Disclaimer: I don't know anything more about the incident than what I read in Susan's post.

I don't see what one has to do with the other. The issue is her car didn't start. I would suspect as you have suggested it wasn't in the best repair but I don't know that for sure. One can keep their car in decent repair and have pets.

I think this is a fairly general issue where people just don't consider the need to be prepared. My guess is that she never considered the car a priority and that it might play an importaint role in her survival. If she is in fire country, having a plan to leave quickly seems like it would be a good idea. Having a plan, BOB and transportation seem prudent. Even a bike as a backup plan might have made a significant difference. All things considered, it sounds like she was very lucky. But I doubt it was because she had cats! :-)

-john

well... I dunno ....
Sometimes huge bills don't mean good repair. Maybe I would have tied the greedy mechanic to the car and let them both burn to ashes ...... <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

OTOH, there is more "meat" on a well nourished mechanic than on a cat, however well fed....

So I guess, in your view, a mechanic might indeed be more usefull in dire emergency .. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
And with a grilled mechanic, you normally have no risk of tularemia, which is another advantage...
You got me convinced, Bounty...
When my cat dies, I will have a mechanic instead....


P.S. : that's just a joke ; I don't want mechanics to think I really hate them....

Well-maintaned vehicles can fail you when you need them most, too. Car computer things are usually working or not working, and they decide which with no notice.

Some people just blame cats for everything. <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

For the dog, I was thinking of some kind of clear material so she could see, but dust mask material elsewhere.

Sue

Frenchy:

Which character did you play in "Silence of the Lambs"? <img src="/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Bountyhunter

JohnN:

I was generalizing and exaggerating cat owners who seem to love their pets because they consider them part of their family.

I am a dog person and although I do not expect favors to be repaid by every person or animal I help, I have a distinct and strong dislike for the aloof attitude cats have. Dogs are close to their owners and seem to involve themselves in the owners lives as well as really spoil us with the obvious and recurring attention and devotion they give us for what little we do for them.

The thing about this post that surprises me is that no one has expounded on the fact that by hurting herself or not being able to get out of the way of the firestorm, she doomed her beloved pets by the way she packed them. I am willing to bet she doesn't carry a knife to cut her cats loose, and even if she did, the firestorm could have caught her and her cats before she had a chance to free them.

Bountyhunter

the frying pan ..... <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Bountyhunter:

1. I don't know how far away the firestorm was when she left home -- it could be that she didn't wait to be TOLD to leave, like a lot of the people here (Oakland, CA, specificially).

2. Even if she had a knife with her, she wouldn't be able to use it if she was unconscious; if she was conscious, she could untie the shoelaces.

3. It's okay if you don't like cats -- there are lots of people that only like creatures that fawn over them. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

4. I just thought it was a clever way to carry 6 cats all at once.

Sue

There is one more dimension I'd like to add to this discussion.

It is not all that unusual to hear of neighborhoods having enforced evacuations because. of a train derailing somewhere and dangerous chemicals being spilled from the freight cars. Sometimes the people are not allowed back into the area for several days or more.

That is only one example of something that can happen to keep you away from your home and your imprisoned pets. I recently saw a letter to the editor reminding people to leave much larger rations of water for your pets when you leave for work in the morning. You just never know when some unexpected circumstance might keep you away for days at a time.

I don't want to even think about how many pets were stranded in the apartment buildings closer to the Twin Towers in NYC on 9/11. Sill, I'm wondering if building managers had had lists of the number of pets and locations within the buildings...perhaps some authorities could have gone in to release the pets before they died from lack of water. (probably not).
<img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I cringed at the thought of all the animals left in apartments on 9-11. And it did make me rethink what I do before I leave home, esp if I'm going some distance.

I have a gallon water bowl for the dog, and leave both toilets clean & their seats up. Since I KNOW the cats get on the counters when I'm not home, I have a bowl in the sink for them (Yes, Bounty, I have cats -- who'd have thought?). This bowl sits on a rack and I leave the water dripping into it.

Although I have every intention of taking all my animals with me if I had to evacuate, and had the chance.

You plan the best you can, then get blindsided. Sigh.

Sue

Bountyhunter,

You are showing your ignorance in this thread. People that say cats are aloof obviously don't know crap about cats, or apparently most animals. I can get almost any pet cat to come to me within a few seconds. They are only "aloof" if you try to read cats like dogs. Cats aren't dogs. Dogs aren't horses. Horses aren't camels. All animals have their own body language and have to be approached differently.

Your comments on the woman and her car are equally thoughtless. You don't know a thing about said "yahoo" but you seem to think you have her figured out. I'm sure you have heard the old saw about what happens when one assumes. I take good care of my vehicles, but that doesn't mean that they don't crap out at the most inopportune moments. Too many parts, too many things that can go wrong with no notice.

I usually enjoy your comments on here, but stick with what you know.