It's entirely possible that the owners might not be able to keep the cats, particularly if the house was so damaged as to be uninhabitable. Sadly, what often happens is the family ends up in some sort of emergency housing, that won't allow pets, and the family can't afford to board the cats until things can get sorted out.
It's a big problem when folks have to evacuate (say, like in FL last week for the hurricane) - no pets allowed in the shelters for people, and no shelters available for the pets.
And no friends, or even community samaritans, who could take the cats in for as long as needed? (I can see how this wouldn't work in a case of mass evacuation, but in the case of a single-dwelling fire...surely there'd be someone.)
If I lost my house, I surely would do whatever I could to try to save my pets; I wouldn't just let them go to a shelter and, most likely, euthanasia.
OK, I'll go on record here: if any of my friends is ever in an emergency situation and needs to temporarily board your cats with me, I'm willing to help out. I'm afraid I can't accommodate a dog, though.
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Date: 2004-08-19 03:52 pm (UTC)If they had been living in the house, it's too bad they wound up at the Humane Society. :-/
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Date: 2004-08-19 05:41 pm (UTC)(I realize
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Date: 2004-08-19 06:50 pm (UTC)It's a big problem when folks have to evacuate (say, like in FL last week for the hurricane) - no pets allowed in the shelters for people, and no shelters available for the pets.
::sigh::
_M_
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Date: 2004-08-19 10:19 pm (UTC)If I lost my house, I surely would do whatever I could to try to save my pets; I wouldn't just let them go to a shelter and, most likely, euthanasia.
OK, I'll go on record here: if any of my friends is ever in an emergency situation and needs to temporarily board your cats with me, I'm willing to help out. I'm afraid I can't accommodate a dog, though.
no subject
Date: 2004-08-20 12:40 am (UTC)She looks like my boy, Thunar.
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Date: 2004-08-20 09:22 am (UTC)