn't do it.

~KK~

 

[tara g]

I would never leave any of my cats behind if I had to evacuate (ie: hurricane or something since I live on the coast). I would feel horrible for leaving them behind, knowing they may or may not make it. I don't know what else means more to me to grab other than them (and the fiance! He can grab a cat too!)

I can't judge the people in CA due to not knowing the situation on their evacuations and how it was done. But I would not leave my babies behind.

 

[menasmom]

What about the hundreds (or thousands) of pets that were left behind during Hurricane Katrina? I could never understand that. I'd rather suffer with them than leave them behind wondering how they were going to survive or IF they were. People would tell me, "Oh, you don't know what it was like..." Well, maybe so, but I live in Florida and have been through three hurricanes so far, none of which I've evacuated for, but if I did, my three babies are going with me, or I'm not going anywhere at all.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I guess its things like this that help us to make plans for emergency things. I know we are blessed because we don't have problems getting our girls into their carriers. And when it storms bad here I like to put their carriers in the middle of the living room and they end up playing in them. I just pray we're never in a situation where we'd need to evacuate or anything.

 

[kittkatt]

Originally Posted by menasmom

What about the hundreds (or thousands) of pets that were left behind during Hurricane Katrina? I could never understand that. I'd rather suffer with them than leave them behind wondering how they were going to survive or IF they were. People would tell me, "Oh, you don't know what it was like..." Well, maybe so, but I live in Florida and have been through three hurricanes so far, none of which I've evacuated for, but if I did, my three babies are going with me, or I'm not going anywhere at all.

I agree!

I had to evacuate during Hurricane Rita, and my cats came w/ me.

I suppose in some cases there isn't much advance warning (such as during a tornado), but even then, with today's technology, there is almost always enough time to plan an escape. If you pay attention to the news and weather reports (assuming the weatherman is going to be accurate, that is

), you usually have enough advance warning to plan it out...although a sudden fire (such as an electrical house fire) isn't something you can plan for b/c they just come out of nowhere. In a situation such as that, there isn't any time to try and find your pets, b/c they probably would already be scared and in hiding somewhere. But I'd STILL probably would risk my own life to try and save theirs...

~KK~

 

[pami]

We also have evacuated for bad weather and my babys were the only thing I took beside some clothes. There is no way I could leave without them, no way. If I couldnt take them for any reason, I wouldnt go myself, no way, I just couldnt do it.

 

[dragoriana]

We've just found out the next house we move to in January, we will need a fire plan. The first thing i'm doing is putting Chuckie in the pet carrier, that's going to be in the house and not in the shed as it's too far from the house. At least i will know where he is being indoors. If there ever was a house or bush fire i think i'd freak out. I've never had to deal with one before and i couldn't imagine it. Let's just hope we never have to.

 

[green bunny]

I'm not going to judge. Scared cats might hide, and you might not be able to find them in your own house.

When there was a tornado near my old house almost a year and a half ago, the weather tuned very suddenly, and there are very rarely tornadoes, so we don't have much experience with them. My sister was living with my mom and me at the time with her 2 cats and dog. My mom and I were out having dinner (the weather turned while we were in the restaurant) and my sister was alone and had to find the pets and put them in the basement. She could only find Mouser and Jinx the dog. Jinx didn't like the basement and was hard enough to get down there. She looked and looked but couldn't find Minion before she had to get to a safe area herself.

The worst was over quick, and our house was a couple blocks away, so my mom and I went home. My sister still couldn't find Minion even though the danger was over. I was able to find him quickly because I knew his special hiding spot. But there were tons of other places he could have easily hid.

So, some of the evacuees may not have had a choice to leave their pets behind. I hope that if I ever need to evacuate for any reason I can easily get my boys out, but Possum might be difficult if we're both agitated.

Tricia

 

[kittymonsters]

Please don't judge! I have spent the last two years helping Katrina victims try and locate their pets. Pets they didn't abandon, pets that are "lost in the system".

Before Katrina people in New Orleans were told, by ASPCA and emergency planners, to leave their pets behind because the emergency shelters did not allow animals.

