No--it's THIS simple. SAVE BOTH WHEN YOU CAN. You're actually encouraging leaving a pleading animal when you could save it???
Yes. When the people are accounted for, I'll go back for the animals. Not before. People first. I'm not going to waste time getting an animal off a car roof and into my boat when I can spend that time looking for human survivors.
When you stand before God next to the child who drowned because you stopped to rescue a cat, what will you tell Him?