"It is imperative that the residents ... in the path of Hurricane Rita make provisions for their pets now," said John Snyder, director of companion animals for the Humane Society of the United States, on the organization's Web site.
"As evacuees of Hurricane Katrina now know, there are no guarantees that pets will survive the storm or that you will be able to go back and save your pets in time if they are left behind."
As coastal residents in Texas headed inland, the Humane Society urged officials and public facilities to adopt "pet-friendly evacuation procedures."
"We want to encourage officials and public facilities in Texas to place the welcome mat out for pets as well as people," said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, in a press release.
"In the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, many individuals chose to stay behind with their pets rather than evacuate without them because there was no place to go with their animals."
In a letter sent to Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday, Pacelle cited a November 2004 report in the
Journal of Psychiatric Practice that said "animal owners will risk danger to themselves and may not evacuate disaster areas unless they're assured of their animals' well-being."
In the letter, Pacelle commended Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas of Galveston, Texas, for her decision to allow evacuees to take up to three pets per person on buses transporting them to safety, said the Humane Society release.
Hoping to avoid a situation like New Orleans, Texas Homeland Security officials are allowing evacuees to bring their pets with them to shelters in Austin, Lufkin, College Station, San Antonio and Huntsville, said the Humane Society on their Web site.
