No matter your regard or disregard for any animal, it's always going to be the human.
The numbers: any human (unless this one is really nearing death) is going to live longer than a dog or cat. The best you'll get, even if the dog/cat is a pup/kitten, is maybe 21 years. Any human should be able to triple that at least. So the numbers win for humans.
Achievements: Any human is capable of making great music, writing great novels, curing diseases etc (not saying they always will, but the possibility is there and so is the potential) - while of course they may also be a serial killer - but overall a human should have more to potentially offer the world than an animal can.
Dependents: A dog or cat may have pups/kittens/mate to provide for, but overall animals don't seem to be as attached to their offspring/mate as we are. They'll find others. A human will - probably - leave a family behind and even if not, there are relations, friends: too many people will be affected by the death of one human, so they win on dependents too.
Gratitude: A dog can lick your face or a cat can purr at you, but there's going to be no real gratitude, whereas if you save someone's life you may make a friend, or at least instill some gratitude in that person. You'll also get that from their family.
Funeral: If an animal dies, generally, unless it's a beloved pet, no funeral. If a human dies, you saddle their dependent with funeral costs.
So overall, even if you love animals, all logic still tells you to save the human.
Even if they are a piece of garbage.
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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018
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