Originally posted by Heatburger

I worry about this for my birds. How practical will it be to go on the run with a parrot in a travel cage, or even on your shoulder?

No kidding! I imagine myself running around with 3 bright blue cat carriers and a shot gun in my hand. Not very practical, to say the least. I guess I could get a big back pack and shove em all in there. hehehe...

But one of my cats is terrified of going outdoors. I'm all about the indoor/outdoor cat too, and so I throw her out there sometimes but she just shoves herself in the corner between the door and door jam and starts meowing and scratching feverishly. It breaks my heart so I let her back in.

As stated by the 9 cat guy, we have a obligation and duty to look out for the little ones in our life no matter what. The same goes for the young and old in my book.

Sammy the cat, a animal shelter Mainecoon, brought entertainment, companionship and love to my dad for his last 10 months of his life.

Dad passed from cancer.

It is amazing how animals sense when people are sick and how they will comfort them.

Growing up, we were raised around dogs and cats which has been all pleasure with many funny stories and experiences.

I owe kitty so much of what he brought and brings to our family!

Wherever I go, he goes, no matter what.

[edit on 30-6-2009 by PRS395]

I'm very passionate about this. My two dogs are my best friends and my children. I would sacrifice my life for them as I know they would do the same. If it came to going bankrupt, I would happily do it to allow them to survive. We cannot allow our most loyal companions to die in the streets because we are so selfish...

I actually put animals on a higher pedestal than humans... in many cases.

we have four setters(two irish- two english) they are our family. they are better feed than me, i just bought 30 lbs. of sirloins for the fourth, most of it is for them, they do love their beer, but that's mine. they go where ever we go. they will never go without, that is my number one rule. they give us more pleasure and joy than i could ever give back..to me, life is better with a setter.

Zero chance I would eat my pets in a survival or any situation. If it got to the point where I couldn't feed them I'd lock them outside and they'd eventually leave in search of food. Heartbreaking but at least they're alive. The Koi in my pond on the other hand...

My dog is a major part in my life. Also in my survival plan. I own a German Shepherd/ROttweiler Hybrid 125 lbs aptly named Princess. Very obedient, loyal and intelligent.
She hunts rabbits, squirrels and any other animal she can get her teeth on. And almost always brings them to me to I guess bring as a present to the pack.
I let her eat her kills always, along with a steady stream of Kibbles N Bits( guess the raw meat adds variety cause Ive tried Kibbles N Bits, its bland unless you add a lil milk)

I take her hunting with me when I go, most the time she flushes the animals out or tracks them down, I shoot them.
I even got an orange vest for her to prevent any accidents (kinda lame but I don't care)
And yes there has been days when shes had a more successful day hunting than I. Unless i yell Heel, she kills the animal before I can shoot, cept for deer.

My dog and My rifle along with a few other things are very much a part of my survival plan.

I very much recommend this hybrid for anyone wanting a guard dog/watch dog/friend/survival help.

Obediant, loving, aggressive, protective and very easily trained.
Females tend to be less dominant/more willing to be dominated and trained

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I really appreciate all these responses, and it's awesome to see such devotion to pets in this thread

I have another question though...what about herps and fish?

I've got a snake, and while she has the emotional range of a teaspoon, I love her dearly. I really don't know what I would do in a worst-case scenario. I could take her with me, she's a corn snake and her natural habitat is pretty much where I live, but I doubt she could hunt. She's used to getting frozen/thawed mice and she doesn't even strike or constrict anymore...she just politely grabs the mouse from the tweezers and eats it. Releasing her would do no environmental harm, but I don't know if I could do it unless I could train her to hunt first.

As for the fish, I've got two tanks, a tropical freshwater tank and a saltwater tank. I couldn't just leave them to starve to death in stagnant water. Would you release your fish into a stream, river or lake? I know this raises environmental concerns...what would you guys do?

The SW fish would be out of luck. There would be no hope for them without pristine water conditions, proper salt, light cycles, etc. They'd probably meet a quicker end in a tank that the FW fish making it more humane on them.

Petsmart's method of euthanasia for fish is to put them in a container of water and baking soda. This quickly suffocates them. I may resort to this method if I have to. Like I said, I can't just leave them to starve to death.

I have horses, goats ,llamas chickens,dogs and a fat cat .Obviously I dont live in the city but I still have bug out plans for them. The goats have to go with to produce milk and meat, they eat anything so no problem. The horses are going in case i have to travel to far back country. I have purchased 3 years of food for them a mash of sort. I have a cage for all chickens and food stored. The cat and dog were easy after I fiqured the horses out. The llamas can pack needed items and eat many trees and mash. You can emagine the trucks and trailers i have purchased to move them and my families items. I also had to think about the color of the animals some have white hair, so I bought spray paint for quik-fix. Then how to restrain them once moved was a issue (fixed). Obviously i am hoping To know a day or 2 ahead of any issue in order to not seem like a ditching caravan. However I am ready to ride out and let loose who does not follow. The dog and cat will have to eat what I eat after food runs out for them, but I have a few years supply. I have had to learn vetrinary medicine and how to trim hoof. Many books are available. I suggest you all purchase vetrinary med books on the animals you take. Also youll needs meds for them. If you have to bug out do you have proper items to keep them from getting to cold? Those small dogs cannot take much.
I over think everything but thats what I do best, just in case! Hey anything can happen. I know I made an effort to care for them.
Great thread.

My dog is not my pet, he is my friend. I got him when he was 2 months old and he is the sweetest dog I've had in 12 years. I trained him to protect my family and myself against aggressors. He never barks unless he is trying to wake us up.

I've got 4 tarantulas and a sinaloan milk snake. Not much use in any survival situation. If it hits the fan i'm not sure what i'd do for them. With the Scottish weather they'd do ok in summer but would never survive out their tanks in autumn or winter. I guess i'd give them a chance at wild living if i had to. Better than them starving to death in their tanks. Houdini the snake could do fine on a diet of mice, but not sure at all how the T's would fair. They can go a long long time without food, but not without electricity to keep their heatmats on.

I need a more practical animal like a dog!

Originally posted by Heatburger
Do you have a plan for them if the economy completely collapses?

Yeah, I've stocked up a bit on cat food, but because of expiration dates you can't go too overboard. And besides, there will be plenty of soylent green if and when push comes to shove. I probably won't even need to leave home to find any, they'll probably voluntarily come crawling through the window if I turn the lights off and make it look like nobody is home. Some of the soylent green around here looks pretty plump and ready for harvest too.