I'm going nowhere without my cats !
But to answer your question,
I guess they figure they will be ok ,
Or just don't want the hassle of bringing them along .
why is it when their is a hurricane , tornado or other disaster? people will leave and not take their pets be it cats ,dogs ,birds whatever??
Some pet owners think their animals are just possessions and not living, feeling beings. It's really sad when they are even allowed to have pets!
Always kind of wondered that myself also ! My dog would be the first thing in my truck. Anything else comes after. I think it's cruel of people to only think of themselves and not their animals. That's a real shame. I suppose things happen fast in those circumstances but I still find it hard to see that people leave their animals on their own. Those are the kind of people that shouldn't even have or deserve an animal.
I have heard a few stories of people in tornados who couldn't get the pets in the basement or closet. The first time i had to get my dogs in a bathroom in the basement was not easy. (I had to run back upstairs and get cheese to lure them in.) After that they were trained to go in with a new command of "Let's hide". We practiced every week or so, and I kept extra yummy treats in the linen closet. (Along with spare collars and leashes.)
As for hurricanes, you got me. You know a hurricane is coming for days if not a week or more. While many shelters do not take pets, you have enough time to make another plan. There are plenty of hotels that take pets, and someone can easily make a reservation out of the evacuation zone and head to safety.
"If you must evacuate in a disaster, take your pets with you. If it’s not safe for you, it’s not safe for your pets. Their best chance for survival is with you. You need to leave before the call for mandatory evacuations—if you are forced to leave by authorities, they may not allow you to take your pets, and they certainly aren’t going to give you time to gather them up."
The above---along with a lot more good information on the subject---can be found here:
Since I live here in tornado alley, I may have one of the answers possible.
When pets get afraid, they hide. I know mine hides under the bed when he senses bad weather or hears thunder from far away. I can't get to him, so I make sure if I know bad weather is coming,, I have him on a leash so I can scoop him up and we can take cover together.
But my dog Bella, who died a little over a year ago-she was 60 pounds and I couldn't lift her much less get her from under a hiding place And sometimes there's just a little bit of warning in an emergency, as tornadoes can form in under a minute.
Especially cats, they get up really high and have special places they hide, and they don't take kindly to commands to leave their safe spot and come to us as easily as dogs may.
Also, those hiding places they find can be pretty safe for their size.. Pet owners sometimes, at the last minute, have to just gather their children and many times the elderly which takes their immediate attention.
Nowadays in Oklahoma, we have earthquakes. That's impossible to prepare for. Usually the pet will tell you first when they sense one coming. They will start going around in circles and get agitated, but there's really no safe place or plan when it comes to an earthquake.
But hurricanes ...there's always plenty of warning unless they have no media to receive warning from, so I don't know why anyone would not be prepared for that, except that most times no one thinks things will get that bad, and then all of the sudden the house is floating away, and once again pets can tell when everyone is panicked so they hide. . We have lots of flooding here too and it happens real fast-called "flash flooding"..
I don't feel it's because they don't care for them as much, it's just that pets hide during dangerous situations and no one is prepared as they think they would be, no matter how many times they go over it in their head, as to what they'll do in emergencies.
In fires, they hide in the tiniest place they can find and since we can't breathe in the smoke, we have to get out. It's also next to impossible to be prepared for fires, especially in the middle of the night.
So then people try and save themselves and their family -and there's been plenty of people die while trying to save their pets.
Many times, people will die trying to save their pets and the pet shows up alive a few days later and their owner is no longer around . After tornadoes, we have lots of pet's in shelters because dogs will even bolt from the home and run as fast as they can, then they're disoriented.
People do have plans for pets during emergencies but sometimes they just don't work out, and sometimes they do.
Sadly, not everyone considers their pets as part of their family .. To some pets are "disposable". They are the sort that will pack their vehicle with their belongings leaving no room for a pet .. Because their "stuff" is prioritized more than a living creature.
I can assure you that would not be the case in my family. Leaving my pets to suffer a horrifying slow agonizing death would not be an option.
People can be $%^holes.
I believe it boils down to responsibility. These re the same people, in my opinion, who would run out of a burning house leaving their kids to be saved by the fire department. During hard economic times people who move or lose their homes will leave their pets. Nrighbors down the road broke into a vacant house when after 30 days they realized the owners left and abandoned their two cats. After much attention medical and personal the cats have survived and licing with the neighbors.