Many people stayed and then Officials closed the ENTIRE CITY of New Orleans for almost 4 weeks. People who were in undamaged, un-flooded homes were forced to evacuate. These people were told they could take their pets, so they got them together, then when they reached the buses or helicopter evacuation points they were forced to leave them.

Many people died during Katrina because they would not leave their animals. Others saw their pets shot before their eyes because they refused to be forced to leave them behind.

Rita was different because at that time it was the midst of the animal nightmare in NOLA. The Texas governor did not want a repeat and HSUS, ASPCA, etc. made sure people took their pets. They made sure there were animal evacuation sites and that hotels would accept pets.

Many of us worked very hard writing to our representatives and supporting the PETS act passed by congress. This act denies FEMA money to States that do not have animal disaster plans. It makes animal emergency shelters mandatory. Thus we now see scenes like horses grazing in center field at Qualcom Stadium.

I live in wildfire country. Unless you have experienced it, you have no idea how fast a wildfire can blow up in 60-100 mile an hour winds.

The Kokopelli fire burned 600 acres and 24 homes within the first 15 minutes. Firefighters tried to run ahead of this fire to open barns and homes to give the pets half a chance. Home owners were not allowed into the area, PERIOD. If you tried you were arrested.

We have a horse trailer that is never unhooked from the tow vehicle, it is stocked with supplies and camping equipment. We have 14 cats, three dogs and three horses to evacuate. We live on the border of a National Forest. There is no way we would be able to evacuate everyone given less than 10 minutes. We practice.

Unless one is willing to leave during the entire fire season there is no way you can be any more ready in advance.

We all know there are some very horrible people in this world. People that should not ever have animals. However to apply this standard to everyone is not right.

If these people were on television crying over losing their pets, odds are they didn't leave them behind to die on purpose. People usually make the best choice they have at the time. Hindsight is always 20/20.

 

[theimp98]

Originally Posted by kittymonsters

Please don't judge! I have spent the last two years helping Katrina victims try and locate their pets. Pets they didn't abandon, pets that are "lost in the system".

Before Katrina people in New Orleans were told, by ASPCA and emergency planners, to leave their pets behind because the emergency shelters did not allow animals.

I was just going to say, in Katrina people showed up with there animals and told they where not allowed to take them.. i have come accross many stories of people sneaking back into the city after to find there animals.

There was A Show that was about the animals in new orlenas, and it almost made me cry(and i dont cry easy) The story about the old man who just wanted his cat back,just about broke my heart.

From what I have been reading, they are changing the rules to allow people to take there animals.i have no dobuts that if something would happen i would never be able to get heyu in time if it was short notice.

over all i am going with what gingers mom said.

 

[kittymonsters]

Originally Posted by theimp98

There was A Show that was about the animals in new orlenas, and it almost made me cry(and i dont cry easy) The story about the old man who just wanted his cat back,just about broke my heart.

That is Bill and Concat, on the Nature Documentary. I bawled all the way through that segment. Tanya is an internet friend that is the one who snuck Bill in to get Concat.

Having spoken to hundreds of survivors and reunited over 30 animals, their stories are things of our worse nightmares.

 

[cococat]

Originally Posted by kittymonsters

Many people died during Katrina because they would not leave their animals.
The Kokopelli fire burned 600 acres and 24 homes within the first 15 minutes. Firefighters tried to run ahead of this fire to open barns and homes to give the pets half a chance. Home owners were not allowed into the area, PERIOD. If you tried you were arrested.

Unless one is willing to leave during the entire fire season there is no way you can be any more ready in advance.

We all know there are some very horrible people in this world. People that should not ever have animals.

If these people were on television crying over losing their pets, odds are they didn't leave them behind to die on purpose..

Thanks for sharing your experience. It is the stuff of pet lovers nightmare's...we have plans too for worst case situations. You can never be too prepared when it really matters.

 

[stacyd1987]

With it being all over the national news, do you think they should have a law stating that inns and hotels where the evacuees go should accept their pets? I mean, it's a crisis, they should be able to bend the rules a bit.

I try not to judge people but whenever there's a hurricane or fire, people around the area where it might hit should be prepared for the worst instead of hoping that it'll miss them to the last second. You would think that in this day of age with all of our technology, the weather crews would be able to figure out where and when things are going to happen. Example, when and where a hurricane is going to hit and how hard, where fires are expected to spread and how long and what areas are at risk for flash floods. I know, I'm straying off topic but IMO, people should prepare for whatever things that come practically yearly in their area. We've been on this continent long enough to understand that high winds bring a high fire risk after a severe drought and that wherever it can rain, it can flood.

