I completely agree with you. When I was little, for some reason, the carriers my parents recently bought didn't contain the cats, but they had a vet appointment. We captured them (again), put them in pillowcases, and I held onto them and opened them up to talk to and reassure them. It wasn't ideal, but it worked, and they were just fine. There had to be something she could put the cat in, but it seemed like she didn't care for or about the cat too much, which is especially a shame, because Maine Coons are an amazing breed.

They're also resilient, so she probably would have been okay somehow. I can see why people would find it okay to leave an animal behind. In Hurricane Andrew, my mom's house fell down, and the cat was just fine hanging out under the ledge of my bed (I had already moved out) and part of the roof that fell. They're not stupid, but it really does sound like she had time to save her, and she just didn't bother, because she didn't like her very much to begin with.

Meanwhile, the article describes her brother taking care of stray cats and dogs and even bottle-feeding kittens. It doesn't sound like there was a chance of that ending well.

TL;DR: Cat > wedding dress, no contest.