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