NEW ORLEANS -- The Louisiana SPCA announced it will evacuate animals from its shelter due to Hurricane Gustav’s predicted move into the Gulf of Mexico.

The SPCA said it will close at 2 p.m. Wednesday to prepare for evacuations. All owned animals in the shelter’s care were scheduled for evacuation on Thursday afternoon. On Friday and Saturday, the SPCA announced it will begin transportation of all other animals, strays and adoptable animals to partner shelters in Texas.

Louisiana SPCA director Anna Zorrilla said the Louisiana SPCA plan calls for evacuation preparations 96 hours before any potential threat of a Category 3 or higher storm. Meteorological predicted Gustav would be a Category 3 storm when it enters the Gulf.

"We definitely don't want to wait until Saturday or Sunday to decide what to do," Zorrilla said. “Our best course of action is to prepare in advance to allow enough time for a safe evacuation."