 

[karmasmom]

Please do not judge these people and do not assume they had sufficiant warning. There are stories about many animals that were left behing. I have a customer at my store who I have gotton to know over the last couple of years. She lived in the area where the Harris fire started. She and all he neighbors raise purbread race horses. Most of them race at Del Mar. I saw her yesterday, she came in for some water and other things. I asked he how things were going and if everyone got out okay, even the horses. She said she was able to save all but 3. The worst part was when she told me about her neighbor. They have over 40 horses and by the time they were told a fire was in the area it was already cresting the hill, they had less than 5 minutes to get out. They had no choise but to leave the horses, all were lost, the animals their home their buisness everything in minutes.

The point of this is sometimes in life choises have to be made. My DH and I talked long and hard about it over the last few days and as hard as it would be if it came down to it and we had to leave Karma behind we would. She is our world but we would have to save ourselves and pray she was okay. Just today word has come over the news about people who did stay behind just to try and save their animals. Their remains were found because family called the authorities and said they still had not heard from them. Now the children of these people not only lost their family home where they grew up but also their parents. We have to remember, unlike things like tornados and hurricans there is no warning with fire. It can just be there with no warning. There is no weather patern to watch no predictions to be made no way to know what it will do. It moves fast and will destroy things with out a second thought. Houses were engulfed and burned to the ground in minutes. Now we are in what the city is calling the recovery point, bodies are starting to be found, the death toll is climbing. Just tonight some new evacuation orders were give because the fires are still going and will be for weeks.

Please do not assume that the people who left animals behind did so because they did not care. Sometimes there is only enough time to save yourself.

 

[catkiki]

One thing we need to remember too is that the authorities suspect arson as the cause for the majority of these fires. You cannot predict what those sickos will do.

One couple on tv that evacuated with their dog was supposed to stay with friends in their house. The so called friend refused to allow their dog in the house. That couple then refused to stay in the house and is living in a tent with their dog.

If I lived in that area, if there was any chance at all that we would be evacuated, I would keep any pets in their carrier, or confined to where they could be readily put in carriers.

I don't judge these people for leaving them behind since I don't know the circumstances.

 

[iluvdevons]

It's so terrible, what's happening in Southern Cal. I can't imagine what it would be like to have a kitty outdoors and find out you have 5 minutes to evacuate

. My brother lives in San Diego, and ended up taking in 2 couples, who each had a cat. In both cases they had 5-10 minutes to evacuate, but both kitties were indoor-only pets.

 

[littleraven7726]

The only ones I don't understand were the couple they interviewed on the NBC news...They took 2-yr old baklava and left the cat.

I also live in tornado alley, when warnings sound and they give warnings to get in your basement--the cats are in their carriers. Last year we had a close call--Rotation on the road we live on!

But my cats are easy to catch, and I know that. I probably would have been hysterical if I couldn't catch them.

 

[krazy kat2]

I feel so bad for the people that could not reach their pets, or for whatever reason could not retrieve them.
We live where we get huricanes, and the first thing I do is take down the carriers and put towels down in them. Some of them will crawl in and sleep, others have to be forced in, it varies who does what. Fortunately we get plenty of warning, and unless it is a really big hurricane, our house will hold up. If we HAVE to leave, cats first, lock boxes with meds and important papers, cash, guitars, clothes, my massage chair, and whatever else we can cram into the car and saddlebags. He would ride the motorcycle and I would drive the car. Of course he would have to take his tattooing equipment, because if we had nothing to come back to, he would need it to work, just as I could make money with my massage chair.
If at all possible, and things looked that bad, we would rent a u-haul pull trailer and cram it as full as we could as fast as we could.
We discussed this at length the first time we sat through a hurricane.

 

[green bunny]

Originally Posted by littleraven7726

The only ones I don't understand were the couple they interviewed on the NBC news...They took 2-yr old baklava and left the cat.

(

Are you talking about the dessert? That's kind of weird.

Tricia