Understand were Im coming from. If I saw my nephew and my cat drowning in a flood, or a strangers child or any adult human (assuming that they werent firing shots at me or intending to rape me) it would be my first priority to save the humans at any cost.
However I would also do everything in my power to save and keep safe my three cats. The oldest one a gentile female, Zeda who was named after a late season hurricane at the time I found her and to whom I absolutely credit with keeping my father alive and sane for the year and half he lived after my mother died.
I have reoccurring dreams about tornadoes (I dont know why living in MD like I do) but a constant theme in these dreams is that I have to rescue children and my cats, bringing them all to safely in the basement of my house.
When Hurricane Isabel hit Maryland, I had my kennels out and ready to go and a plan to get them to safety just in case a tree came crashing down on my home.
My cats stayed with me after my husband left me, after friends I had had for years stopped calling after the separation and divorce. Dear Zelda roamed the house searching and cried for days after my father died. When I had a major bout of conjunctivitis with high fever that nearly had me hospitalized and could have cost me my vision, my cat Willie laid day and night with me, cuddled and pawed me gently as if he just wanted me to know he was there for me. They don't care what my politics are, if I gain weight or lose weight, if I go to church or not, how much I make or how I dress.
I dont put human life before animal life but then the more I see of people, the more I love my cats.
If I lost all my wordly possession I could replace them, but if I lost my beloved freinds, it would possibly be more than I could take. I will donate to human releif efforts first but I will not forget the animals.
Does anyone know a good (definately not PETA or their ilk) animal relief agency?
A number of folks here have donated to Noah's Wish/www.noahswish.com
Some people will snicker but animals make life worth living for alot of people.....